I was nearly 30 years old when I bought my first home. It was actually a tiny apartment in the city. I had asked my friend who was an architect to help me design it. She suggested I get a roman shade for my bedroom window since it was not so common. At first I thought it would be expensive but when I saw how it looked in magazines I instantly wanted it.

A roman shade is like a curtain that is opens by going up. It is sometimes referred to as roman blinds. When the shades are down, it looks like a square or a rectangular cloth over your window. You then use a string to pull the shades up. The shades fold like blinds from the bottom and one by one go on top of each other as it opens.