Roman Shades for a Waukesha Warm-Up Room on Cold Days

Roman shades in Waukesha make a good fit for a warm-up room. That's the room your family heads to after a cold afternoon of sledding or shoveling. A Roman shade is soft fabric that folds into neat pleats as it rises. Lowered, it adds a cozy layer over cold glass. Raised, it lets the low January sun reach the couch.

The six steps below set up that room, from picking it to dressing the glass.

Why does a Waukesha home need a warm-up room in January?

January here is long, and it's the snowiest month of the year. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Waukesha weather station show about 10 inches of snow in a normal January. That's a lot of shoveling.

We still head outside. JanBoree is the city's long-running winter festival. It gets plenty of families out in the cold. Add sledding hills and driveways to clear, and someone always comes in with red cheeks.

Daylight is scarce as well. The U.S. Naval Observatory has the sun coming up over Waukesha at 7:21 a.m. on January 15, 2027. It's gone by 4:44 p.m. That leaves a little over 9 hours and 20 minutes of light. Most of the time you spend thawing out happens after dark.

What are Roman shades?

They're fabric shades that gather into soft folds when you raise them. There's no roll of fabric at the top like a roller shade. The cloth stacks in layers instead.

Our Roman shades page shows fabrics from sheer to opaque. A lining adds light filtering or room darkening. Lowered at night, a lined shade puts a soft layer of fabric between your couch and the cold glass. In a room meant for blankets and cocoa, that layer is the point.

What are the different types of Roman shades?

Fold style changes the look more than the job. Our page lists five.

For a warm-up room, look at the Soft Fold. Its looping fabric reads warm even in the daytime.

How do I set up the warm-up room, step by step?

1. Pick the room people really use. Often it's the family room or den near the back door. Not the formal living room.
2. Find the cold glass. Sit on the couch on a cold evening. The windows you feel from there come first.
3. Choose a fabric with some weight. A heavier fabric with a lining hangs in fuller folds and covers the dark glass at night.
4. Pick an easy lift. Our Roman shades come cordless, so wet mittens have nothing to tangle with. Cordless and motorized lifts are both safe choices for homes with kids and pets. Motorized ones help on windows that are hard to reach.
5. Set a daily rhythm. Raise the shades in the morning for sun. Lower them before 5 p.m.
6. Add drapery if you want more. Roman shades pair well with drapery panels. Two layers make the room feel snug.

What is the minimum depth needed for Roman shades?

There's no single number. It depends on the fold style, the fabric and the lift. A thick lined fabric stacks up bigger than a thin one.

Measure how deep your window frame is, from the glass to the room edge. If it's shallow, an outside mount hangs the shade on the wall or trim above. That also helps open up the view. An inside mount gives a tailored look inside the frame.

Don't worry about getting the numbers perfect. When we come out for the free consultation, we take the measurements ourselves, window by window. You get a clear quote at your kitchen table that same visit.

What if one window still feels cold at night?

Some windows need more than one soft layer. Our guide to insulated window shades for Eagle homes compares cellular shades and lined drapes for the coldest glass. Shades near the back door also see a lot of winter traffic. Our care card for Waukesha winters covers how to clean it.

Which room will you warm up in this January?

Pick it, count its windows and note which ones feel coldest. Then let us bring Roman shade fabrics to your home. You can see them in real January light. Learn more about Roman shades in Waukesha from Budget Blinds of Waukesha. Book your free consultation.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving the Waukesha area.