I’ve always had a soft spot for fabric, so when I realized I’d never made a Roman shade—even a fixed, purely decorative one—I decided it was time. Below is a clear, practical account of how I made a faux Roman shade for our kitchen window, step by step.
The kitchen window pictured here opened into the sunroom, so it didn’t need a functioning shade to block light. Because I wanted the look of a Roman shade without the hardware and cords, a faux shade was the perfect solution. If you prefer daylight streaming in and rarely draw shades, a faux Roman shade can give the finished look without changing how you use the window.
Plan and measurements: I decided on a finished shade roughly 47″ wide by 18″ long. To allow for hems and the decorative loops, I cut a rectangle of fabric 49″ wide (for a 1″ hem on each side) and 30″ long (to create the visible looping). Choosing sizes slightly larger than the final dimensions gives you room to adjust as you work.
We used Gazebo Cloud by Braemore for this shade, a fabric we’d enjoyed elsewhere in the house. I bought one more yard locally for about $16. The pattern and color worked well with our kitchen, tying the wall color and tile together.
Hemming: I hemmed all four edges of the 49″ x 30″ rectangle using no-sew iron-on tape. I prefer a heavy-duty Heat N Bond product for a strong, clean finish. If you haven’t used no-sew tape, it’s an easy way to get neat hems without sewing.
Mounting board: To hang the shade I cut a 1 x 2″ piece of scrap wood to match the final width of the fabric (47″). If you don’t want to cut wood at home, most big-box stores will cut a board to size for you. I wrapped small scraps of fabric around each end of the board and secured them with white tape so the sides would look finished when installed.
Then I rolled the top edge of the hemmed fabric around the wood and taped it to the back and bottom of the board so the tape wouldn’t be visible from the front once installed. The flat 2″ face of the board that faces up is where I later screwed it into the wall; the front and top remain clean and untaped so the shade looks finished.
Creating the faux Roman folds: I formed the shade’s decorative loops by eye, using a ruler when helpful to keep things consistent. I aligned the top of the fabric with a visual reference in the room (the top of the area rug) so the folds would look straight when hanging. Each front-facing loop is about 5″ deep. From the back, I folded the fabric and pinned each loop in place so it holds its shape.
Use straight pins along the back of the fabric to secure each loop. Let the pins grab a generous amount of fabric on the back while only piercing a small bit of fabric at the front so the pins won’t be obvious from the front view.
I made two horizontal fold rows about 5″ apart and pinned the bottom edge so the shade looks gently billowed. I adjusted and repinned several times to get the folds even—expect some tweaking. The cutting and hemming took about 20 minutes; forming and adjusting the loops took closer to 40 minutes. It’s not a fast ten-minute project if you want it to look neat, but the effort pays off.
Originally I planned to hand-tack each pinned fold with a few stitches once I was satisfied with the look, but the pins held securely and tacking risked creating puckers. I left the pins in place for a smooth finish and avoided extra bulk.
Hanging the shade: I predrilled three holes through the wood and then screwed the board to the wall while holding the fabric aside. No screws penetrate the visible fabric—the fabric simply falls back down in front of the mounted board, hiding the hardware. Predrilling made installation clean and gave the board a secure mount.
The finished look is subtle but effective: the faux shade makes the window appear taller, adds color and pattern without blocking light, and visually ties elements of the kitchen together. The fabric helps bridge the wall color with the tile and rugs, giving a more cohesive appearance.
Close-up detail: you can’t see pins or puckers from a normal viewing distance. If you do prefer stitching for permanence, tack carefully to avoid lumps. For our needs, the pinned faux Roman shade looks polished and feels solid.
In summary: for roughly an hour of work and about $16 worth of fabric, a DIY faux Roman shade transformed a bare window into a finished focal point. It’s a simple, affordable way to add texture, height, and personality to a space without sacrificing natural light.
What are you faking around the house these days—faux plants, faux fruit, faux order? For us, a little illusion can make a room feel complete while keeping everyday life practical.
Psst— Want to know where something in our house came from or which paint color we used? Take a look at the items we’ve shared in our shop.
