I’ve always loved fabric, and when I realized I’d never tried making a roman shade— even a fixed, purely decorative one—I decided it was time. Here’s how I created a faux roman shade that looks finished without functioning hardware.
The kitchen window felt bare and begged for fabric. Because it opens into a sunroom and didn’t need to be raised or lowered, I opted for a faux shade. If you prefer keeping blinds open to let light flood in, a decorative, non-operational shade is a great option for rooms where you don’t need privacy or light control.
I didn’t follow a formal tutorial—this was more of a make-it-up-as-I-go project. I measured the window and decided on a finished size of about 47″ wide by 18″ long. To allow for hems and the folded loops that give a roman shade its look, I cut a piece of fabric 49″ wide (for 1″ hems on each side) and 30″ long to have enough material to create the loops.
I used Gazebo Cloud by Braemore for this shade—a fabric I already loved in the house—and purchased one more yard at a local fabric store during a sale. For a small project like this, a yard or so is usually sufficient depending on your window size and how deep you want the loops to be.
First I hemmed all four sides of the 49″ x 30″ rectangle. I used no-sew iron-on tape (I prefer a heavy-duty brand like Heat n Bond) to create clean edges quickly. This step keeps the fabric from fraying and gives the shade a neat finished look.
To mount the shade I cut a 1×2 scrap board to the finished width of the fabric (47″). If you don’t want to cut wood yourself, a hardware store can usually cut it to size. I wrapped small scraps of fabric around each end of the board and secured them with white tape so the raw wood wouldn’t be visible from the sides once hung.
I rolled the top edge of the fabric around the board and taped it on the back and bottom so the tape wouldn’t show when the shade was in place. The flat 2″ face of the board is what gets screwed to the wall, so I avoided putting tape on the top and front of that portion.
To create the roman-shade look I formed fabric loops across the front. I aimed for about a 5″ front-facing loop and pinned each loop from the back. Lining up the top of the shade with a straight reference (I used the edge of an area rug) helped keep everything even. I folded a section of the fabric back, brought it to a point in the corner where the first pin went in, then continued pinning across the back along the same line to maintain uniform spacing.
Here you can see the straight pins holding the loops. I tried to let the pins catch a lot of fabric on the back while only taking a tiny bit on the front so the pins wouldn’t be obvious. Using rows of pins I made two folds about 5″ apart and pinned the bottom edge so it billowed slightly, giving the appearance of a rolled-up shade.
The pinning and adjustments took patience—there was some noodling and repositioning to get the lines straight—but overall the cutting and hemming took about twenty minutes and the pinning process roughly forty. I had planned to hand-tack the folds after pinning, but the pins held securely and tacking risked puckering, so I left it as-is once everything looked even.
To hang the shade we predrilled three holes in the wood and screwed the board directly into the wall. The fabric was pulled aside during installation so nothing had to be drilled through the fabric; afterwards the fabric simply draped over the mounted board and hid the screws.
This photo shows the fabric lifted while the board is being screwed into place; once released, the fabric falls back over the board, concealing the hardware.
The finished faux shade makes the window feel taller, adds color and pattern, and helps tie elements of the room together—bringing the wall color, tile, and rugs into a cohesive look. Because it’s decorative rather than functional, it preserves the light while giving the window a polished appearance.
Close-up detail shows how the pins are hidden and the fabric appears smooth. I opted not to add tacking to avoid any lumps; the result looked clean and intentional. If you’ve made a faux shade using a different technique, I’d love to hear what worked for you.
In the end, the window looks more finished and taller without losing any light. For about an hour of work and the cost of a yard of fabric, it was a simple, effective update.
What small decor illusions are you creating at home—faux plants, faux fruit, or a little staged tidiness? Sometimes a small, intentional trick goes a long way.
