Custom, Stylish Cost-Friendly Linen Drapes and Shades from Barn & Willow

Remodelista Brand Team October 3, 2017

This content was produced as advertising in collaboration with Barn & Willow.

Ever try to buy window coverings online, custom-sized to fit your actual windows? Trisha Roy has, and was surprised at the complexity of the process, the dearth of high-quality materials available, and—above all—the price tag. To solve the problem, she founded Barn & Willow, which offers custom-cut drapes and Roman shades in a variety of colors and styles, all in top-quality Belgian linen. To keep prices down, Barn & Willow adopted the business model du jour—online-only and direct to consumer (read: no middlemen), with a streamlined catalog and simple, step-by-step ordering. Read on for details.

Roman Shades

barn willow roman shade bedroom white 2 — Above: Barn & Willow’s Flat Roman Shade, shown here in Optic White. All Roman shades start at $234 per 30-by-54-inch panel.

Roman shades are hybrids of window curtains and blinds, made of fabric panels that fit into (or onto) a window frame. Just like window blinds, a cord and pulley raises and lowers the shades, and the shades stack in horizontal folds at the top of the window. There are several styles of Roman shades offered: Pleated shades lend a formal, “pressed” look, Cascade and Flat are looser, and Relaxed is the most easygoing style.

barn willow roman shade white 1 — Above: Roman shades can be mounted inside a window frame or outside—like the Cascade Roman Shade in Optic White pictured here.

Barn & Willow’s Roman shades come in four styles and each is available in 16 colors of Belgian linen. To order, choose your style and color, then enter your window dimensions. (Here are some tips on Measuring for Roman Shades.) Decide if you want to mount the shade inside or outside the window frame, what kind of cord you want, on which side you want the cord to hang, and last, what kind of lining you want. Shades come standard with privacy lining, but you can choose unlined, blackout, or a combination privacy and blackout lining. Barn & Willow Roman shades ship with all hardware included, so you don’t need to buy any extra accessories before installing them in your home.

barn willow dark gray shale roman shade — Above: A Flat Roman Shade in Shale.

Barn & Willow’s Roman shades and drapes are made of 100 percent Belgian linen woven at a mill in Meulebeke, Belgium, that has been producing the flax-based fabric for 150 years. Drapes and shades are made to order in India, where the linen fabric is cut and stitched before being shipping to your door.

barn willow flax cascade roman shade — Above: A Cascade Roman Shade in Flax.

Barn & Willow knows it’s hard to choose colors online. To help, you can change the color of the background wall when looking at images of drapes and Roman shades on the website (just click the “color picker” tool to the right of the window frame). Or order up to five free Fabric Swatches to help you decide, and they’ll arrive at your door within three days.

barn willow off white pleated roman shade — Above: A Pleated Roman Shade in Off-White linen.

For more information on Barn & Willow pricing, read about the company’s Manufacturing Model, which results in a 60 percent profit markup—much lower than the 250 percent markup typically charged for comparable-quality shades and drapes.

Drapes

barn willow white interior closet curtain — Above: Soft-Top Drapes in Optic White are used in lieu of a closet door in this Seattle Bedroom. Barn & Willow drapes start at $99 per 50-by-84-inch panel.

As with shades, Barn & Willow offers drapes in four styles: Soft Top, a standard pocket style, or the 2-Pinch, 3-Pinch, and Euro Pleat decorative styles. All drapes can be clipped on curtain rings, and the Soft Top style can hang directly on the curtain rod.

barn and willow drapes linen in optic white — Above: A Barn & Willow linen drape in Optic White puddles on the floor.

Barn & Willow drapes come in 18 colors of Belgian linen, the same high-quality material used in the company’s Roman shades, and you can choose among the same four lining options—unlined, privacy, blackout, and combination blackout and privacy. With drapes, you’ll need to decide how “full” you want them to look: Do you want your drapes to cover the window like a flat sheet, have a few moderate waves, or have the rich folds of a traditional curtain? You’ll want to order either the same width as your window, one and a half times the width of your window, or twice the width of your window for each look, respectively. (Here are some tips on Measuring for Drapes.)

barn willow oatmeal euro shear detail curtain — Above: A Euro Pleat Drape in Oatmeal Sheer.

As with the Roman shades, you can order Free Swatches of linen drape fabric to see in person. But you can also “rent” Sample Drapery Panels for up to seven days to try at home. You’ll simply place a deposit of $10 per panel, which is refunded when you place your final order.

barn willow optic white soft top detail curtain — Above: A Soft-Top Drape in Optic White.

Barn & Willow gives back a portion of sales to support infrastructure improvements in small villages in India—where its shades and drapes are made—with the ultimate goal of improving access to education for local children.