These unique pull down shades get their name from the way that they are designed and operate. Essentially a piece of fabric is attached to a tube; when the tube is rotated, the fabric "rolls" up onto the shade. Roller shades have been around for decades, but modern shades raise and lower smoothly and feature a wide range of fabrics and styles to choose from. No wonder they are favorites among designers and homeowners alike.

All roll up shades block light to some degree. Depending on how much light you want in the room, you have two options:

• Light-filtering roller shades allow some light to filter into the room, creating a soft, diffused light that provides a warm, inviting quality while preventing glare and providing privacy.
• Blackout roller shades block most light to keep the room as dark as possible, perfect for bedrooms, media rooms, and other locations you want to keep as light-free as possible. Look for blackout fabric roller shades, or vinyl roller shades for maximum room darkening.

Deciding on a new window treatment can seem daunting, but our simplified product assortment is easy to navigate. Here’s what to look for when browsing our roller shades:  

• Our shades styles are organized by the opacity of the fabric, so first think about whether you want a light-filtering shade for privacy and basic light control, or a blackout shade for a room-darkening effect
• Next decide what colors from our roller shades assortment might fit your room’s decor
• Then pick the product that has the features and style to make your perfect shade

Roller shades are available with three different lift system options for you to choose from—cordless, motorized, and corded:

• Corded roller shades use a looped chain or cord – pulling the chain hand-over-hand lowers or raises the shade. This style can be useful for taller windows where a cordless shade might be difficult to reach.
• Cordless roller shades are child-safe configurations that have mechanisms inside the shade that hold it in place until pulled on. Spring roller style shades just need a slight tug to release and then can be raised up; another tug resets the tension to hold the shade in place. More premium cordless shades can be simply pushed or pulled into place without any special manipulating.
• Motorized roller shades have a rechargeable battery-powered motor inside to raise and lower shades via remote control for ultra-convenient operation – an especially good choice for hard-to-reach windows and to operate multiple shades at once.

There are several other features on roller window shades you can customize. These features let you get the most benefit out of your new roll up blind.  

• By default, roller shades will include just the fabric on the tube. This means that the mounting brackets will be visible and there will be a small gap at the top since the fabric roll will not be flush with the top of the window casing. You can upgrade to a cassette valance or fascia to cover the brackets and roller tube, provide a finished look, and close the gap at the top of the window.
• You can also specify which direction the fabric will roll down from the top of the shade. We recommend the standard roll for most windows. This means the fabric will come off the back of the roll and sit closer to the window. This provides better light blocking and overall fit in the window. You should consider the reverse roll if you have window cranks or protruding latches in your window to help avoid these obstacles.

Order free swatches from Blindster to make choosing the right roller blinds for your windows easier. Nothing beats seeing what a roller blind's color and materials look like in the room where you’re planning to install your new roller shades.  

Blindster also offers financing options to help you complete your window treatment projects cost-efficiently. So browse our selection of roller shades today and find the right window treatment for your next project.