The Koi Faux Silk range from Swift Direct Blinds is a made-to-measure roman blind offered in 8 colours, starting from £11.26. The faux-silk cloth gives a smooth, gently lustrous finish, and the colours stay mostly within calm, room-friendly tones: a run of greys, a pair of blues, a warm neutral, a soft brown and a clean white. It is a range built for understated, soft-furnished rooms rather than bold statements.
Who it suits
A roman blind folds up into soft horizontal pleats as it raises and hangs as a flat panel when lowered, which gives it a more tailored, fabric-led look than a roller. That makes the Koi range a natural choice for living rooms and bedrooms, where the soft folds and the faux-silk sheen add a touch of warmth and texture that suits soft furnishings.
The colour spread points the same way. The greys and the warm neutral sit quietly in most schemes, while the blues - a clearer blue and a soft duck egg - offer a gentle accent without being loud. The white gives the brightest option in the range, and the brown a deeper, warmer tone for a cosier room. Romans are less suited to steamy kitchens and bathrooms, where the folds can hold moisture and the fabric is harder to wipe down than a flat roller or a slatted blind, so they are best kept to drier rooms.
The colours
8 colours available
The range leans neutral and cool. Greys are the largest group, taking in a charcoal, a mid grey and a light grey, so there is a tone to match most grey-led schemes. Alongside them sit two blues - a clearer blue and a softer duck egg - plus a warm beige neutral, a brown and a white, which between them cover the calmer end of a colour scheme. There are no strong brights here; the palette is built for rooms where the blind complements the furnishings rather than dominating them. The faux-silk surface catches the light, so a colour can look a little different across the day and against your own walls - it is worth ordering samples of any shades you are weighing up before committing to full size.
Price by your dimensions
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Price around its usual level (checked since 2 Jun).
The range sits at a moderate entry point for a fabric roman blind. There is a single standard fitting, so the price you see reflects the size of window you are dressing rather than any choice of bracket or mechanism.
How it compares
All eight colours here are light-filtering rather than blackout, so they filter daylight and soften the view rather than shutting light out - if a fully dark bedroom is the goal you would want a roman in a blackout-lined fabric instead. Against a roller in the same fabric, a roman gives you the soft pleated folds and a more decorative, tailored finish at the cost of a little more upkeep. Against a venetian or vertical blind, the roman trades tilt control for a softer, more furnished look. For a calm, fabric-led blind in a living room or bedroom, this range covers the requirement well.
A note on care
Faux-silk roman blinds need a gentle touch. Dust the folds regularly with a soft brush or a vacuum on a low setting with the blind lowered flat, which is the easiest way to reach the whole panel. Spot-clean any marks with a barely damp cloth rather than soaking the fabric, and avoid harsh detergents that could dull the sheen. Keep these blinds out of consistently steamy rooms, and let the fabric dry fully before raising the blind back into its pleats.