The Laura Ashley Animalia Embroidered roman blind at Blinds By Post is a made-to-measure roman blind offered in 4 colourways, starting from £30.11. It is part of Laura Ashley's licensed collection at Blinds By Post, so the fabric carries the designer's name and styling rather than being an in-house cloth. A roman blind draws up into soft horizontal pleats, which gives this embroidered fabric a tailored, curtain-like finish at the window.
Who it suits
Roman blinds suit living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms where you want a softer, more decorative window dressing than a flat roller can give. As the blind raises, the fabric gathers into neat horizontal folds, showing the cloth off as a feature rather than just a panel - which makes a textured, embroidered fabric like this one a natural fit. The Animalia Embroidered design sits in a gentle pastel palette, so it leans towards calm, considered rooms rather than busy or utilitarian spaces.
A roman is less suited to steamy kitchens and bathrooms: the folded fabric holds moisture and is harder to wipe clean than a roller or a venetian, so for those rooms a wipe-clean blind would be the better choice. The fabric here is a standard, light-filtering weave rather than a blackout cloth, so it diffuses daylight and gives daytime privacy without darkening a room completely - worth bearing in mind if you are dressing a bedroom that needs full darkness.
The colours
4 colours available
The collection comes in four soft pastel shades - Pale Dove Grey, Blush, Pale Duck Egg and Silver - spanning gentle greys, a warm pink and a soft blue. These are quiet, scheme-friendly tones designed to sit comfortably with the embroidered design rather than to make a bold statement, so the choice is about pitching the blind warmer (Blush), cooler (Pale Duck Egg) or more neutral (the greys and Silver) to match your room. Embroidered and textured fabrics in particular can read quite differently in the cloth than on a screen, and pastels shift noticeably under different daylight, so ordering samples before committing to a full-sized blind is well worth doing here.
Price by your dimensions
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Price down 2% since 7 Aug. (our checks since 6 Jun)
The standard and no-drill fittings start at the same accessible entry point, so a no-drill installation does not cost more to begin with - a useful option where you would rather not screw into the frame. The motorised version starts considerably higher, reflecting the added mechanism, so it is the choice for hard-to-reach windows or a cordless finish rather than the budget pick. The final figure depends mainly on the width and drop you measure and the fitting you choose.
How it compares
Against a roller blind, this roman trades a little practicality for a softer, more decorative look: it shows the embroidered fabric off in folds where a roller keeps it flat, but it is harder to wipe down and less suited to damp rooms. Against a plain in-house roman fabric, the draw here is the Laura Ashley design and embroidery rather than the construction, which works the same way. As a licensed designer collection, it gives you the Laura Ashley look at the window in a made-to-measure roman, with the fitting options to match how and where you want to hang it.
A note on care
An embroidered roman needs a gentler touch than a wipe-clean blind. Dust it regularly with a soft brush or a vacuum on a low setting, working with the pleats, to stop dust settling into the embroidery. Spot-clean marks with a barely damp cloth and a little mild detergent, dabbing rather than rubbing so you do not flatten or distort the stitching - test on a hidden corner first and let the fabric dry fully before raising the blind. Avoid soaking the fabric, and keep the blind away from prolonged direct steam to protect both the cloth and the embroidered detail.
The same Laura Ashley designs, at several retailers
Laura Ashley roman blinds are sold by more than one UK retailer, so the same designs turn up under each shop's own range. They differ in construction, colourway and fitting, so it pays to compare on more than price:
- Swift Direct Blinds from £17.47
- Terrys Fabrics from £18.00
- Blinds By Post this page from £21.10
- Blinds Direct from £28.82
Designs carried by more than one of these retailers include Alfriston, Animalia, Animalia Embroidered, Aria, Awning Stripe, Belvedere, Birtle, Burford Check, Burnham Woven and Burnsall Stripe.
Our full Laura Ashley blinds guide - every pattern and price →
These are the same designs rather than guaranteed identical blinds - one retailer may weave a jacquard where another prints the pattern, and colourways and fittings vary. Check the specific design, colour and fitting at each retailer before buying.