The Laura Ashley Animalia Embroidered range from Swift Direct Blinds is a made-to-measure roman blind offered in 4 colourways, starting from £31.47. It is part of Swift Direct Blinds' licensed Laura Ashley collection, bringing the designer's embroidered Animalia fabric onto a soft-pleating roman blind. The colourways stay within a calm, pale palette: two soft greys, a gentle blush pink and a pale duck egg blue.

Who it suits

A roman blind raises into soft horizontal pleats and hangs as a flat fabric panel when down, which makes the most of a patterned, embroidered cloth like this - the whole design is on show when the blind is lowered. That suits living rooms and bedrooms, where the texture of the embroidery and the soft folds add a decorative, tailored finish rather than a plain backdrop.

The four colourways are all light and understated, so the range works in schemes where you want a touch of pattern without a strong colour. The pale grounds also let the embroidery itself read as the detail, which suits a calm, considered room rather than a busy one. As a designer fabric on a fabric-led blind, romans like these are best kept to drier rooms - the pleats can hold moisture and an embroidered cloth is harder to wipe clean than a flat roller or a slatted blind - so they are a better fit for a bedroom or sitting room than a kitchen or bathroom.

The colours

4 colours available

The palette is soft and pale across all four colourways. Grey is the largest group, with a pale dove grey and a silver, joined by a blush pink and a pale duck egg blue - so the range covers the quieter, more decorative end of a colour scheme rather than offering any strong brights. Because this is a single embroidered design carried across the colourways, the choice is about which pale ground best suits your room rather than a change of pattern. Embroidered fabric and pale colours both read differently in daylight than on a screen, so it is well worth ordering a sample of any colourway you are considering before committing to a full-sized blind.

Price by your dimensions

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The range sits at a higher entry point than a plain roller or an unbranded roman, which is typical of a licensed designer fabric on a made-to-measure blind. There is a single standard fitting, so the price reflects the size of window you are dressing rather than any choice of bracket or mechanism.

How it compares

All four colourways here are light-filtering rather than blackout, so they filter daylight and soften the view rather than shutting light out - for a fully dark bedroom you would want a roman in a blackout-lined fabric instead. Against a plain roman or roller, this range trades a higher price for a recognised designer embroidery and a decorative finish. Against a venetian or vertical blind, it offers a soft, furnished look in place of tilt control. For a patterned, fabric-led blind in a living room or bedroom, the Animalia Embroidered range suits the brief.

A note on care

Embroidered roman blinds need gentle handling. Dust the folds regularly with a soft brush or a vacuum on a low setting with the blind lowered flat, taking care around the raised embroidery. Spot-clean any marks with a barely damp cloth rather than soaking the fabric, and avoid harsh detergents that could mark the pale grounds or pull at the stitching. Keep these blinds out of steamy rooms, and let the fabric dry fully before raising the blind back into its pleats.

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 this page from £17.47
  • Terrys Fabrics from £18.00
  • Blinds By Post 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.