The Solo Roman is English Blinds' entry-level fabric Roman blind, available in 27 plain colours and starting from £26.50 made-to-measure. Where many Roman ranges offer a handful of neutrals, this one covers almost every corner of the palette - warm terracottas sit alongside cool blues, deep charcoals, and earthy naturals - which makes it easier to match an existing room scheme without compromising on blind type.

Who it suits

Roman blinds work best in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms where the soft, folded profile suits the space better than a flat roller. The horizontal pleats when raised give a purposeful, furnished look that flat-panel blinds can't match. If you have a traditional or country interior, or a room where bare window mechanisms look out of place, a Roman is the natural choice.

The Solo is suited to living rooms and sitting rooms, where dimout is often preferable to full blackout. For bedrooms where you need genuine darkness, confirm the opacity with English Blinds before ordering - the range listing does not specify a blackout rating, and Roman blinds with a standard lining rarely block light fully at the edges even if the fabric itself is opaque.

Bathrooms and kitchens are not the right environment for fabric Roman blinds. The pleated folds trap moisture and are harder to keep clean than a wipe-down PVC roller or aluminium venetian.

The colours

27 colours available

Twenty-seven finishes span a genuinely broad range. The neutrals run from Rice and Ivory through Pearl, Hessian, and Donkey into Chrome, Sterling, Granite, and Graphite - enough variation that "grey" and "cream" are not single choices but small families. Warmer tones include Harvest, Maize, Tango, Marmalade, Firestone, and Mahogany, covering ochre, burnt orange, and deep brown without being merely decorative additions. The cooler end brings Sky, Denim, Kingfisher, and Peacock alongside Clover, Fern, and Verdigris for those who want green without going deep into the forest. Oxford (a mid-blue), Thistle, and Black round out the range.

No variants are listed as premium-priced, so the from-price applies across the whole palette. A couple of the stronger accent colours - Tango and Kingfisher particularly - are worth sampling before committing; colours with this level of saturation can read differently under UK daylight than on screen.

Price by your dimensions

Enter your window size. We round up to the next standard size, which matches how the retailer actually quotes you.

At under £30 at entry size, the Solo sits at the accessible end of the made-to-measure Roman market. Pricing scales with width and drop as is standard, so larger windows - particularly those with a generous drop - will cost proportionally more. For a wide bay or tall window, check the size-specific price against the budget before measuring.

How it compares

The Solo's main competition is other plain-fabric Roman blinds in a similar price bracket. If the colour palette is the primary draw and opacity is not critical, it stands up well. If you need confirmed blackout for a bedroom - particularly for children or shift workers - look for a Roman with a blackout lining stated explicitly, or consider whether a roller blind with a dedicated blackout fabric would serve better. Roller blinds at this price point often offer more reliable light-block with less edge-bleed, at the cost of the softer folded profile.

For purely decorative rooms where pattern matters more than plain colour, a printed Roman fabric range would give more visual interest. For kitchens and bathrooms, a different blind type entirely is the right answer.

A note on care

Fabric Roman blinds collect dust in the horizontal folds. A light vacuum with a brush attachment every few weeks keeps them looking clean; for marks, spot-clean with a damp cloth and mild soap and let the fabric dry fully before raising. Avoid soaking the fabric. If you order in one of the stronger colours - Tango, Marmalade, or Kingfisher - check the care label when the blind arrives, as some dyed fabrics are more sensitive to rubbing when wet.