Standard vs. Reverse Roll: A History

Standard vs. Reverse Roll: A History

Do you know why a standard roll is called standard?

Roller shades took off as a standard window covering option in the 50s. During this time, air conditioning was not common in the average home, resulting in more dust due to the lack of airflow. Homeowners would often leave their windows open for extended periods of time and a layer of dust would accumulate on the tops of shades that were not moved as frequently, leaving a visibly dirty line across the fabric. If that layer of dust were on the back side of the fabric, it would be much less noticeable than if it were on the nice, soft, decorative fabric on the front side of the shade. Hence, the standard way to roll the shade was such that the back of the fabric would be on top of the roll.

Now homes have better airflow and filtration with air conditioning, and we offer cassettes that protect fabric rolls from dust. But if your customer is looking for the open roll aesthetic, you can use this history lesson as an illustration when deciding how to set up their new shades.

 

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