Ok, I'd like to share a few more samples that we considered. Please let me know if you think any of these are preferable.

This one is called French Twist.

Its vertical repeat is 12.25" and horizontal is 2.25". Background is a soft grayed green.

blossoms! Very pretty fabric.

Oh, I do love this fabric but am really worried about scale after giving it more consideration.

This one is Wispy. I like its simplicity. Vertical repeat is 9" and horizontal is 17".

DH worries that from a distance, though, all you see are "blue dots."

Blossoms, Wispy or French Twist.....all a soft, soothing look, especially when you're taking a bath.

Seeing the window and the scale really changes things -- as does a larger sample. My first vote would have been the stripe, then the blossoms against the galss block, then possibly going back to the stripe and wondering if the stripe would read more textural with the larger sample. The blossoms is lovely in the sample, but it is basically a wiggly stripe and small scale. Wispy and French Twist look interesting, but what do the larger pieces look like? Is there at least a photo? Is Whispy a linear or more random pattern?

Stripes are my print. But in this case, I'm not a fan of that pick.

I liked the small pic of the floral, but the larger photo makes it look like a stripe.

Too many hard angles and lines. Keep looking for something with a softer, more random pattern whether it's a print or geometric. Pattern size will then be flexible.

Lots of beautiful fabrics. If you don't select the blossoms for the MB is there somewhere you could use a pilow with blossoms? I too love that fabric.

Here's a larger pic of Wispy. The repeat would have a little more of a random feel than Blossoms, I think.

Compare to Blossoms:

I like French Twist and Wispy. The background color of Wispy marries well with the marble; the French Twist is more sophisticated.

Here's French Twist repeating. Seeing this, I feel a little dizzy and not in a good way.

I'm now leaning towards Wispy. I like the scale and the background has a pretty linen look that does go nicely with other elements in the room.

I really appreciate all of the helpful input. I don't know that I would have even considered the repeat otherwise! Stuff like this makes me feel a little crazy anyway. At the very least, it makes me feel like an indecisive waffler. I guess that's all part of the process sometimes though.

I'll give you something else to think about. Reconsider doing a hobbled shade if you go with the Wispy. The pattern will get chopped up with a 17" repeat.

Thanks! My designer said she thought either a hobbled or flat would be best, depending on fabric. Probably flat with Wispy, yes?

Wispy. Seems like the Goldilocks choice. More organic and distinctive than Blossoms but doesn't have the angular concerns that come with Stripes. It has the hint of color you were drawn to but doesn't compete with other elements. Having seen the room unfold over time, including the addition of the mobile, it just reads more "you" to me than any other.

Yeah, flat with the Wispy, so you can see the full pattern.

Thanks. Another question if you don't mind ... See how the blossoms project from the fabric? Even with a flat shade, could that impair the way the fabric folds when raised? (Obviously I know very little about fabric.)

"The Goldilocks choice"! Love that! :-)

I doubt they project enough to be a problem. Roman's don't have to be flat as pancakes when raised. Of course, the only way to be 100% sure is to have enough fabric to test it.

Not knocking your designer, but I think she/he needs to work on their knowledge of fabrics if they're selling them. I would double check with the workroom making them before ordering as I imagine it costs a pretty penny.

Thanks for your insight, shadylady! I've only been able to meet briefly with my designer, and I understand why it may appear that she isn't giving me a lot of info. It's just that we haven't had much time to spend together yet -- have sort of been communicating on the fly, but I know she did spend some time collaborating with two other designers in her firm this past week and between them they pulled a lot of fabric samples for us to look at. I know it's hard for a designer to get a good feel for exactly what a client is looking for, when the client isn't even remotely sure herself. I can't even pinpoint my own style -- it's a rather eclectic mix of English traditional meets Southwest/New Mexican, which confuses even me.

I'd be calling the designer with all of these questions today, but their firm is closed until Monday. I'm so thankful for the info shared here. It's been extremely helpful, as my own indecision has been (as I said) making me a little bit crazy! :-)

OK, gotcha! Going with the pic, I really don't think there'll be a problem.

I don't think the embroidered blossoms on Whispy would be too raised for a Roman shade to look nice. The fabric is going to lay over itself, and with those folkds, I suspect the body and drape of the fabric and lining will have more impact than the embroidery.

I really like the colors and fabrics you are chosing from. Do you have the vendor/maker name for the stripe and Whispy? I am trying to decide on WT for my MBR and possibly for my MBA and those are the colors I would be wanting. Whispy would look good with the linen bedding too.

Something like this?

Or?

Amazing how awful the French Twist looks when it's larger. Wispy seems the way to go, subtle and quiet and yet with some interest and color. Turquoise, now you know how I've felt with my rugs/pillows/drapes problems, and yours is simpler with just one element. After a while the brain gets scrambled, but I have no doubt you'll make the right decision and it will look beautiful.

I just spotted the second design elle presented. Very nice.

I'm late to the party and my 2 cents probably won't mean much but what I really like most about the blossom fabric (vs. the whispy one) is that it has all the colors from the room incorporated in it and it seems to have more personality. I know very little about window treatments so it makes me curious to know if depending on which style you choose, how much influence the scale of the fabric would actually have.

Lascatx, I just made up the name Wispy since that one is numbered only but here's the info.

Stripe: Maxwell Fabrics, Accelerate in #488, Storm

"Wispy": Duralee Fabrics, Paramount Collection, Pattern 32763 in Color 693 Natural/Aqua

One last question (maybe!) -- here are several style choices I was provided. How about the second from left, Plain Classic Pleated, instead of Flat? Elledi's examples are gorgeous but might not be as structured as I'd like. Also, this will have a continuous chain-cord mechanism, not that it matters much for style I think.

Thanks for the fabric info.

The choice of style might be different depending on fabric choice. For the Whispy, I would like some softness to the style -- the plain classic has some, the soft folded and the European a little more -- but make sure the European wouldn't look droopy on a window that large. I think the plain classic would definitely be my choice for the stripe (allowing the stripe to hang smooth, but not rigid) and the plain classic or the European for the Blossoms. You don't need to add texture with any of those fabrics (the soft fold and front slat).

I may not be helping here, but I just went back to look at the photo with the window. You need to be the final judge, but the colors in the stripe are great. The scale is not what we were expecting, but across a window that large, the stripes would almost become textural and less stripey. If so, it could look really nice. If not, well, I'd pass. I definitely like the Whispy -- the more horzontal spread of the pattern would cover a larger window space like that better. I love a little bit of the blossoms, but don't think I'd like seeing that many vertical repeats of it.

TR, my examples were about fabric ideas, not the example of the shade.

I dunno. I think if you're going to have a pattern, it needs to be big enough not to fade or blur into a texture. What made the first two choices (stripes and blossoms) so appealing was that they looked like large patterns compared to your mosaic accent tile. The reality is, the mosaic tile is small and so are the patterns.

Your bathroom has square tiles and glass blocks. While I love stripes, I think a different shape would be better. And larger scale. Isn't that what everyone says about patterns working together in a single room? Similar element (color) but different shapes and scales?

I know nothing; please disregard. :p

Sorry to post and run this morning. Had a busy day after a rare night of insomnia (thank you very much sleep hygiene post). Hopefully I'm not contradicting myself now.

I don't think you've found the one yet. Even is all you have nearby is a Joann's, go and look at their fabric books. Then you will get a better feel for what's out there and how it looks in person. Or see what Mood or Michael Levines (out of Los Angeles) have online.

I think what you are looking at will just get lost in a big shade. But I'm pretty sure I've seen some similar patterns only bigger out in the market place. If it's the effect you like, then find something similar. Also, if that Duralee is $150/yard, I wouldn't be surprised.

Now I gotta go back out for the evening, so I apologize to be giving just advice and no options.

elledi61, do you have the source for the second fabric? I use aqua/turquoise throughout our home - would like to look closer at that fabric. TIA

TR, based on what I've seen that you put together for your MBR and LR, I think you can find fabrics on your own. If these are what your designer and her colleagues are suggesting, I hope you're not paying them.

Seeing the blossom fabric in a larger sample I don't like it....for the body of the shade. But what about a nice white with some texture and then the color band down the side in blossom?

i just keep seeing the peachy pink tones in the wall tile and the pattern and think maybe plainer is better

Tina, (I'm elledi, that is my last screen name, for some reason it switched over for this thread)

I had those pictures saved. I think they came from a thread about styles of roman shades, so it was not about the fabric, sorry.

I will try to hunt around though and see what I can find.

Just a note, what that pic is calling the Plain classic pleated, is the style you asked about in your other thread, with ribs or dowels. I wouldn't recommend that style with that fabric. All the stitch lines will damage that pretty embroidery and chop up the pattern.

The problem with the relaxed style is it looks nice on smaller windows, but on a wider window, it starts looking a little like a droopy sheet or droopy diaper. You can have two swoops tho, which will look nice. However, they're best left stationery because you'd constantly have to fuss with it and fix it, since it'll get messed up everytime you raise or lower it.

While I love the colors and texture of the embroidered florals, I agree that the scale is too small. I really like the fabric elledi posted--I think the colors are perfect for your bath and works with your english cottage/southwest vibe. Have you considered having a faux roman shade rather than fully operating? You could add a manual or motorized roller shade tucked under

Sorry, I have to disagree. A faux Roman costs the same or almost as much as a working one.

Elledi, sorry! I misunderstood what you were sharing. I appreciate your mockups very much. I don't really think that's the route I want to go with the fabric though.

Teeda, thanks for your mockup too! Very helpful to see how something like that would work in my space. But again, those busy fabrics aren't hitting me quite right. I'm also not wanting any faux treatment on this window. I want simple functionality.

I don't know if I'll continue to look at more samples. I still really like the simplicity of Wispy, but will consult further with my designer tomorrow. The fabrics I've shared here, while among the many my designer shared with me, are all fabrics that I too happened to like very much. And Wispy still strongly appeals.

Thanks again for all the very helpful input!

And to be perfectly honest, I keep stopping in my tracks when I see photos of shades as simply elegant as these. Maybe I need to revert back to plan A. ::sigh::

I prefer Plan A. :)

Well, as Kippy suggested, maybe a patterned band? I've got a pretty chenille that was recommended when we were looking at plan A initially. I'll go back thru the sample books since they are all in the right color way.

I'm sick of stupid fabric samples. LOL.

Here's the chenille I'm looking at. Seems such a departure from the patterns, but it is pretty.

Actually, see the grayish chenille right next to the off white I'm looking at for the body? That's called Seaspray. I think that might be quite nice for the band. Thoughts?

My only real concern with the chenille is that it not look like a bath towel! Perhaps if it's hobbled or tucked that will help?

After all this agonizing over patterns, DH and I now quite like these two together, the ivory as the body and Seaspray as the band. (Goes well with the granite shown to the right.)

These two chenilles have less of a "towel" look than the Periwinkle (that's a Robert Allen fabric). It's just a nice, subtly slubby look.

Wispy, although those blossoms sure are pretty.

One more of the two side-by-side chenille samples. Ivory for the body and Seaspray for the band. Although it may not translate to monitors, the Seaspray goes just a bit to the green side, which I really like.

DH thinks if we go back to the plain banded as originally considered, my options for bringing in a new accent color in the future are better. He worries I'll tire of a patterned shade, and I worry he may be right!

Bear with me. This is how Blossoms would work as a band on a lightweight ivory. I think the design would be too random to make this look right. Yay? No way? Then again, with a hobbled shade, maybe it would work?

Oh, damn. DH just took another look at the chenilles and said from a distance they remind him of cheap shower curtains. Still looking ...

PLEASE SEE NEW THREAD. VOTING IS CLOSED HERE. ;-)

Ohhhhhhh I really like that wispy one. Not too busy looking. Not that the others are. I just really like it.

Thanks, but this thread is "old news" at this point.

I will say, however, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being indecisive. The purpose of this forum is to bounce ideas off one another, and I've been coming here for many years to do just that. Too, my designer is helping me through the entire process, but her studio is closed on weekends, and I wanted to get the thoughts of forum regulars.

I have reached a decision, with the help of my designer and the input from forum participants.