We have 3 windows with bamboo type shades. 1. Can you easily see the dust on the darker colors? No 2. The color I like is kind of a mesh material, but my husband thinks the mesh textures are dust collectors, do you agree? I'm thinking I should choose a different texture that is easy to dust with a swiffer duster. I think they are pretty easy to dust but I may have broader style 3. I live in a dry climate, will the shades get dry and brittle over time? They are expensive to begin with and I don't want to have to replace them. I don't think so 4. We have really strong sunsets, do I go with a light filtering liner or a blackout liner? Depends on how much light control you need. alot depends on the type of shade too. Our bathroom shade is woven more densely and hardly lets any light in. THe other 2 shades are more loosely woven and let more light in. All of them are unlined. 5. Are you happy with your woven shades??? Any pros and/or cons? Do you have any other recommendations? I love mine! I agree that if you're going to be opening and closing them frequently then spend a bit more and get a good quality shade. Thanks in advance!

When you settle on what you want, the discounts are huge and seem to vary widely among online sellers on a daily basis. There are a ton of sellers and lots of comments about various ones if you search this forum. Once you order samples, you will get tons of discount offers. I just googled fabric roman shades and came up with this site that does a nice job with showing pictures of each of the shades installed on windows, which is very helpful. They look to have a wide selection of styles and prices to choose from. http://www.blindster.com/roman-shades/ Fabric roman shades also offer flat or hobbled styles. Woven woods are always (?) flat I think. Generally fabric will be more expensive than woven woods, but again, prices vary greatly. The higher prices within a line are usually better color/fabric choices. http://www.blindster.com/bamboo-shades/ I think that bamboo shades in a french country setting should probably be plainer and not so textured...i..e just cover the window... don't call out so much attention, like this: But that is not typical with woven woods. Most folk get them because of the texture and casual nature. Too plain may look boring. Will you have drapery panels on the sides too? That would be a way to add more style to a plain shades. Maybe in the office that will not matter so much, but when you get downstairs you probably want more styled. I don't see this as French anything. Of course, there's a lot in between. Just making a point. For myself I found a tone-on-tone offwhite that I am going with for my guestroom. That room I don't really want a full-on wood look, but still like the idea of the woven woods. Another thing to consider with woven woods or any type of shade is cord options. Cordless is great if you have access in front of the window to reach the top well (especially if you lower and raise them regularly). Continuous cord loop is a bit more convenient than straight cord. The bottom of it attaches to the side of the frame and is used like a pulley. Good for kids and pets... no loose cords. Another important feature is top-down bottom-up, but that's usually done for privacy purposes. It also precludes cordless on woven woods (but not on fabric shades). As you can see, I'm deep in the weeds on this subject. I am in the process of figuring out the same issues as you for my two sets of triple windows in the living space. The choices are overwhelming and you have to see lots of samples in person. I've got my choices narrowed to about 5, but I'm sure there are another 20 that would probably be just as good. When I get it down to 2, I intend to go to several websites with a spreadsheet and compare best prices. That's one reason to stick to Levolor or Bali. Everyone carries them.

All good points, thanks. I do not like silhouettes, looked at them but did not like the gauzy open feel, we have fabulous view and I feel that they hide it. Shutters block too much view so they are out. I had duetes open all day and only drop down at night or early morning when sun is strong. I think what I want is a stationary valence and a duette underneath to control light and privacy at night. I will explore that.

IMO what you need are solar shades or all your funrniture and flooring will be bleached in no time .I also find solar shades in a bronze or charcoal are the best for keeping the view. So solar shades control heat and UV rays allow you to keep the vies and give you daytime privacy but I usually combine them with drapes if night time privacy is an issue ot with roman shades if drapes don’t have space for stack back.. The verytop horizontal windows can have permanent solar shades made that are just tension to hold them in .