Wood Blinds Vs. Roman Shades?

I love Roman blinds. I've made a set for all three houses I've lived in. We did not have to do too much cleaning witht them -- the cats would leave spots of hair were they crawled in the shade to look out the window, but we removed that with sticky tape. Because I made them myself, I got machine washable fabrics and put them up in a way that was farily easy to remove to wash then replace. But since they're fabric, they don't collect dust like the wood ones and are so much prettier too.

I don't have any experience with roman shades but have you considered window shutters like these http://www.horizonshutters.com/ ? My mother-in-law has them in their house & they are wonderful. They look very nice, clean easily & keep the heat out well. Her shutters open up like a door so she can open the windows or clean the windows.

I hate cleaning blinds so I understand you wanting an alternative. Best of luck.

They are more expensive, but if I build again, I'd do the blinds that are built into the windows. They are great! My in-laws put them in when they put in their new windows. We are going to do it in our basement.

I went with the shades this time around. Like you, I was tired of cleaning the blinds! I'm sure that my shades collect just as much dust, but it doesn't show like it did on the wood blinds. I do vacum them once a year though. I have enjoyed the change, and I like the look from the outside view of the house.