How to choose the right style of shutters for my home? Posted on 12 Oct 13:54 , 0 comments
How to choose the right shutters for your home is a common question we hear at The Shutter Shop. It is of course something you want to get right and with many different shutter styles, materials, louvre sizes, tilt options, configurations and colours to choose from, choosing the right shutters for your home can feel overwhelming. The good news is that, due to the versatility of plantation shutters there is usually a perfect solution for all windows that will suit your home and window shape. They are bespoke to your windows! Shutters provide the ideal window dressing solution for all types of home and periods of architecture, both modern and traditional.
At The Shutter Shop we have over 30 years of industry experience in window dressings and have installed shutters in many different types of property; Victorian London terraced houses, Oxfordshire Cotswold Cottages, new build apartments, city high rise flats with vast expanses of glass, Georgian townhouses in Surrey, Farmhouses in Hertfordshire & even house boats on the River Thames!
We have the expert knowledge to guide you through the decision-making process and can organise an in person survey or an online survey to discuss your options and show you our product range.
Understanding the different window shutter styles and the benefits of each, will assist you with deciding what will work best for your windows and home. Shutters are obviously a significant investment, so, when it comes to choosing the best style, considering the architecture of the window and the external façade of the home is an important factor, as it will help you to determine not only style but also the configuration and how many panels to choose.
What are Shutter Styles?
The style of shutters means the overall design of the shutters & how much of the window will be dressed as well how the shutters will open & function.
We have eight main styles of shutters to choose from:
- Full Height Shutters
- Tier-on-Tier Shutters
- Shaped Shutters
- Cafe Style Shutters
- Solid Shutters
- Tracked/ Sliding Shutters
- Bay Window Shutters
- Security Shutters
After a shutter style has been decided upon, design details such as material, colour and louvre size can be chosen.
An overview of our shutter styles
Full height plantation shutters - Possibly our most sought after style due to their aesthetic appeal, simplicity and wide range of windows they suit. Additionally, with full height shutters you certainly wouldn’t need any additional window dressings.
Full height shutter panels run the full height of the window or door and can have the added functionality of independently opening louvre sections (we call this a Mid Rail or Split Louvre).
Tier-on-Tier plantation shutters – Tier on Tier are extremely versatile, as the top & bottom tiers open independently of one another (not just the louvres), the window is covered by two sets of panels (an upper set and a lower set) usually designed and measured to match any natural breaks in the window.
Tier and Tier Shutters are often most suitable in urban settings where you want the privacy of the bottom section or in homes with particularly large windows.
Shaped plantation Shutters – Bespoke shutters are the perfect and sometimes only solution to dress an irregular or special window shape including arched, porthole, triangle, curved, half circle, octagon, oval, angled, eyebrow, elongated, sunburst and trapezoid.
Shutters also offer a bespoke solution for windows located in gable ends, roofs, attics and eaves.
Cafe style plantation shutters - Covering the lower portion of the window, ideal and a very attractive solution for windows on the ground floor overlooking a street or pavement or for first floor bedrooms and bathrooms requiring both ample privacy and plenty of light.
Sliding/ Tracked Plantation shutters - Often used in modern apartments and are an ideal solution for large windows and expanses including Bi-Fold windows and doors, wardrobes, swimming pools, room dividers.
They are suitable to many more applications that more traditional window coverings would struggle to fit or offer the same amount of light control and privacy options, track shutters can offer. Sliding shutters are available in 2 systems: Bi-Fold and Bi-Pass.
Solid Shutters – Our most traditional shutter style, solid shutters were historically installed on bay windows or sash windows on more upscale properties.
Often the solid shutter panels would be hinged to fold back into boxes on the side of the window, to completely conceal the shutters when folded back. Solid Panel Shutters are available in a Solid Shaker or Solid Raised style
Bay Window Shutters If you have Bay windows for example, shutters can show off, frame and enhance your architectural features, rather than hide them, and you will also benefit from the many unique qualities, including outstanding light and privacy control that only bay window shutters can offer.
Security Shutters. If the reason for choosing shutters is for security then our Aluminium Shutters are the perfect solution, they look the same as our other shutter ranges but offer an additional layer of window protection.
When you have chosen the shutter style you want how do you choose the configuration?
With your Shutter Style decided, you now need to work out how they will function. The first thing to ask yourself is: “Do I want the shutters to be able to open fully, or do I think that I will use the louvres to adjust the light coming into the property”?
If you want to be able to open the window fully, think about where the shutters will open to, is there any furniture around the window that will prevent this, do you need to bi-fold the panels to allow this to happen because there is a wall on one side of the window. Bifold means, you will have a series of shutter panels that fold back like a concertina.
We are here to help
Every home and everyone’s design ideas and requirements are different and at The Shutter Shop we are here to help. Our expert and friendly team will help you determine the right shutter style for you.
Please get in touch to discuss any questions you have, arrange a free site survey or online video survey. Or if you are looking to install DIY shutters yoursaelf, then use our Design and Buy Online (DIY) shutter ordering system. We will help in any way we can, so feel free to send photos of the window or any technical questions you may have. We look forward to hearing from you.