There are many attractive ways you can dress up the windows of your home’s interior or exterior but you don’t always have to opt for curtains or blinds. Instead, you might want to consider installing shutters. Shutters not only look great, but they provide a number of practical benefits as well.
This article provides some tips for choosing just the right shutters for your home, ones that match your specific needs, preferences and style.
#1 – Aesthetics Are Important
While any type of shutter should be practical and provide the functionality you need, looks are just as important. After all, you don’t want to install shutters that provide privacy, for example, but are ugly to look at.
Even an attractive shutter design needs to match the colour scheme and theme of the room they’re in. Plantation shutters have been popular for a very long time due to their practicality and timeless elegance.
Fortunately, there are numerous shutter designs out there on today’s market that come in a variety of fashion colours, so you’re bound to find the perfect match for your home.
#2 – A Choice Of Materials
Another important consideration when choosing the right shutters is the material they are made from. Both timber shutters and aluminium shutters are practical and popular options. These materials look attractive and even shutters made from aluminium can be painted in a way to resemble a timber finish if you so desire.
The aluminium variety is extremely durable and very easy to clean. Timber is always a classic option and is often the material of choice for plantation shutter design. Timber is also a sustainable material and provides a certain degree of elegance for the interior of the home.
Before having your home measured up for shutters, talk to your supplier about the best shutter material option for your project.
#3 – Shutters Should Allow An Uninterrupted Passage Of Fresh Air
The right choice of shutter material is important and so are aesthetics, but shutters also need to perform practical functions.
Whether you’re installing shutters on the interior or exterior of your home, you need to be able to open them up so cool, fresh air can flow inside. Whether you’re choosing plantation, aluminium or timber window shutters, they should be designed in such a way that the blades of the shutters can be tilted or opened right up to allow air to pass through.
Alternatively, you might opt for shutters that swing away from the windows, opening them up completely to let in light and the cooling breeze.
If you have windows that open, then it’s vital that the shutters can be opened up as well.
#4 – Privacy and Light Control
Airflow is important, but so too are privacy and light control. When you install shutters with horizontal louvres or slats that can be opened and adjusted, this gives you total control over how much light you let into the room and also provides privacy.
For instance, if you open the slats to a ninety-degree angle, this allows ample light inside but doesn’t provide much in the way of privacy. If you open the louvres on an upward angle, light still enters the room but makes it hard for anyone outside to see in. You can also adjust the angle to block out direct sunlight when the sun is low in the sky, but still, let the daylight in.
#5 – Shutters For Balconies and Patios
Shutters can also be used both internally and externally on the windows but they also have some other practical uses.
If you have a balcony or patio area, you can install shutters that slide open and close on rails, rather than working on a swinging mechanism. Sliding shutters simply make more practical sense when you want to install shutters for sliding glass doors. The blades of sliding shutters can be adjusted to allow light and cool air inside, just like with window shutters. The only real difference is the sliding mechanism.
The Takeaway
Shutters are a fantastic option for adding style and practicality to your home and there are many options to choose from. Talk to your supplier about your needs and follow the tips in this article to choose the right window shutters for you.
