Plantation Shutters

I really like the look of these as well. I notice them when I’m out for my daily walk. I’ll watch with interest the opinions and comments.

I’ve not seen them in the flesh. Are they wooden? And do they rise and lower like Venetian blinds?

I’d love to dispense with living room curtains and poles and replace with these. Standing on a ladder to remove curtains for washing is becoming more precarious than it used to be.

Do not have them myself, but have visited homes that do. They obviously do take some light off, but the better ones appear to be those that do not have the extra strip down the centre, just that little bit of extra coverage seems to make a difference. Possibly though, best avoided if at the end of a longish room with only one window. They look particularly effective with the square bays that have come back into fashion.

I have them throughout my home and love them. The larger the slats are the more light comes in and the more they shut out at night.
I would say to check out local suppliers as I got a much better price with no hard sell that way.I have some in hardwood and some in MDF and,apart from the price,don't notice any difference. I completely open the shutters on my patio doors during the day unless I want to keep the room cooler and that has helped this week.

Thanks avitorl for that info. I have regular venetian blinds. Do shutter style blinds operate in a similar way ie can they be hoisted up clear of the window to let more light in/ wash the windows

no, they don't operate like venetian blinds they are hinged panels so open completely to clean windows or for a clear view.My patio door shutters are on a sliding track and open back in concertina fashion against one wall.
Bay windows have a shutter hinged at each section. Slats on. each section can be opened or closed without other sections being affected.
I hope I've explained this clearly.They do have to be custom made for each window and well fitted which explains the quite high costs.Most of them are manufactured in China to measurements made by Firms in Uk.

I have had various types of window coverings since 1970 and moved to my new build on year ago and am so glad that I had my whole house dressed with shutters. I chose a beautiful hardbood stained off white so you can see the grain, I have mdf in the bathroom. A few windows could not have shutters, patio doors for example and I chose perfect fit insulating blinds for them

My shutter louvres can onviously be tilted to follow the light, or to keep the sun out. If I need more light then I would just open the shutters, I have never needed to do that. What I particularly like right now is the insulation that I get to keep the house cool inside when it is over 30 out

No more lifting curtians down, no more dust hanging around on curtains. I used shuttercraft and had the very best care with no sales pressure at all. Every window was treated individually with shutters designed for that window

Thank you avitorl Lexisgranny and craftyone you’ve explained perfectly and I have a better understanding of them now. I somehow thought they were chunky wooden venetian type blinds that had the appearance of shutters ?

Apologies Curlywhirly I didn’t mean to hijack your thread.

I too have had plantation shutters for many years and honestly, I would never go back to curtains or blinds. They're so much easier to clean; you can filter out the light panel by panel; you'll never have to consider whether you curtains clash with your carpets/sofa/wallpaper ever again. You'll have total privacy if you wish. You can open the shutters wide and let the light pour in if you wish.

And they look amazing.

Thank you so much for all your replies, and Grannynannywanny you are more than welcome to join the discussion - the more the merrier! I too have been looking at various houses near me who have the shutters - some look lovely, but I have seen the odd house where the shutters are very 'thick' and look too heavy for the window type (bay window). I presume there are different weights and thicknesses to choose from. Just have to persuade Himself that we need them, as he thinks our 20 year old vertical blinds are perfectly fine (trust me, they aren't!).

The shutter blades usually come in 3 widths Curlywhirly and the company that you choose to fit them should do a calculation to see which size of blade is the right one for your window size. Too big a blade makes your windows look small. Too small a blade will make the windows dark and cluttered. If you have a local Facebook group, its a good idea to ask on there for recommendations.

How odd this thread came up now. DH is making plantation shutters as a lockdown project. Will fit them on spare bedroom window for a start and then when he’s ironed out any problems main bedrooms then downstairs.

He’s had a few problems to wrestle with but lots on the Internet. Seem very popular at the moment.

me again! Slats can be narrow or wide.Wider are generally considered to be more modern. You choose what you want to suite yourself and your window type. A good sales Rep. should give advice,come to your home and bring samples along for you to see.
I promise I'm not employed by a shutter company but I love mine after worrying whether I would really like them or not.

How long does it take to dust all those individual slats? (That's what's putting me off.)

A couple of minutes Hetty. You just close the slats down and wipe over the whole lot, on both sides of the shutters, with a slightly damp cloth. Job done.

I have them in my kitchen and love them. The ones at the patio doors are on a sliding rail on the floor. In this hot weather I have the patio doors open and the shutters closed but with the slats open. Any breeze blows through but you get some protection from flies. I’m very pleased with them.

My living room has a good sized window and also french doors. Would they work on the french doors?

Yes, you can have them on French doors Grannynannywanny, they'd be a bit expensive I imagine but you'd only have to fit then once.

Curlywhirly I think when out walking we need to slow down outside the houses with the best looking shutters. Then if the owner appears we can ask them to recommend a local stockist.

I might need to borrow a dog?

Chewbacca yes now that I’ve heard more about them I’m realising they are likely to be more expensive than I had anticipated.

But they do sound like a good investment. I’d love to be rid of my old venetian blinds and curtains

Grannynannywanny we have got a dog ? and keep going on different routes so we see as many as shutters as possible (sad, I know!). Trouble is Himself keeps stopping and taking photos of peoples houses, I keep telling him he's going to come a cropper if he gets caught! We also want to paint our front door a grey colour, so we're looking at front doors too! Any suggestions for a nice grey anybody?!!!

They make a huge difference to the light and solar heating gain in any room which is why they are used in hot, sunny climates.
As this applies to us in the U.K. for just a tiny part of the year I’m unconvinced.

think they'll have to change their name.
very unpleasant connotations.

Actually esspee when they're closed they're fantastic at keeping the heat in your room in the winter months and keeping it cool in the summer months.

welbeck eh? Please, don't.

don't what ?

i've no idea what they are, but the name sounds off-putting to me.