Shutter Design Advice

The most important factor to consider before you order your shutters, if to try and think about how often you think you will actually fold back the panels as opposed to tilting and adjusting the shutter slats. From this point, you are then better placed to figure out which actual shutter design (tier on tier shutter, full height shutters, full height shutters with or without a mid rail and cafe style shutters) would best suit your home, windows and your requirements.

The best starting point is to look at your existing windows and think about how you use the window treatment that you currently have. If you have a blind that is almost permanently down then think about why the blind is most often in this position. If your view is terrible or you are situated close to a road that has a lot of traffic walking past, are you likely to want to install plantation shutters that are designed to have the panels opened back all the time? Probably not.

Generally speaking, windows that feature more as opposed to less panels, are designed to have the shutter panels folded back off the windows on a regular basis. The downside then can be that if you have a design with a greater number of shutter panels, but leave the panels closed over (ie tilting the slats to an open position where you can still see through the shutter slats, but leaving the actual panels physically closed) then you end up with lots more solid wood running through the glazed area which blocks light and makes the window look fussy.

If panels are staying closed over most California Company customers find that ‘less is more’. Fewer panels keep the window looking open, unobstructed and give you a clear view out between the horizontal shutter slats.

Proceed to the Shutter panel design advice page.