Shutter Design Advice

It is important to first of all establish which type of window you have before you start measuring and ordering your shutters. Our shutter measuring guide provides a detailed overview of how to measure shutters correctly for your specific window.
The easiest way to determine the best shutter design for your window is to establish if you have a window recess.

If your windows are inline with the internal wall of your house (ie. pretty much flush with the walls inside your room) then you have no recess and will be measuring shutters for an outside mount. However if your windows are positioned to be flush with the outside wall of your room, then it’s likely you have a window sill and you shutters will be measured and installed as what is known as an inside mount.

Shutters that are inside mounted can be mounted either tight inside the window recess, close to the glass of the window, or they can be mounted flush with the internal wall of the house, at the very front of the recess. So, with this latter option, the shutters are still inside the recess itself, but they are essentially flush with the internal wall of the room.

To decide which option is best for the design of your shutters, think first about how often you will open the shutters (see Rule 1). If you are going to open the shutter panels regularly, then having the panels at the front of recess enables then to fold nearly 180° flat onto the walls adjacent to the windows. However mounting the shutters inside the recess, tight into the window, will mean the shutters are always restricted to opening to 90°. This may work fine for you and would generally work well if you have a deep recess. However a shallow recess can mean that the shutter panels, when folded back, will stick out into the room and could cause an obstruction and look aesthetically a little cumbersome.

However, if your shutters are mounted inside, tight to the window and you won’t be opening the panels other than to access or clean the window, then this shutter design is great as you can still use the window sill inside the room.

Proceed to the Panel Quantity advice page.