For me personally, window dressings are one of the hardest parts of interiors to get right. That and lighting. And when you think about it, the two are really closely related, after all it’s the windows that let all the light in to a room. The problem with window dressings is that there aren’t really any hard and fast guidelines concerning what will work best. It really depends on what you want the window dressing to achieve as well as how you want it to look. It’s worth giving these two questions some serious consideration though as a window dressing can make or break the look of a room.
Are the window dressings just for show or do they also need to be functional? Should they help to improve the heat insulation of your home? Do you need them to provide more privacy? Should they help with light control? Do you need them to reduce glare? Think about what you need your window dressing to do before you decide what to go for.
It’s also no good just thinking about your personal design style when it comes to the look you’re going for. Windows come in all different shapes and sizes so you also need to consider the style of the windows that you have in your property. Are they sash windows, bay windows, casement windows, tilt and turn windows, roof windows, skylights, steel-framed windows or even sliding doors? Different types of windows will certainly require different solutions.
You should also consider which rooms in the house your window dressings are destined for and how that will affect your choices. For example, bathrooms and kitchens are prone to a lot more moisture than other rooms in the house so this may rule out certain kinds of window dressings. Roof lights may be used to let in as much light as possible so you won’t want anything too heavy that could block out the light. Large windows may lead out to a magnificent view so it’s important to choose a window dressing that can be pulled back or up to reveal the view when necessary.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about window dressings since moving into our flat and what I’d really like is shutters. I’ve come to the conclusion that not only do they look great, but they are perhaps the most versatile of all the window dressing options and have so many benefits. The shutters featured in this post are all from Luxaflex. So let’s take a look at some of the benefits of shutters in more detail, shall we?
1. Durable and long lasting
Shutters are extremely durable and long lasting. They are made from good quality, hard-wearing materials that will stand the test of time. They are permanent fixtures, unlike blinds, so they are less likely to break due to the constant use. They are also more stable when the windows are open and won’t move or rattle like blinds tend to.
Faux wood shutters are an excellent choice when you need a solution that can resist the damaging effects of moisture. They are perfect for wet or humid environments like kitchens, bathrooms and wet rooms.
2. Add value to your home
Shutters are a great way to add value to your home as they are considered part of the fixtures and fittings that come with the house. Adding custom shutters is therefore a home improvement that will not only attract buyers, but that will often increase the resale value. Good quality shutters add timeless elegance and they definitely help add to the curb appeal of a property.
Faux wood shutters are particularly attractive to buyers as they require very little maintenance and are extremely easy to clean.
3. Flexible control of privacy and light
Window shutters are extremely flexible when it comes to the varying levels of privacy and light control that they offer. The different styles that are available will meet different needs. Full height shutters for example provide maximum privacy and light control, whereas tier-on-tier shutters allow you to open up the top and bottom part of the window independently or together as required.
Cafe style shutters cover only the bottom section of the window and leave the top part uncovered. Solid shutters, on the other hand, have no louvres or slats and are made of solid panels of wood. They are great for insulation and blocking out light.
4. Energy efficiency
Shutters help to reduce utility bills by providing extra insulation between the interior of the room and the glass. This means that they are a great way to improve the energy efficiency of your home by reducing heat loss and controlling heat gain. Shutters are ideal for keeping homes warm in winter and cool in summer.
As an added bonus faux wood shutters actually insulate even better than wooden shutters, even though they cost less.
5. Noise reduction
Shutters are a really effective way to help reduce noise pollution that may enter your home. They help to create a barrier across the window that absorbs a lot of the noise. This is particularly helpful if you live near a busy road or in an area that is affected by the noise emanating from entertainment venues for example.
6. Great for unusual shaped windows
In properties that have unusual shaped windows like arches, trapezoids, or even triangular windows, finding a suitable window dressing can be a bit of an issue. But faux wooden shutters can be made bespoke for your window. They are a great solution for bay windows for example, which can be a bit of a decorative challenge.
7. Easy Maintenance
Faux wood shutters combine the traditional warmth and beauty of natural wood with the practical advantages of high–tech materials and intelligent design. Made from an advanced, solid-core composite material, they have a special finish that stands up to moisture, heat, and ultraviolet rays without fading, denting, warping or chipping. This also makes them easier to clean than wooden shutters.
8. Child-friendly
One of the main concerns with other types of window dressing is the safety of children. Hanging cords or chains found on many types of blinds can prove to be a real hazard to small children. Shutters don’t have any cords and the slats are simply moved by hand making them much safer for children to operate if indeed they can even reach.
So there you have it. Eight benefits offered by faux wood shutters. What do you think? Would you opt for faux wood shutters in your home? Or have you already had some installed? If so what do you think? I’m seriously tempted myself.
I’m glad you mentioned that faux wood shutters can work well for bay windows and other unusual shapes. My master bedroom has some oddly shaped windows due to the vaulted ceiling. I think I will have some custom blinds made for them so that I can more carefully control the light levels of the room.
Sounds like a plan. Good luck with it!
Window designing is a tuff job, which needs proper time consideration to plan it wisely. Thanks for sharing the idea of faux wood shutters, I found all points convincing enough to install them.
It’s interesting that faux wood shutters are ideal for keeping homes cool during the summer by controlling heat gain. My wife is wanting to replace our shutters in the living room and family room this summer with plantation shutters as part of our renovations. I’ll be sure to contact different contractors and see who supplies the exact type of faux wood shutters we’re looking for.
Good luck finding the right shutters for your home.
Thanks for mentioning how wooden shutters are resistant to heat and moisture. My brother just broke the hinges off my blinds in my living room and I need to find a replacement. It would probably be best if I find some good shutters to replace them.
Thank you for helping me to understand that one of the benefits of getting wooden shutters for windows is that they are resistant to heat and moisture. My son recently broke the blinds in his room, so I would like to replace all of the blinds in my home with shutters. It would probably be best to find a reliable contractor that I can work with for this project.
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Shutters make for a beautiful stand out feature in any room. We find a lot of our customers start trends amongst their friends and family – once they have them, everyone wants them!
I’m not surprised by that. They do look really stunning!
Knowing what rooms these shutter types would work in is important, as you said. For my home, I would be able to put them in the bedroom along with the living room. I’ll have to do some more research as I’m pretty sure I could make them work in the other rooms.
I think shutters work in most rooms depending on the look you’re going for!
I like how you said that high tech materials are used in faux wood shutters which mean that they won’t fade or anything like that. My wife and I have been looking for some low maintenance shutters and this seems like a great idea. At the very least it would be great not needing to replace the shutters after a couple of years.
What a great post! I’ve always loved shutters and think they look extremely modern (although they’re quite an old concept I believe). Didn’t know you could get shutters for all those oddly shaped windows!
Like Jenny above, we were early adopted of plantation shutters. Then before we knew it they were ubiquitous on the street. I still love them but hadn’t considered faux ones for humid areas like bathrooms – such a good tip Stacey.
Back in 2008 we installed plantation shutters on the windows of our split level modern maisonette in Fulham and hey presto, within 6 months the whole road was full of them. They are PERFECT for window dressing and extremely versatile. they look modern, classic, sophisticated and can let in light or keep your privacy levels up. Love shutters.
Well it was obviously the right choice if everyone copied you Jenny.
Really enjoy inspirational living room pictures with shutters. We are thinking about adding some to our living room so thanks for sharing the brand and product !
No problem Marlene. Sou ds like shutters would be a great option.
Very tempted by these but curious as to a rough price range compared to real wood??
I’m not sure Donna. Let me do some digging and I’ll come back to you.
I personally don’t like curtains so blinds and shutters are always my go to when advising others.
I’ve always had curtains but I’ve also always had radiators under windows which makes long curtains very tricky. It’s definitely time for me to seriously consider shutters.
I love shutters, I’d love them in our front bay window, they would look so much nicer than our curtains!
Oh definitely Becky. Shutters would look great in a bay window.
Great to see such a practical solution for unusually shaped windows.
I think it’s the best solution I’ve come across Fiona. I had no idea shutters could be made to fit akward shaped windows.