Shutter design, tips and features for window shutters

There are as all trades and services a lot of shutter companies now offering to install interior window shutters in and around London. As London is such a big market with many people now opting for the modern clean look of shutters we thought we would try and shine some light on how to choose a reputable shutter company in London.

There are a fair few factors to consider when thinking about choosing your shutter company. Firstly it’s wise to decide what sort of quality of shutters you want. As with all interior products you can opt for a range of qualities depending on your durability needs. To be sure though, if you are considering interior shutters, you are unlikely to be moving home in the very near future as these are quite an investment and not the sort of interior design addition to make if your property is on the market.

That said, it can be safely assumed that having shutters can increase the value of a property, particularly in London where there are many period homes, all vying for a viewing! Wooden window shutters are still a relative novelty in London (despite having a long standing tradition of being installed by the Edwardians and Victorians) and if your home in London (or anywhere for that matter) has shutters installed you could just have the upper hand when it comes to selling your home.

So, durability and quality of your shutters is probably a good starting point for choosing shutters. If you are considering cheap fake wood, plastic or softwood shutters you may be in for a shock in a relatively short time, as shutters do withstand a lot of wear through opening and closing, sliding slats as well as ultraviolet rays from the sun. Like with many home products a quality hard wood is more likely to withstand the test of time than a cheap plastic or composite product.

So, lets assume we want nice quality hard wood shutters for our London home. Great starting point! Next up we need to make sure the shutter company we are dealing with has a good reputation but this can be hard to establish without personal recommendations. Try the web for searching out a company which has reviews about it.  There are some great sites such as ‘problem solved’ and ‘check a trade’. Another great way of selecting a shutter company is to check out their web site and see if they are members of the Guild of Master Craftsmen. This is not just a badge but an established guild which takes membership seriously, and does help to provide another indicator that the company you wish to deal with has taken the time and effort to join.

So we have narrowed our search down for shutters London to hard wood shutters for durability from a reputable company who is probably registered with Craftsmen Guilds and has online reviews which are favourable!

Further to this we have to make sure our shutters come in the finishes we want. You’ll generally have to scan shutter companies web sites in order to see what ranges of shutter styles and finishes they offer, and this will ultimately depend on your taste and the decor of the room you are interested in. That is for another article though, however some elements to consider are:

• Do you need any custom shape shutters such as round window shutters and can your shutter company cope with bespoke ordering
• Do they offer a range of styles such as full height shutters, cafe style shutters solid shutters etc.
• Can you get various slat sizes to adjust the shutter design for room size and aspect
• Do your shutters want various stains, painted finishes or colours to match your interior

Other factors to consider include the lead time for your window shutters to arrive. If you are in a hurry you may find many of the hard wood shutter companies require 5-8 weeks to cut and finish your bespoke shutters so you may be disappointed.

• Check your postcode with the sales teams ensure you fall within their installation area
• Have a look and see if they offer a brochure or example installations which you can see for yourself  either online or in person
• Do they have showroom, seeing shutters in the woody flesh can make a big difference on your choice

If you can satisfy all of these you’ll be well on the way to narrowing down a suitable shutter company in London.

If you can satisfy all of these you’ll be well on the way to narrowing down a suitable shutter company in London.