Shutter design, tips and features for window shutters

When choosing your shutters for windows with internal shutters, the main question regarding design which will have the biggest impact on how your shutters will function in the long run is whether they should open up or not. Shutters can be controlled by moving the slats up and down to allow light through them, so why would you also have shutters which open?

Opening shutters (whether they are DIY shutters or professionally fitted is of no consequence) means to fold back the shutters over the window fully exposing the glass behind. This will be done by the wooden shutter frame being hinged and allowing a fold back to occur.

Deciding whether your window shutters should open or not really depends on how you will like to use them. If you live right by a busy street or pavement you may not wish to fold back your shutters exposing the room to passers by, however if you have a great view and would like maximum light to penetrate your room on a regular basis, then being able to open the shutters is a real boon.

Another major factor is how many panes of glass there are, as the design of the shutters will normally match these. If you think of a multi -paneled bay window for example, you can imagine one shutter panel per window frame. These multi-framed windows lend themselves to having opening shutters as there will tend to be space for folded back shutters, without encompassing too much on the room in question.

When you come to the next stage of which type of panels to have, whether they will be flul height or not, then your original thoughts about opening the shutters will become apparent. For example if your windows are to have solid shaker style shutters which cover the full height of the window, you would guarantee that very little light will penetrate your room, so you'd be wanting to allow the shutters to open, unless you keep bats or other nocturnals!

So, when deciding whether to have shutters which open fully or not, think about

• The number of glass panels, more glass = easier to open panels
• The height of the shutters, half height (sometimes referred to as cafe shutters) may not need to be opened as light comes in over the top
• The view you have. Do you need full exposure to the brick wall next door?
• The type of shutters you have - large opening slats will let in more light when tilted open than many thin slats.

So, take a good look at the rooms you will be installing shutters into, and see if you can get the flavour of how the room will be with slatted window coverings.
We hope this article helps you with your shutters design! You could try taking a look at Google images for shutter design tips to see if you can get some more inspiration!