Are window shutters gonna go out of fashion?

[mumofoneAlonebutokay]

Im thinking about making the investment - over £1200 for shutters for two windows with blinds2go

But I get the feeling that they're gonna go out of style soon, with people choosing other window treatments

I've currently got white blinds with tapes and they're a nightmare to clean

I was thinking of getting dark brown wood blinds with similar coloured tapes instead

Just wondering if others spend their valuable time thinking about such a boring topic 😄

If you like them, why does it matter if they go out of fashion?

We have wide slatted shutters on all our windows and love them. They can make the room darker on gloomy days but then we just fold them back. The rest of the time they are tilted to let the sun in and give us privacy, or (at night) closed. We leave the top section open in our bedroom so the sun streams in first thing, it’s a lovely way to wake up.

We have blinds in two bathrooms, really regret those, they’re a faff to open and clean. We’ll probably replace them with shutters in due course.

It makes sense somewhere hot perhaps but not in the UK for the majority of the year. I want to see outside not have stripes across the window.

You can fold them back if you want an unobstructed view out. However then people will be able to see in. So it depends how you feel about that. Horizontal slats don’t interrupt your view anything like as much as nets or voiles.

Curtains or blinds are fine, have never needed nets or voiles.

Ours have been hanging in there since 1863.

OP, is this what you mean — wooden Venetian blinds?

Yep - naff - just like mdf panelling.

I do not comprehend being dictated to by "fashion", not even for clothing, nevermind decorating.

Buy what you like that works for your house and lifestyle.

Absolutely. 👍

Choose whatever you love. Fashion shouldn't be your deciding factor. Whatever you put at your windows it's more about achieving a coherent look as far as I'm concerned, what's the rest of your style and decor or furniture like? I don't see it as just chosing the window treatment, it's about choosing the look and feel that suits your room and the effect you want to achieve. With backwards from that.

I thought about shutters but the cost, and the fact it’s difficult to fold them back have put me off

i have gone for blinds from Dunelm, the made to measure ones, large slats (5cm) from a strong plastic that actually looks like the stuff used in shutters and very easy to keep clean with largish gap, like shutters. And much cheaper £380 for three rooms( 2 large windows) plus cost of getting someone to install them as I couldnt

For OP’s benefit, you don’t have to reposition them ‘all the time’. You can open and close them!

I absolutely adore ours! So simple and sleek.

I don’t like carpets and curtains

Yeah this is what I was thinking although with a darker wood

Wow, that's amazing, and they're still in good condition?

I love carpet, I've got it upstairs

I kinda feel it'll come back as well 🤭

That's amazing cost

I want the 3.5cm slats - currently got the 5cm ones

The whole thing is just a nightmare to clean, and having smaller slats will make that harder

Okay so I'm currently redecorating

Im most concerned about the front two windows which is the living room and master bedroom

In my bedroom, I'm going for a chocolate feel. So I've got paint for 2 dark brown walls and then two dark milky coloured walls. Then brown and cream soft furnishings

In the living room I've got dark wood flooring, and I want a dark burgundy feature wall and then off white walls

It sounds awful written down 🤭 but each room gets a lot of light during the day and will be cosy at night

That does sound like a lovely way to wake up 🥺

I love to watch the sunrise

Yes agree re faff to clean, my goodness

I don't really see them as something that goes out of style as they are a period property feature. They do suit some style of houses more than others. We've lived in our current house over 10 years. Had slatted blinds and roman blinds previously. The Roman blinds got grubby quickly and it's all or nothing it terms or privacy. We've had shutters now since March 2023 and they've been fab. Wide slats. Easy to wipe and keep clean and pet hair free. They kept the house much cooler in the summer but we've also noticed they've made a difference this winter. Our house is old with tall windows so we went for tiered shutters which has helped keep things bright as can open back the top tier fully for light. My parents have shorter bungalow windows so couldn't do tiered and there's a noticeable light loss due to the frame etc in there house. We used perfect fit shutters and they do an animation mock up of how it will look at each window so you try different styles to maximise light etc

You are talking about different things. The OP is asking about New England or Plantation-style slatted shutters like this, not the solid wood folding shutters authentic to an old house. The big benefit of slatted shutters is that they offer privacy during the day without blocking too much light so especially good for rooms such as bedrooms and bathrooms that are overlooked/close to neighbours but if you have them in a bedroom then imo it is best to also have them in the sitting room so the house looks cohesive from the outside rather than like flats. They don’t fully block light so in a bedroom you’d also need curtains if you want the room to be properly dark. I’m still seeing slatted shutters in smart houses, but not so much in really expensive and interior designed homes. And they are expensive. But if you like them and can afford them, get them.

I don't think they're a passing fad. They look classy go with period properties, are practical and if you live close to the street provide privacy. The alternatives for privacy are net or bistro style curtains or opaque windows/stick on privacy stuff - which can look nice, but think shutters will always remain a popular option.

If you dont want full on shutters you can have half window (cafe style) shutters with curtains too?

I have them in my bedroom and find they block the light very well. Only very heavy, or black out curtains would do better.

I live in an 1800s cottage so when I decorate I'm not thinking 'what looks cool/.trendy/in' I'm thinking 'what doesn't make the house look ridiculous'. So maybe think about your house as a whole - when was it built? What was available/in fashion then? That way you can't go wrong because anything you add looks like a period feature - therefore won't go out of fashion by next year.

No, was responding about shutters, having not realised until I saw your reference to ‘wood blinds with tapes’ that you meant slatted Venetian-style blinds. Our shutters are just plain wood shutters that fold back into the window apertures and have a bar to hold them closed. Like these.

I like ours still - we have them in rooms that get a lot of sun in summer so they are great to angle and keep the rooms cooler. They do also keep in heat in during the winter.

They are far easier to clean than traditional blinds or curtains - especially the kitchen ones.

We don’t have them everywhere, we have roman blinds in the bedrooms which have blackout thermal linings for coziness.