to feel left out?

[Panicmode1]

Every house in our street bar about two (mine is one of them), have plantation shutters....I don't want to get them because I have rather lovely roman blinds and I love the light levels that not having the shutters gives me, but I feel that I may be letting my rather naice neighbours down, even though we conform to the road's stereotypes in most other ways (Ocado deliveries, Boden clad children etc) ....AIBU not to get them or am I lowering the tone?

Could you ask a representative sample of the shutter owners how they feel?

How would this make the other non-shutter owners how they would feel about being the only non-shuttered house on the street?

Have you considered obscuring film; is it really the new pampas grass?

Please rearrange/delete words in 2. until you arrive at standard English.

Every street needs a maverick. Otherwise who would the shutter owners bitch talk about? God I hate plantation shutters. They belong in tropical climes not suburban streets.

Ah yes, I hadn't considered how the owners of the other house might feel - it may be considered rude to then leave them in the sole position of not having them....this therefore allows me not to have them and use solidarity with the other non conformists as my excuse!

They do seem to be somewhat ubiquitous where I live....there is also pampas grass three doors up, although the owners recently divorced. There may be a correlation

wowfudge - couldn't agree more!

Plantation shutters can be pretty expensive particularly if you don't want them.There must be other ways you can firmly establish your middle class credentials without resorting to shutters.Imagine all the violin lessons or Farrow and Ball paint you could get for the same money .

Your road sounds like a rather oppressive place to live, if you don't mind me saying....

assessment - it is a lovely road, and I'm very fond of all of my neighbours. This was supposed to be a lighthearted thread really - I only noticed today that everyone else has them, and I was pondering whether we're 'letting the side down'....

That's an excellent point, perhaps you should take your Roman blinds where they would feel more comfortable?

No, they are probably too busy planting pampas grass to worry too much about your windows.

What will you do if the other house gets them and you are left as the only house without?

Don't they just look like basic old venetian blinds from the outside?

80sweregreat - excellent point....

inklewinkle I shall cross that bridge as and when we get there...we may just have to move.....

eponas - they are thicker - particularly around the frames. I think that they must take so much light....

Panicmode, that's the problem with AIBU; you might think that you are asking about window dressings but it will probably be slowly uncovered that your husband is a bastard, whatever you're feeding your kids is boarderline abusive and your command of correct apostrophe usage is less than perfect.

Sorry.

I thought these plantation shutters were a bit naff. Shows how much I know. Didn't realise they were the in thing in naice areas.

Ha! Dh and I walked home recently and noticed a glut of plantation shutters in one street, we wondered whether a sales pitch had done the rounds and scored!

I like 'em.

They are a bit like Tiffany necklaces, Links bracelets and Michael Kors bags.... Suddenly everyone has them and they look common and naff. Why would you want to look like everyone else?

Plantation shutters are the new vertical blinds imho. I hate those too. I just can't imagine shutting out the light so completely other than when it's dark outside. Depressing.

At least curtains are a bit more interesting to look at from inside when drawn shut.

Bugger to dust.

They're only louvred bits of wood, aren't they? Keep what you have until they need to be replaced. Save your money.

Do you live in Teddington? Very common there!

I also had to google plantation shutters - I did wonder if they were on the outside or inside.

What's with the pampas grass - thought that was sign of swingers is that a sign of middle claarss now too darling?

No not in Teddington, though am in the SE...

I hadn't thought about the dust issue - am not fond of housework so that's another great reason why I shall remain a rebel in my street .

andsmile - as has been established, I am not at the vanguard of new trends, so have no idea whether they are a new MC marker or not....I'm far too aristocratic to care