Plantation shutters- good idea or not??

[Alex83]

We're buying a brand new house so need window coverings for every window in the house. I was set on plantation shutters, quite a few houses in our area have them and i think they look great and really stylish...but now I'm getting cold feet! A few people have said they aren't practical and make the house really dark inside. I've never been in a house with them fitted so it's really hard to judge and it feels a really big decision. My particular concerns are:

1. Do they make the rooms dark?
2. are they very bulky and look weird when opened against the wall?
3. does it feel oppressive in the house with shutters at nearly every window? I heard someone liken it to having bars at the window like a prison!

I'd really appreciate any opinions or experiences that might help me decide.

Thank you.

We have them in a large sitting room on two bay windows and I love them. Yes it's darker than it was before but it's still a really light room as it gets the sun all day. They don't look bulky folded back although I don't tend to fold them back very often. We are putting them in another bay and another downstairs window so the front of the house downstairs will all have them for continuity but I won't be doing upstairs or there other downstairs rooms because it will be nicer to have other fixtures too and they are very expensive to fit. We paid circa £6,000 for two bays. Hope that helps a bit!

Stunning. Not dark in my family's house at all. Expensive though!

Thank you for your comments. Great to know that you've not found it too dark. It's such a lot of money and so difficult to know before it's all in!

I'm not keen, and think they are a bit dated. And the price!!!

I changed all of my windows from curtains to shutters last year. I love them. They are so easy to clean. I was worried they would not keep the heat in during the winter, but they were fine. So practical! I'll save so much on dry cleaning and no hassle!