Tell me about shutters?

[SummerNamechangeHappened]

Do they make a room dark?
Where can I get white ones made of actual wood?
Are venetian blinds a better option re: letting more light in???

I hate it venetian blinds they are horrible to clean. I assume shutters are similar in that way. I like the look of shutters though!

*Our, not it

Anyone with shutters?

We have white wooden shutters that were already at the house when we moved in.
I really like the look of them and prefer them to curtains or other types of blinds.

They are easy to clean, just one of those dusters on a stick wipe one side, turn shutter and wipe the other.

Downsides are they don't block all the light, there are gaps even when fully shut. Also when they are fully open to the walls they take up a lot of wall space. We still have pictures on the walls, just very careful when we open them. You wouldn't be able to have shelves etc behind them very easily.

Thanks @Divorcedmum
Are they quite dark?
Can you open the top but leave the bottom closed?

I find our white shutters reflect the light into the room. Also when fully open the room is lighter than with curtains as the window is not obscured at the edges. When you get them designed you can have the top opening separately from the bottom.

We have white mdf ones. They are cheaper than wood and I am not sure wood offers any advantage if they are painted anyway. Mdf is also better for bathrooms and kitchens as it is more water resistant.

Also if you get the ones with biggers slats there is less cleaning involved, they let less light in when closed and more light in when open.

We have used shutters2go and californian shutters and fitted them ourselves.

I have them all through the house. They are very expensive which I think is the reason a lot of people don’t have them

Would anyone please be so kind as to post the pictures of them open? Can’t quite visualise how they take up the space on the walls as @Divorcedmum mentioned.

We have them. White wood (I think composite rather than hardwood). Big slats, the window is divided in to 3 panels with two sets of slats each. In the winter I often just open or close them individually as the sun moves across. (In summer there's a big tree that does the job for me!)

We used Dappled Daylight, an independent business in South Gloucestershire. They travel so if you're nearby it's worth looking them up.

@lozengeoflove

Would anyone please be so kind as to post the pictures of them open? Can’t quite visualise how they take up the space on the walls as *@Divorcedmum* mentioned.

Have a look at the pictures here...

www.dappleddaylightshutters.co.uk/

They don't block the light completely but we find them very practical and pretty.

What about plantation blinds?

A lot of houses around here have them and they look lovely. Considering it ourselves.

I love ours. You can have them full length so open all together (like ours) or with a break in the middle so you can just open the top. I initially wanted the latter to let in more light but the guy installing advised me to get full length as he said it looks neater and was more suited to our space. You can also get cafe style so they only cover half the window (obviously not suitable for bedroom but I like the look of these.) Ours let in very little light when fully shut.

Sounds great thanks @weepingwillow22

Where were yours from @tillythepony ?

We have curtains too, but honestly rarely pull them. But then I never use the shutters to close light out the room - I use them to reduce light in South facing sunshine, or to maintain our privacy when I turn the lights on at night. I know it's weird having curtains as well but I think our room needs them.

How they open in the window depends on the window, how big the alcove is, how heavy the panels are, etc.

A local company called Chelmsford Shutters. I admired our neighbours and they told us they got them from here.

We got these as I was also worried about the space that shutters took up and they had made a friends room dark. They give the look of shutters and are lovely, plus much cheaper obviously.

www.blinds-2go.co.uk/wooden-blinds/5621/pure-white-and-white.html

Thanks for the pics and the link everyone

@SummerNamechangeHappened

Thanks *@Divorcedmum* Are they quite dark? Can you open the top but leave the bottom closed?

Ours are painted white and for one window there are two at the top and two at the bottom. You can open any of the 4 separately

My neighbor has these up but in the bling form they don’t open they pull up and down like a normal blind... does anyone know what they are called as my home is too small for ones like all yours that open outwards
Thankyou x

BLIND. Not bling

Shazz, do you mean Venetian blinds, like the ones I posted a link to?