Shutters for my bay window - should I get tilt rods?
31
MadameJosephine · 02/10/2017 22:03
I’m planning to get shutters fitted in my living room. It’s a large bay window so it’ll be one panel on each side and then three panels in the centre. It’s an old Victorian property and both the salesmen who came to measure up said that traditional windows tend to suit shutters with a central tilt rod whereas the hidden tilt mechanism suits more modern property. I just can’t make my mind up whether it will look too busy with the tilt rods?
Any experience/advice?
minipie · 02/10/2017 22:05
We have a Victorian house. No tilt rods. I do find them busy and they block extra light. Plenty of Victorian shuttered houses round here and at least half don't have the rod.
MadameJosephine · 02/10/2017 22:09
Thanks minipie. The hidden rods are a little bit more expensive but as the shitter is going to be around £1200 I don’t want to quibble over an extra £100 and then regret it.
MadameJosephine · 02/10/2017 22:10
Haha that should be shutter obviously
minipie · 02/10/2017 22:15
Do you want narrow louvres or wider louvres? I tend to think tilt rods go better with narrow louvres
MadameJosephine · 02/10/2017 22:17
So many decisions! I think I prefer the look of the narrower ones
MadameJosephine · 03/10/2017 22:29
Just got my quotes back, they are the 76mm slats that I chose. With tilt rods it’s £1175 and without is £1234. I have to make my mind up this week if I want them fitted for Christmas so I’m trawling through loads of images online.
Anybody else have any advice or kind enough to share images of their shutters? This is the window I’m planning to get them for (I hate the brown curtains, I inherited them when I bought the flat)

IDidContact · 04/10/2017 11:16
We’ve just had shutters fitted although not on a bay window. We decided not to have tilt rods and I’m really pleased we decided this. There’s a lot more wood in the shutters than I think we expected which block a bit of light. I think tilt rods would block even more. I do worry that the slats will get dirty as you are touching them all the time so we will have a clean hand rule!
NeverSurrender · 04/10/2017 11:17
We went without because they look cleaner and more modern. We have wide slats and they are also easier to keep dust free without the rod!
ridinghighinapril · 04/10/2017 14:23
We went tilt rods as ours is Victorian property with huge windows so felt it was more in keeping and we would still have enough light. We thought the ones without looked too much like blinds
Ttbb · 04/10/2017 14:32
I quite like tilt rods on big windows.
Flomper · 04/10/2017 14:40
lovely room! We have wide louvres, hidden tilt rods through out. Modern house though. I think no tilt rods standard size lovres in the room maybe? the visible tilt rods look a bit busy to me, but i do like a sleek look
I think any shitters woukd look lovely on the window though
marvinsandwich · 04/10/2017 14:40
We have ours in a bay window in a Victorian house. And upstairs too. We went without tilt rods. I think they look too fiddly. Absolutely love mine. Totally worth the money. Transformed the look of our house. I also prefer the wider slats though. Think they look sleeker. Two neighbours across the road have since fitted the same ones!
RubbishMantra · 05/10/2017 00:56
Mine are 65mm in a double sash window. Off to the side, the tilt rods look less fiddlesome I think? They're a bugger to clean though. In spite of this I do love the look of them.


IDidContact · 05/10/2017 10:24
Wow rubbish they look fab. And agree the tilt rods to the side look less fussy.
MadameJosephine · 05/10/2017 11:55
They’re lovely Rubbish. I think you’re right they do look less fiddly on the side. Unfortunately due to the size of my window there will be 5 panels and I’m a bugger for symmetry so it would drive me mad to have some on the other side so I’ll have to either have them in the middle or not at all. I think I’m erring on the side of hidden rods at the moment
MadameJosephine · 05/10/2017 12:04
Quickly sketching it out it’ll basically be like this without the rods

MadameJosephine · 05/10/2017 12:04
Or like this with them

ContraryLollipop · 05/10/2017 12:43
We have the central tilt rods on a similar sash bay window and I really like them.
We went for 2:4:2 panes of shutter, and ours are PVC sash windows so unfortunately have thicker frames and less glass than yours. There's definitely a very high ratio of plastic to light, but I still like them, they work well for privacy too.
We just have shutters on the bottom half (cafe style) so there is plenty of light through the top.

ContraryLollipop · 05/10/2017 12:55
Your shutters would look a lot less fussy than ours above. We had to decide between 1:2:1 or 2:4:2 because of the dimensions.
I think 1:3:1 would look great with or without the central rods but would personally vote to have them.
I will say there is no functional advantage, I don't always use the rods to open and shut.
MadameJosephine · 05/10/2017 13:30
They look lovely contrary thanks for sharing. Now I’m erring in the side of having them, aarrgghh!
IDidContact · 05/10/2017 16:28
The good thing about shutters is they look fab either way!
MadameJosephine · 09/10/2017 21:37
Shutters ordered, thanks everyone for your help. I went for tier on tier in the end with the tilt rods, should be fitted by Christmas!
malawimammaa2 · 24/01/2019 21:37
I am having venetian blinds fitted (wooden) but because of size of the window I need 3 blinds but now after they have been fitted there is a light gap between the middle blind and the other 2 all the way down.
Anyone can you help me solve this Please
malawimammaa2 · 24/01/2019 21:41
Hi I have had wooden venetian blinds fitted and because of the width of the window in the kitchen (which is on the front of the house).
I needed to have 3 blinds fitted, however now they are fitted there is a light gap either side of the middle blind of almost an inch.
Can anyone help me solve this please
Shirley
youaremyrain · 24/01/2019 22:55
@MadameJosephine do you have any pics?
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