Do you regret getting plantation shutters?

[thenorthernluce]

Just that, really! We’re thinking of getting them for the bottom half of the front bay window downstairs and the bottom half of the two windows upstairs, as we’re quite close to the street and hanker after a little more privacy.

Did anyone get them and later regret it? Or had them in a house they’d bought and take them out? Better alternatives? I like them a lot, but I’m also worried they’re a fad and will look dated quickly. However, they do seem to have enduring appeal round our way. Expensive decision!

We had them in our old house (and have ordered for our new house). Fantastic for when you want to keep light coming into the room but reduce glare/direct sunlight. Plus if you want privacy they are fabulous as you just tilt slightly and you keep daylight coming in but no one can see in.

If you aren't completely sold on them, you could consider bottom-up blinds.

I doubt they're a fad - just one of the options for window treatment- same as blinds or curtains.

They are currently fashionable and have been for a while - I don't like them and don't think they work in some styles of house. I'd probably remove them if I bought a house that had them fitted. Unless it was in the tropics.

I've never chosen furnishings/paint colours/fabrics based on what is fashionable though.

Love ours. We're in a Victorian terrace with no front yard so was sick of people looking in. They are great for privacy while also letting the light in.

Only downside is they are a dust magnet

Love ours, we have a Victorian house, with very large windows had them fitted to the bottom half of the windows, so give privacy/light without costing a complete fortune, agree with pp though they do attract dust, I hoover mine with the soft brush attachment.

We are in a 1970s box house - everything is rectangular and boxy. The neighbours across our cul-de-sac have them, makes their full length front window look like a lock-up when they close the bottom ones and open the top. Looks daft to me, but I'm sure they love them and they would look nice on a different era house.

I have them for our Cornish holiday house. I love them. Loads of Victorian terraces have them in London. Stylish and practical in my view.

Thanks everyone!

We’re in an archetypal London 2-bed Victorian terrace, and lots of our neighbours have them, so there is precedent and I think they look nice.

We’ve got someone coming round to measure for new floorboards in the living room this week, so I’ll ask them about their shutters at the same time. Yay!

Can I just piggyback your thread thenorthernluce to ask a question of PP? We're thinking of getting these for our bedroom but I'm worried they'll let too much light in for me to sleep. I like the room to be really, really dark - think bat cave! Do you get slithers of light coming through?

Hi What, you do get a little bit of light filtering through (which doesn’t disturb me) but I have curtains as well as i think it finishes off the window, my windows are very large & I only have them on the bottom half of the window.

Thanks dontcallmelen, that's good to know. I may ask a friend who has got full window ones if I can go round their house at nighttime and see what it's like!

@WhatWouldOliviaPopeDo - they do let in quite a bit of light so if you like a dark room you need to get the built in blackout blinds. We are getting these for our bedrooms but they are not installed yet so I can't comment on how effective they are (although I'm told they are excellent). Or another option is to have curtains as a PP has. But shutters on their own do not block out enough light IMO.