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Original poster

Bay window- shutters or blinds

31 replies

sagegreentree · 27/05/2021 14:00

I live in a Victorian house with a large west facing bay window. Been in 6 months.

It's impossible to sit in there in the lighter evenings without shutting the curtains as the sun is so bright.

I wanted shutters but the cost is coming in at c£1k. Venetian blinds would be about £300.

I think blinds be more practical because they're more variable than shutters as in can pull half way down when shutters come across.

Does anyone have this evening sun problem and how did you solve it?

OP posts:
samosamo · 27/05/2021 14:06

Can do half wat shutters or those that are in two parts, too and bottom?

I'm going to obscure my living room windows which look out to the street abd have long curtains as I think they are more elegant. But I might be out of my mind....

ILoveShula · 27/05/2021 14:09

I'd go for the blinds. I'm not a fan of shutters and decent blinds are better than cheap shutters.
You can get shutters that you can close the upper or lower half.

My solution for morning sun rather than evening sun is a roller blind behind a sheer panel

billyt · 27/05/2021 14:10

We had shutters fitted to all the windows in our victorian house just before Christmas. . With the two sections of louvres you can shut a top part if the sun shines through.

We had blinds before and are so glad we changed.

Laufeythejust · 27/05/2021 14:10

I think shutters look better but they really darken the room so I would go for blinds. My friend paid a fortune for shutters and is having them taken off because of how dark they have made her house.

Mirrorxx · 27/05/2021 14:15

We have ordered shutters for our bay windows. They open separately at the top to let light in. We have been waiting 12 weeks already though

LindainLockdown · 27/05/2021 14:15

Blinds, shutters are too common (in that the world & his wife now have them, so I suppose I mean popular) plus I don't think they work so well on a bay.

Ozanj · 27/05/2021 14:16

If you have other big windows in the room then shutters are fine. If not then blinds are better as shutters can really block the light.

Wegobshite · 27/05/2021 14:30

I had my house fitted with shutters last year
I have the ones where you can shut - close the top bit separately
It cost 2100 for 3 standard windows 1 double window and 2 small windows - bathroom - top of stairs and vertical blinds for the patio doors
Took 3 months from ordering to getting then fitted

Original poster
sagegreentree · 27/05/2021 15:02

I was considering the split shutters. Not sure they would look right though as the middle part of the window is not split?

There are not other windows in the room and blinds would definitely allow more light.

I'm not bothered about how long it takes. I just want rid of the hideous curtains I inherited from the previous occupant.

Wood colour or white blinds though? If it was shutters it'd be white for me but white blinds seems different.

OP posts:
FurierTransform · 27/05/2021 17:11

I'd go with blinds. If for no other reasons than that they are cheaper, and easier to remove (shutters won't stay in fashion for much longer)

Ohsugarhoneyicetea · 27/05/2021 17:16

I have beautiful wooden blinds with linen ticking and I love them. Very elegant, low profile and extremely adjustable. My friend has shutters that cost 10x more, take up loads of space are chunky and imho just not as nice or flexible.

Livingintheclouds · 27/05/2021 18:54

I have shutters in my detached Victitian, bit only the bottom half (it gets sun I the morning do uts z privacy rather than sun isdue). I also have full length curtains.
In another property, I have half shutters again amdctoman blinds above.
I'm not one for closing the curtains or shutters pretty much ever. But the shutters provide privacy.
The house I'm buying has all wooden venetian blinds and they are all skewed and ratty looking. Taking them all down as soon as I get keys!

dotty81 · 27/05/2021 19:47

Where I live, the number of shutters in a street is like the bellweather of gentrification.

Beebumble2 · 27/05/2021 20:21

We have wide slatted white blinds, shutters deprived the room of too much light and took up too much room when folded back.

Original poster
sagegreentree · 27/05/2021 20:23

I haven't seen many houses with shutters round here. Probably because they don't suit a lot of the higgledy houses - they're all old and quirky. Mine is one of the few with a bay which I think suits shutters.

I'm leaning towards the blinds for sure now though. Just got to decide between white wood or wood wood.

OP posts:
SwimmingOnEggshells · 27/05/2021 20:38

Shutters will date badly and you lose 30% if your light.

My recommendation would be perfect fit pleated blinds you can lower/raise from the bottom and top. Then also get curtains to make the room more elegant.

AfternoonToffee · 27/05/2021 22:06

We have wooden venetian blinds (get the sun in the morning), the only downside is our bay is square and so they don't work quite as well in the corners as our neighbours with a 45 deg angle to their front window.

When we moved in there was curtains round the bay and then also across the bay. The one lot of curtains are still up as decorating the lounge will be a future project.

De88 · 27/05/2021 22:20

Wait and save for what you really want. This bright sunlight in the evening business is going to be only a few more months anyway, but if you get a compromise based on cost you might still be wishing you had your preferred option?

skippy67 · 28/05/2021 13:39

We have shutters to the front of our house. Large louvre and I find they make the room lighter, not darker. South facing rooms though.

lazyakita · 28/05/2021 15:31

@skippy67

We have shutters to the front of our house. Large louvre and I find they make the room lighter, not darker. South facing rooms though.
Same here. We have a south facing room with a bay window. The shutters have a large louvre and have brightened the room immensely. We inherited wood coloured cheap blinds from the previous owners and they really made the room seem dark.
SwimmingOnEggshells · 28/05/2021 15:46

But if you are to compare shutters to no shutters, shutters would mean you'd lose light. Regardless of the louvre width.

Anyway, the OP finds the sun is too bright in the evenings but doesn't want to close the curtains, if she closes shutters she will have no light at all. So that wouldn't be a sensible option.

The best solution would be pleated blinds fitted to the window frames. These let light through but still provide privacy. And they also won't look horrendously dated in a few years time.

LemonSwan · 28/05/2021 20:36

We have a west facing bay at the moment. Two way venetians are the best solution I found.

They are also called 'top down, bottom up'. Ie. you can put them at the bottom, or the top, or in the middle, or anywhere you like.

MorriseysGladioli · 28/05/2021 20:40

Where abouts so the top down, bottom ups come on the scale between shutters and ordinary blinds, please?

LemonSwan · 28/05/2021 20:43

I think they come on a scale above all of them for flexibility. I am a real fan and always am puzzled about whoever invented normal blinds. They got it entirely the wrong way around.

Why would anyone want to block the light from the top of the window instead of the bottom (unless your overlooked by a high rise flat)

LemonSwan · 28/05/2021 20:45

Ie. this picture..

Wouldnt you want to be able to have privacy from the head down in your house and keep all the light rather than privacy from the head up and loose all the light.

Bay window- shutters or blinds