Choosing shutters for every room of your home

Plantation shutters or solid shutters can be used at every window in every room of the home to enhance safety and security, to protect from draughts and sunlight and to help with insulation and ventilation. They also make an attractive addition to your home, enhancing its curb appeal and its saleability.

Bespoke Shutters sell plantation shutters and solid shutters for every room of the home including living room shutters, dining room shutters, kitchen shutters, conservatory shutters, bedroom shutters and bathroom shutters. With the full range of colours and many natural wood finishes to choose from, you are guaranteed to find the plantation shutters or solid shutters to suit.

Plantation Shutters and Solid Shutters - What’s The Difference?

Plantation shutters are built as slats within a frame. The frame fits neatly in the window aperture, on the inside of the glass and the horizontal slats rotate through 180°, from fully closed, through fully open to fully closed again. This opening and closing movement is controlled either through a string or rope pulley system or through the use of a twistrod. A more recent addition to these control options, is the remote control, a battery operated system whereby the slats are opened and closed using a remote handset (motorised shutters).

Solid shutters work very differently to plantation shutters. Solid shutters, as the name suggests, are constructed of solid pieces of wood, which are hung on the vertical and joined together with hinges so that they concertina when opening. Each solid shutter, and there are two in a set, is constructed of 2-3 pieces of wood but this can vary depending on the size of the aperture. When fully closed, solid shutters offer virtual blackout, closing off a room and allowing no daylight in whatsoever. The amount of daylight allowed into a room can be controlled exactly, simply by moving the shutters slightly one way or the other.

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Shutters For The Living Room

The living room is the one room of the house, apart from the bedroom, in which we spend the majority of our time. It is the room in which we like to relax and unwind after a hard days work. It is the room in which we like to kick back and watch television, read a book or listen to our favourite piece of music. It is also the room in which the family likes to congregate, to catch up on the day’s news or share some time together, playing games or chatting over the day’s events.

It is a room in which plantation shutters or solid shutters come into their own. Having plantation shutters or solid wood shutters installed at the windows of your living room, means you have complete control over the amount of light that enters the room from outside. With the windows open, you can easily regulate the amount of airflow or ventilation and you can also restrict the view of people looking in. Plantation shutters can be positioned so as to deflect the rays of the sun, shielding your eyes from the sun’s glare to make it easier to watch television. Solid shutters and plantation shutters are also useful here from the point of view of insulation and warmth as they offer another line of defence against the elements.

Shutters For The Dining Room

Installing plantation shutters or solid shutters in a dining room creates a lovely aesthetic within the room and a real focal point and conversation piece. But more than that, they have a specific purpose. You might be entertaining in the early evening, just at that point when it becomes easier to see in, than to see out of your windows. You don’t want dog walkers or passers by looking in, but at the same time, you don’t want to block out the outside altogether. With plantation shutters you can position the slats to make it impossible for anyone to see in, whilst still benefiting from any daylight the early evening has to offer. Similarly, with solid wood shutters, these too can be positioned so as to allow just the right amount of light into the room.

Shutters For The Kitchen

Curtains are wholly inappropriate for kitchens. This is because the atmosphere quickly fills with  smoke and steam generated from cooking and this will, very quickly ruin your drapes. Ventilation is the key so it is important to choose a window covering that allows air to circulate whilst still providing privacy and light control for when it is required. Plantation shutters are the obvious choice here as windows can be opened to allow as much ventilation in as possible, whilst the slats in the plantation shutters can be positioned so that anyone outside the kitchen cannot see in.

An added benefit of this type of window treatment is that plantation shutters are easy to maintain and keep clean. All you need to do, to keep your plantation shutters looking as good as knew, is give them a regular wipe down with a damp cloth and then finish off with a dry cloth wipe down.

Shutters For The Conservatory

Plantation shutters tend to work best in conservatories because they are lighter than solid shutters. They can be produced in a host of different shapes and sizes to perfectly conform to the shape of your conservatory building. Many conservatories feature pitched glass roofs and these can be fitted with plantation shutters that are controlled remotely. Motorised plantation shutters are ideal for this situation, as you don’t have to stand on ladders or stretch up from a chair to operate them.

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Shutters For The Bedroom

The bedroom will suit either plantation shutters or solid shutters depending on the look you want to achieve. In fact some would argue that solid shutters are better for a bedroom since they deliver virtual blackout when closed. This is great if you like sleeping in the pitch black, which a lot of people prefer. They also go a long way to helping you feel, warm, cosy and snug which is just what you want in a bedroom.

Plantation shutters are also very good for bedrooms. Not only do they look great, but the positioning of their slats can be altered so as to make it impossible for people to see in, so they are a very effective window treatment for the bedroom.

Shutters for the bathroom

The bathroom, like the kitchen, is another ‘wet room’. The atmosphere in a bathroom quickly becomes 100% saturated if not very well ventilated and this leads to steamed up windows and condensation. Water droplets will naturally form on surfaces and if not removed, they will cause water damage or result in damp and mildew forming.

Curtains should never be used in a bathroom since they will rapidly become damp, mildew will form and they will become a breeding ground for bacteria. Shutters make the obvious choice for bathroom window treatments, since they can be constructed of a waterproof material and require just a simple wipe down with a cloth to keep them looking as good as new.

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