Plantation Shutters and Solid Shutters – How to Vary the Light Levels to Create Different Looks in the Home

If you have just moved house or are redecorating your home, plantation shutters and solid shutters will give your home a brand new look. It may be that your house faces onto the street and you want extra privacy but are tired of old fashioned net curtains and want a contemporary look to your interior. Perhaps you have a period property and, rather than go for blinds or curtains, you want window fittings with greater flexibility - and you can get this with plantation shutters or solid shutters.

Plantation Shutters - click here for more information on our range of plantation shutters.

Creating a New Look with Plantation Shutters and Solid Shutters

If you are choosing plantation shutters or solid shutters for your home, the first thing you may want to think about is whether to go for cafe style, tier on tier, or full plantation shutters. Here we shall explain what the differences are and the looks that you can achieve with each.

Cafe Style Shutters

Cafe style plantation shutters and solid shutters give a light and airy look to your interior. They do not cover the whole window, just the lower half. This allows natural light to stream in through the top part of the window while still maintaining privacy.

With cafe style shutters, you decide how far up the window your shutters will go.  Most people, however, will choose to have cafe style shutters up to the natural break of the window and this could either be half way up or three quarters of the way up depending on your style of window.

You could either choose solid shutters for the bottom part of the window, or go for plantation shutters. Plantation shutters gives you greater flexibility as it means you can move the slats to adjust the light levels whereas solid shutters will completely block out the light from the lower half of the window.

Solid shutters are a popular option for period homes as they create a more traditional look to your interior. Another traditional look is to have cafe style shutters and curtains, which gives homes a cosy feel.

Whether you choose cafe style plantation shutters or solid shutters, you can keep the shutters closed for privacy while at the same time benefiting from letting fresh air stream in through an open top window. This is something you can’t do with blinds or curtains!

Tier on Tier Shutters

Tier on tier shutters gives you the best of both worlds. It a great option for city homes as it prevents prying eyes and lets you make the most of the natural light.  Tier on tier shutters are made up of two sections, one on top of the other, and these are placed on either side of the window (so it makes up four sections overall). Each section opens independently to the other.

If you have plantation shutters, you could open the top section fully during the daytime and partially open the slats on the bottom section, but shut both sections at night for added security. Or it may be that you prefer to keep both sections closed, but want to let the light filter in through partially opened slats at the top. If you are choosing shutters for your home, tier on tier is the most flexible type of window covering.

Again, tier on tier shutters allow you to open the top window, while still maintaining privacy indoors.

Full Height Shutters

Full height shutters provide less flexibility than tier on tier shutters, but gives an elegant look to your interior.

If you are choosing full height plantation shutters, it is possible to have a mid rail. This means that you can adjust the bottom section independently to the top (and vice versa) so it gives you greater scope to vary the light levels.

If you have full height solid shutters, this will give you an almost complete black out when you close the shutters. Full height shutters are a popular option for those who have a period property - such as a Victorian home - and want to restore the interior to its former glory using original style features.

Coloured Shutters

The colours you choose for solid shutters and plantation shutters really comes down to personal taste.

It may be that you want wooden shutters to give your home a welcoming appearance and a natural warmth. Perhaps you prefer sleek white for a minimalist style home and want a contemporary look to your interior?

You can even go bold and daring and choose bright red window fittings or even black shutters for a monochrome interior. Only your imagination is the limit! Or you can choose shutters to blend perfectly with your existing decor.

When it comes to choosing your shutter colour, a top tip is to think about whether you will still appreciate your choice a few years down the line. The Bespoke shutter Company produces a full range of colour options and we are able to match most paint colours, including many Farrow and Ball colours.

Solid Shutters - click here for more information on our range of solid shutters.