Ten Questions to Ask before Choosing the Perfect Window Coverings

Have you just moved house or bought a new property? The chances are one of the first purchases you will make will be the window coverings. Shutters, blinds or curtains are the most popular options for London homes and each have their benefits. While ultimately the decision you make comes down to practicality and personal taste, here are ten questions you should ask yourself before investing in window coverings:

Shutters London – Click here to find out more about made-to-measure wooden window shutters and blinds from the Bespoke Shutter Company.

What Type of Property do I Have? – The style of property you have is one of the biggest influences on your choice of window coverings, so think about what works best for your home. While curtains are an obvious decision, plantation shutters, solid shutters or wooden blinds give a chic look to a London modern or period style house.

How Overlooked is my New Home? – Curtains need to be fully opened to let the light in, so if your property faces right onto the street this won’t provide enough seclusion in the daytime. Made-to-measure shutters or blinds offer greater flexibility as you can open the slats to vary the light levels, without compromising on privacy.

Do I Have Any Unusual Windows? – While shutters can be made to fit any size and shape of window, you don’t have that sort of flexibility with curtains. Instead curtains can swamp a small window and can end up hiding attractive features such as circular, hexagonal, triangular or oval shaped windows.

How Much am I Prepared to Spend? If you have a limited budget, you might want to go for the cheapest option of window coverings. That said, a timeless and classic choice, such as tier-on-tier shutters, saves money in the long run as you won’t feel the need to update this look.

What Style of Décor do I Want? –While you would be hard pushed to buy patterned shutters, an extensive range of colour options and wood stains are available. At The Bespoke Shutter Company, on certain ranges we can design and install made to measure shutters to match any colour you choose.

Do I Want to Keep Out Street Noise? If your home faces a busy London street, it is worth thinking about installing wooden plantation or solid shutters as this works as a sort of triple glazing and helps reduce noise levels from outside.

Will my Property be Rented Out? If you are buying a buy-to-let you will most likely want to go for the cheapest window coverings. However, some rental agencies advise you not to buy window coverings as the tenants will provide their own. Just check with them first to find out.

Am I Hoping to Move Again Soon? If you are likely to move again in a few years time, you might want to go for classic options such as shutters and blinds. Curtains – particularly patterned curtains – are geared towards personal taste and may make your interior less appealing to potential buyers when you want to sell on.

Which are the Easiest to Keep Clean? Whereas curtains can be costly to keep clean (particularly dry clean only fabrics), blinds and shutters just need a quick dust to keep them looking as good as new.

Do I Want Flexibility with my Window Coverings? For the ultimate in flexibility, the best option is tier-on-tier plantation shutters. The benefit of these shutters is that you can open the top section and open your windows to let the air in, or even open the bottom half of your shutters, and leave the top section closed. Again, you can also maximise the amount of light that filters into your home by tilting the slats.

About Bespoke Shutters

The Bespoke Shutter Company designs and installs high quality made-to-measure shutters and blinds for homes and businesses in the London and Hertfordshire area. Click on the link above to find out more about our service. 

21st Century Homes – Innovative Shutter Designs

Although plantation shutters and solid wood shutters have been used worldwide for centuries, it is only in relatively recent years that more innovative designs have become available. The choice of colours and materials offered by The Bespoke Shutter Company means that we can create individually designed wooden window coverings to match the style of your home. Read on to find out more about how our bespoke shutters work for any interior.

Shutters London - Click here to see our full range of wooden bespoke shutters and blinds.

Plantation Shutters – 5 Ways to Bring Individuality to Your home

Coloured Shutters – Whether you are looking to install adjustable shutters (otherwise known as plantation shutters) or solid shutters, you can have any colour you choose: white, off-white, green, grey, black, red, pink, blue or yellow – only your imagination is the limit!  Although some shutters have limited colour options, most of our shutters give you the chance to choose your own shade which could be a blend of colours. So, if you have a particular paint in mind, we can create an almost exact match with our hardy, UV and heat resistant spray lacquers.

Shaped Shutters – Not all homes and businesses have square or rectangular windows. You may have round windows, half round windows, arches, or even triangular and hexagonal shaped designs. It is possible to create shutters for any shape of window – and to date, we haven’t found a window that we’ve been unable to fit. Our designs are as unique as your home, and means you can maintain your privacy whatever your style of window.

Motorised Shutters – Opening and closing your shutters manually is not always practical, especially if you have a high window which is beyond reach, for example in a hallway or on a landing. Thanks to advances in technology, motorised shutters allow you to operate your shutters safely with a remote control, so you can let the light filter into your home at any time of day.     

Wooden, Engineered or Waterproof Shutters – Advances in materials are being made all the time and at Bespoke Shutters we offer shutter options to suit any home and budget. Our hardwood shutter materials include stunning Cedar wood, and the popular competitively priced Basswood. We also supply and install engineered shutters (not available in the tier-on-tier design), waterproof shutters for bathrooms and swimming pools, and a full range of made-to-measure conservatory shutters.

Made-to-Measure Shutters – Our choice of shutters doesn't end there. We also offer a range of hinges, slat or louvre sizes, and tilt rods. Louvres on plantation shutters help vary the light levels and you can choose any size to suit your home, from small to medium-sized and large louvres. Our experienced fitters will take the exact measurements of your windows to ensure that your shutters are a precise fit, so they will open and close with ease. Our shutters are individually made, so once your order is confirmed, you can usually expect around a six week wait for delivery and instalment.

About Bespoke Shutters

The Bespoke Shutter Company  uses only the highest quality materials and craftsmanship to create made-to-measure shutters in London and the Home Counties. We supply and install plantation shutters, café style shutters, solid wood, full length shutters and blinds, at affordable prices and offer no obligation home visits. For elegant, custom-built wooden shutters just contact our friendly team of professionals to find out how we can help.

How Shutters Add Instant Kerb Appeal to Your Home

If you are deciding on window coverings, plantation shutters not only look good on the inside, but on the outside too, and add kerb appeal to your home.

But don’t just take our word for it…

Sarah, 38, who lives outside of London, recently installed wooden shutters in a brand new contemporary apartment and said it was the best move she ever made.

“I wanted to give my home a slick, bright interior, so it has that relaxed, holiday feel all year round,” she said.

Her first step was to install white plantation shutters, which gave her apartment a continental look. Sarah’s living room was decorated with white furniture and brightened with red accessories, such as cushions, vases, bowls, and black and red pictures. It is a ground floor apartment with sizeable windows, and is situated opposite the new development’s show home, so her apartment – inside and out – is very much on display.

Just weeks after her made-to-measure shutters were installed, two things happened: “Some of the neighbours praised me on my décor after walking past the apartment,” she said.

“And, the shutter installer told me that after my installation, he received more inquiries from people who live further down my street. A few of my neighbours have since followed suit and had plantation shutters installed in their semi detached homes and townhouses. I had started a trend!”

Made-to-Measure Plantation Shutters – Click here to see our full range of window shutters and blinds.

Here are five ways shutters can add to a home’s kerb appeal:

Stylish – Plantation Shutters give a home a sleek, chic, contemporary look and their unfussy appearance widens their appeal.

Estate agents in general advise that homes with neutral décor – such as magnolia walls, traditional kitchens and white bathroom furniture – sell quicker than homes with bright colours and lots of individuality.

So, shutters give a home more of a neutral look than patterned curtains, and you could reap the rewards when you sell.

Versatile – Whether you have a country home, city apartment or town house, shutters are extremely versatile and will suit all types of homes.

Bespoke Shutters can even install shutters for unusual shaped windows, including triangular, circular or hexagonal shapes. And, as shutters can be installed in any room in the home, they will give your property a more uniform look from outside.

Adaptable – Shutters work around your lifestyle. If you like to keep your windows open during the day, for instance, tier on tier shutters or café style shutters are the perfect choice. With these type of window coverings, you can keep the bottom section closed, while leaving the top open to let in fresh air and light.

With plantation shutters you can also alter the slats, to let the light in but to prevent prying eyes. This makes the home feel more appealing inside and out – especially if you have a home that is quite overlooked as it makes it feel more private – helping to spark the interest of potential buyers when you come to sell.

Bespoke Shutters – Click here to see our full range of plantation shutters and solid wood shutters.

Why Wooden Shutters are an Ideal Choice for the Dining Room

For those of you who enjoy hosting dinner parties, the dining room will be central to the home. It’s a place where you entertain guests and chat into the early hours, so it’s important to keep it looking good, and installing plantation shutters in your Hertfordshire or London home will do just that.

A dining room is not just a room set aside for entertaining and family meals; it’s often a day-to-day hive of activity. In many cases, the dining room also doubles up as a home office, children’s craftwork area – and in some homes it’s a music room too. And, as dining rooms often face outwards towards the road, rather than the garden, shutters not only keep prying eyes at bay but they also act as a kind of triple glazing, helping to block out street noise.

Full length or café style louvre shutters are especially popular for dining rooms with bay windows as they offer a practical and stylish alternative to net curtains. These shutters are extremely versatile as you can open the windows while leaving the slats closed and make the most of natural light, which is one of the main benefits of having bay windows. Shutters are also much easier to clean than curtains; they just need a quick dust to keep them looking as good as new.

Plantation Shutters Hertfordshire –  click here to browse our full range of bespoke wooden shutters.

Creating the Perfect Dining Room

If you are decorating your dining room from scratch, you will need to ensure that all your furnishings and accessories work well together. Equally, if you are updating your dining room, you will want to choose shutters that offer practicality, versatility and will enhance the look of this space. Tier on tier shutters are the most flexible as you can keep the top section open, while altering the slats on the bottom half, to maintain privacy and make the most of natural light. And, as with all our made-to-measure wooden shutters, they will blend with any decor as we offer a variety of colours including shutters to match any shade of paintwork.

Traditional Dining Room

Solid wooden shutters give a stately feel to an interior, particularly in a panelled dining room of an older style country property where shutters are often designed to match the wood. They are also the window coverings of choice in some period town houses and evoke images of grandeur. Sash windows with shutters, for example, are one of the features of original Georgian townhouses, and are popular with period homeowners wanting to restore their property to its former glory. Solid wood shutters don’t have to be full length, if you prefer this look while also wanting to let the light in, they can be made to cover only the bottom half of the window and can be used in conjunction with curtains.

Plantation shutters are also a great choice for traditional dining rooms. In addition to its sleek and linear affect, which works so well with any decor, they are extremely practical too. If you have large windows, shutters help keep the temperature inside at a comfortable level. In the winter months, shutters help keep the heat in, and, in the summer – and this is especially important if you have a south facing dining room – the slats can be altered to keep the sun’s glare out and stop the room becoming too hot.

Contemporary Dining Room

Minimalist styles and sleek clean lines are key to a contemporary dining room interior and plantation shutters work well with this style. Among the contemporary dining room trends are the shabby chic look (featuring white wooden furniture), high gloss furnishings (such as a Chinese lacquered table) and rooms with one-off occasional vintage pieces (such as a comfy retro leather chair placed in an empty corner).

Whether you opt for the shabby chic look or want a Zen-like Chinese inspired room, plantation shutters fit perfectly with these contemporary themes. Stark white is a popular choice, however, we have a wide range of options that would suit a modern dining room, including bright colours or natural wood.

Open Plan Dining Room

An increasing trend in modern properties, especially apartments, is to have an open plan dining space. This could be a kitchen/diner or a living room that also incorporates an eating area; so it is important that all the decor and furnishings in each of the sections of the room blend well together.

Key trends in warehouse or loft style apartments are light wood industrial style furnishings, brick feature interior walls, and light wooden flooring. Bright colours can add interest to a room, such as a supersize retro floor lamp, or a dramatic modern painting. Loft style apartments are light and airy, and installing plantation shutters can contribute to this look, with high gloss white very much in style.

Of course, your choice for all the windows doesn’t have to be the same. You can choose different shutters for various sections in an open plan area, such as café style shutters in the kitchen and full length shutters in the living and dining area.

About Bespoke Shutters

If you are looking for the perfect solid wood or plantation shutters for your Hertfordshire or London home, Bespoke Shutters have an extensive selection to choose from that suit modern or period style interiors. Contact our expert fitters to find out more about our range, which also includes motorised shutters and shutters that are designed to suit more unusual sizes and shapes of window.

Bespoke Wooden Shutters – contact Bespoke Shutters today to find out more.

If you enjoyed this article, why not take a look at these related articles on our blog:

Loft Apartments - Creating the Perfect Contemporary Interior with Plantation Shutters London
Home Decorating: Beautifying Your Kitchen with Plantation Shutters London
Creating the Perfect Hallway and Landing with Elegant Shutters

Getting the Shabby Chic Look Right in Your Home

Shabby chic is one of the top looks for 2014, so, if you are looking for the perfect window coverings for your Hertfordshire home, plantation shutters or solid shutters are a perfect choice. Wooden shutters work especially well with this style of interior because they offer a mix of contemporary style with classic design and are reminiscent of yesteryear.

Shabby chic interiors are popular because it is a timeless yet eclectic style with no set rules to follow. There are a few common traits, such as an elegant and romantic approach to decorating, with upcycled furniture the keystone of the look. Upcycling involves improving on something you already own, such as giving furniture a distressed, white-washed look. A shabby chic interior suits almost any budget as you can buy vintage furnishings and accessories from flea markets and use leftover wall paper or paint to revamp old hand-me downs.

Here are The Bespoke Shutter Company’s top tips for decorating a home in the shabby chic style, including completing the look with the installation of plantation shutters, or solid wood shutters for your Hertfordshire, Essex or London home.

Plantation Shutters Hertfordshire - click here to find out more about our complete range of solid wood shutters for homes in East Anglia, the Home Counties and London.

Shabby Chic – Your Style Guide

Shabby Chic Style Living Room – The shabby chic style suits almost any home, whether it is a period property or contemporary, loft style apartment.

A top tip for decorating the living room is to try to prevent leaving large areas of space unfurnished, as this makes a room look more stark than cosy. Add comfy, occasional chairs to empty areas and create a reading corner. Only your imagination is the limit with this style, and if you don’t have room for a bookcase, one idea is to make a pile of large, hardback books to use as an alternative to a side table.

Customising furniture gives you the chance to inject your own creativity into this space. Add your own personal touch by white-washing furniture; all you have to do is to give furniture a coat of paint, then sand it down with ordinary sandpaper to give it a distressed appearance. You can do the same with accessories, such as wooden carved mirrors or old wooden candlesticks.

The shabby chic look is light and airy in style, so plantation shutters are a great choice for this space as it helps make the most of natural light.  Shutters make a stylish alternative to net curtains and are far more versatile too, as you can open just a few panels or change the slats to let the light in. White shutters help make a sitting room feel calm and serene, and work well with white-washed furnishings. However, if you prefer to match your shutters with your wall-paint, Bespoke Shutters can do this for you.

Complete the look by placing fresh flowers in vases, or by picking a few flowers from the garden and putting them into old jam jars. With this style, there is no limit to your creativity!

Shabby Chic Dining Room – To decorate this space, you can pick up second hand dining tables at the fraction of the cost of a new one, which again you can white-wash to create an entirely new furniture piece. Do the same with wooden chairs that you find, and create comfort by tying cushions – covered in delicate, feminine, Vintage style-fabrics such as white lace or floral prints – to the seat of each one. The table and chairs don’t have to match exactly, just as long as the overall look is effortlessly stylish.

To dress your shabby chic table, choose fine glassware and silverware; and linen napkins are a must. If you want to go that extra mile, you can even bring out vintage style cups and saucers when friends pop round!

Lighting is another important part of interior design, and you can pick up many Vintage style ceiling lights, such as an elaborate chandelier to hang over the table. Candles are a must in a shabby chic dining room, and will create a flattering light for dinner parties, so invest in old candlesticks which you can pick up from antique fairs, or you might be able to find replicas in a similar style.

Complete the look of your dining room with solid or plantation shutters and if your home is not overlooked, solid shutters can be opened during the day to let the light filter in, or you can adjust the slats of plantation shutters.

Shabby Chic Bedroom – The bedroom is one of the most private rooms in the home, so it’s a room you can really go to town on. Create a room that is light and airy with lace trimmed cushions and throws, or choose floral prints if you feel your space needs an extra injection of colour.

Wooden dressing tables look delicate and feminine and are another must for this room. And, if you are visiting a flea market, an ornate, white-washed mirror will help bring the light in and make the room look larger.

A cosy rug adds colour and texture, and if you want to soften stripped wooden flooring, one way to do this is to add a fluffy shag pile rug which will give your room a cosy look during the coldest months of the year.

Again, wooden shutters are a great option and add an elegant touch to a shabby chic bedroom. The Bespoke Shutter Company sell beautiful solid wood shutters for all types of homes.

Shutters Home Counties – Click here to see our elegant range of wooden plantation shutters for your Hertfordshire, Essex or London home or business.

Your Guide to 3 of the Hottest Interior Design Styles for 2014

Whether you are moving into a new home, or renovating an old one, the first port of call is to invest in window coverings - and whatever interior you go for, interior plantation shutters lead the way as the most timeless option for the home. Whether you want to create a traditional interior, or go for one of the latest design styles, the sleek lines and minimalist style of solid wood plantation shutters will blend perfectly with almost any decor you choose.

This article looks at the five hottest interior design styles for 2014 and reveals how made-to-measure tier on tier, cafe style, or full height plantations shutters are the ideal choice for your London home.

Interior Plantation Shutters - click here for full information on our range of bespoke shutters

Best Interior Design Styles for 2014

Limiting Your Clutter, the Minimalist Home – A minimalist, clutter free home has long been a firm favourite in interior design - and it looks like it’s here to stay. Recent years has seen a rise in apartments and new builds offering more limited accommodation, and to compensate for this there are a range of furniture options that include hidden storage space. These include shoe cabinets, stools with storage under, wall-to-wall cupboards, and sofas with storage in the arms, base or back. Furniture with hidden storage means that you can keep the floors and tables clear of clutter.

Neutral colours or white walls and furnishings are the ideal choice for a minimalist home and provide a blank canvas for you to inject your personality. Add warmth with colourful accessories, such as red, blue, or green textured rugs and throws, and hang bright, modern artwork on the walls.

An all-white interior, with splashes of colour, cries out for minimalist style window coverings. Interior plantation shutters fit the bill, as they are fuss free in design and their solid, clean lines provide a contemporary feel.

Making Your Money Go Further, the Boho Look – Household budgets have taken a tight squeeze in recent years, which means that many home-owners are looking to get more, for less of their cash.

When it comes to buying furniture, people are now seeking novel ways to invest in quality - without having to pay over the odds. One way is to source furniture from flea markets, and to customise it to suit your interior, or ‘upcycle’. Buying and customising second-hand furniture is not only eco-friendly (as it means no trees have been cut down to make it) but it also means your furniture is entirely unique.

Accessorise this look with things that you have picked up from your travels, such as ethnic artwork, artisan bowls and ornaments, hand-made rugs, and Moroccan, hole punched lamps. Solid wood plantation shutters blend well with the eclectic look and have an eco-friendly vibe.

Keeping it Chic and Shabby, the Romantic Look - Ethereal, romantic rooms with white painted furniture and lace trimmed pillows, cushions and throws, have a wonderful vintage feel – and this look has never quite gone out of fashion.

Pretty much anything goes in a chic and shabby interior, from floral prints to soft lace, and old and new furniture. White is very much the colour of choice for furnishings and accessories, which include oversize decorative mirrors, delicate but ornate wooden furnishings, lighting with fancy stems, and pretty ornaments. For flooring, choose wooden white-painted floorboards with fluffy white rugs to give a touch of added cosiness.

For the romantic look, it is important to make the most of natural light, so the best option is interior plantation shutters, as they are the most versatile form of window coverings. With plantation shutters you can alter the slats to draw in the natural light, while still maintaining privacy. Tier on tier shutters are the most flexible option for a London home, as you can keep the bottom section closed and leave the top open to let more light in, or open a top window and let the fresh air in.

Bespoke Shutters offer a complete range of interior plantation shutters to suit any interior, including shaped shutters, bathroom and waterproof shutters, motorised shutters and conservatory shutters.

Solid Wood Plantation Shutters -  click here for full information on our high quality window shutters

How Closing Your Shutters Helps Keep London’s Energy Costs Down

While householders battle to keep warm this winter, there are simple steps you can take to help keep your energy bills down – and shutters can help keep out the cold in London’s homes.

Bespoke Shutters’ at-a-glance energy saving guide comes after the Big Six energy firms – E.ON, EDF, British Gas, npower, SSE and Scottish Power – all announced price increases.

EDF’s price increases average at 3.9 per cent, whereas E.ON’s prices are set to rise by 6.6 percent, and the remaining four firms have announced average price hikes of around 9.1 percent.

With temperatures falling steadily, the impending rise is increasing the strain on householders struggling to keep on top of their bills.

Whether you live in an older style property or new build, even the smallest changes can make a difference, say Bespoke Shutters, and here are our top tips for keeping the heat in, and the cold out, this season:

Shutters London – click here for full information on our made-to-measure shutters.

Closing Your Shutters – Not all of you will close your shutters or curtains when it gets dark, especially if you are on a London street that is not overlooked, but turning this into a habit can make a major difference to your energy bills.

In a scheme funded by the Climate Challenge Fund, (2010) the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust used thermal imaging cameras to show just how much heat and energy is lost by keeping shutters open at night.

Images of properties that had their wooden shutters open glowed brightly in reds and oranges, showing just how much heat was escaping; however, properties that had their curtains or shutters closed were a deep blue colour – proving that they had successfully kept the heat indoors.

You can find out more about the project by following the link here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11759023

Using Draught Excluders – While the project looked at closing shutters and full-length curtains, it didn’t rule out traditional methods of keeping warm.

Edinburgh World Heritage also advised on other tried and tested tips, such as the use of draught excluders, especially if you live in an older style home.

Chiara Ronchini, energy efficiency officer, said: “There are issues, of course, with historic buildings but they are so well designed they just need a little push to make sure they are performing as well as the most modern buildings.

“...very simple measures...can make a dramatic improvement on the amount of heat being lost through the windows.”

Getting Cosy with Throws and Blankets – If you are settling down to watch television, snuggling up under a blanket is another sure way of keeping fuel costs down.

Likewise, wearing slippers, warm socks, or putting on an extra layer of clothing will help keep chills at bay.

Warming Up in Front of an Open Fire – Not all homes have a real log fire or wood burning stove, but if you are lucky enough to have one it is well worth putting it to good use during the colder months. 

This will also give your home a cosy, welcoming feel, and your family will love to gather round it when the temperature drops.

However, there are some safety precautions to take first, and if you haven’t used your fireplace for a while, it’s best to organise a chimney sweep to clear out your chimney before use.

Closing Off Empty Rooms – If you have a spare bedroom, hobbies room or dining room that you rarely use, another way of keeping bills down is to turn the radiators off in these rooms, and close the doors.

By heating the rooms that you use the most in winter, and leaving out the ones you don’t, this will also help save cash.

Having guests over at Christmas or New Year? Just turn on the heating in your spare rooms the day before, so that the whole house is warm and inviting before your friends and family arrive.

About Bespoke Shutters

Bespoke Shutters provide and install high quality, made to measure shutters in the London area including solid shutters and plantation shutters.

Bespoke Shutters – click here for full information on our solid wood plantation shutters.