Most people start with blinds, partly because they’re what a lot of homes already have and partly because, when it comes time to replace them, it’s easy to pick another set in a new colour and get on with your day. Shutters tend to come up a little later, usually after someone has seen them in a friend’s house and started wondering whether they’d suit their own windows just as well.
Both do the same basic job of covering the window, managing the light and giving you some privacy, but the differences start to show when you look at how each copes with different rooms, how much looking after they need over the years and how they feel to live with every day. Here’s how we’d suggest thinking it through.
Light and privacy
The louvres on our shutters tilt, which means you can angle them to let daylight into the room while still keeping it private from the street outside. You can change the angle as often as you like through the day, opening them right up on a bright morning and closing them down once the lights go on in the evening, without ever having to choose between sitting in the dark and having the whole room on show.
For rooms that face a road or look straight into a neighbour’s window, that flexibility is often what tips people towards shutters in the end.
Bathrooms, kitchens and wet rooms
Steam, splashes and condensation are hard on most window dressings, and this is where the gap between the two options is at its widest. Our shutters are fully waterproof, so they’re suitable for bathrooms, kitchens and wet rooms, and they won’t warp, swell, peel or flake even in the rooms that see the most moisture. The louvres and stiles are reinforced with aluminium as well, which helps stop them bowing or twisting as the years go by.
It also means you can fit the same shutters in the bathroom as you have in the living room, rather than mixing different styles around the house simply because one room gets steamy. If you do decide on blinds for these rooms, it’s worth checking that the material is made for damp conditions before you buy.
Looking after them
There’s no sanding and no repainting involved with our shutters, and an occasional wipe down is really all they need to keep them looking their best. The colour is engineered not to fade either, so they should look much the same in a few years’ time as they did on the day they were fitted.
Warmth and noise
Shutters also help reduce heat loss and outside noise, which is worth bearing in mind for a bedroom on a busy road or any room that starts to feel chilly once the heating goes off in the evening.
Where they’re made
Every one of our shutters is made and quality checked by a family run firm, and because we’re a family run business ourselves, you’re dealing with families at both ends, from the people who make your shutters to the team who come out to fit them.
So which should you go for
Blinds still make a lot of sense in plenty of homes, particularly if you like to change your look every few years or you’ve got your heart set on a particular fabric. Shutters are likely to suit you better if you want one consistent look running through the whole house, bathroom and kitchen included, and you’d like something that needs very little attention once it’s been fitted. If you’re replacing your windows as well, it’s worth thinking about shutters at the same stage so everything can be planned together.
If you’re considering shutters for your home, get in touch with us for a free quote.
