7 Design Features To Consider For Your Shutters

When looking to transform your windows with shutters, there are 7 key features that help to form the overall design of the shutter and create the perfect dressing for the window space. Below we break down each of the different design elements that you will explore as part of your shutter journey:

Style

Style is usually one of the first design choices that people consider for their shutters, and will usually inform the other design features within the shutter – hence why it is the initial selection. Whether it is the preference of full height, café style or dual stacked tier on tier panels, style of shutter will be the main base for the look for the shutter.

Material

Many shutter materials look similar from a distance, however each have different qualities and benefits that they offer for the window. For clients that are looking for a stained shutter, full timber choices will need to be selected. These wooden options are also the best material choice for large windows as timber choices are light weight and can therefore be manufactured into larger panels – ideal for those who prefer fewer panels in their overall shutter.

Colour

The most common colour choice for shutters is white, and this is a crowd pleaser for a variety of reasons. White shutters reflect light out of a room and so make a fantastic choice for hot summer days by bouncing radiation away from the room and preventing solar energy form heating a space as significantly. If the preference is for a coloured shutter, then there are plenty of options to suit whatever colour pallets you are working with in your room. For clients that have a specific colour in mind for their shutters which is not featured in our standard library, then our custom colour matching service will mean that the shutters can be manufactured in any chosen colour.

Slat Size

Though not as obviously impactful on the overall look on the shutter as other design features, the chosen size of the slats (or louvres) in a shutter can have a real impact on the aesthetic of a shutter with larger sizes offering more of a modern look and smaller options providing a traditional appearance. There are three main slat sizes that are available for shutters, 64mm, 76mm and 89mm. 47mm and 114mm are also available but these are not commonly suitable for the majority of standard windows.

Tilt Control

The tilt mechanism of a shutter is the way that the slats featured in panels are controlled. More traditional interior louvred shutters always had a central tilt rod attached to the front, controlling the angles to varying angles for light and privacy control in the room. ‘Without a tilt rod’ mechanisms have gained a lot of popularity over the years thanks to the sleek and contemporary finish it provides windows and the ease of controlling all of the slats in panel by manoeuvring one single slat which moves all other slats in the panel in unison. If a tilt rod is featured on a panel, there is also a choice of whether the tilt should be centralised or offset to one side (often the hinge side).

Shutter Stile

The stile of a shutter is a small decorative feature on panels that comes in either a flat or beaded join choices. The join is between the edge of the panel and the slated section of the panel and can either be raised slightly as a little bumped ridge or be a straight meeting. Depending on the overall design preference of the shutter, both shutter stiles are a great choice but the plain style makes a clean finish which is considered to be a more contemporary choice compared to the beaded ridge finish to the window shutters which is a more traditional option.

Optional extras

The final consideration for your shutters will be any optional extras that you look to incorporate in your shutter designs. The list of additional extras include track systems, custom colour options, special hinges, room darkening blinds, and any other possibilities that may be added to the shutters. This includes motorised options, auto close, cut outs, locks and telescopic poles. Some optional extras are required for specific window styles such as track systems when the shutters are too large in an area and need the support of the track for the panels operate properly without the panels being damaged over time. Where such features are required, it will be established at the point of windows being measured and a survey taking place.

To book in for a full survey with one of the expert surveyors at The London Shutter Company contact our friendly office team on 02088719333, email hello@london-shutters.co.uk or submit a Contact Form and we will be delighted to assist with your queries or secure your slot today. Alternatively, if you want to find out some more information about different shutters design or get inspired by images of shutters that have been previously fitted in our clients homes – you may even find an example of some windows similar to your own to visualise how shutters will transform windows in your own home. If you want to get a basic material only quote for your shutters, then you can submit sizes to our Online Quote Calculator which will supply a guide price for the shutters.