You’ve picked out the furniture and accent pieces to spruce up your living room. All that’s left is to replace those old blinds on your windows with something classic, custom interior shutters. However, this one change involves several decisions you may not have been prepared for. How can you determine what the perfect shutter design for your home will be? This answer can easily be determined by asking yourself these 3 important questions.
How Much Light Control or Visibility Do You Want?
One of the most appealing features about shutters is the amount of control one has over the amount of light that enters the room through the windows. Shutters are designed to allow as much or as little light in a room by adjusting the angle of the louvers. The louvers are operated in one of two ways: by a traditional tilt rod or a hidden tilt rod. The Traditional Tilt Rod is a small visible piece of wood that travels down the center of the panel, it is connected to the front of each louver with staples, allowing the user to tilt the louvers and control the incoming light. Our Hidden Tilt Rod is a metal rod attached to the louvers on the back side of the panel, offering a less obstructed view when the louvers are in an open position.
Although an inch may not seem like much, it can make a huge difference in terms of visibility. Larger louvers (e.g., 3 ½ or 4 ½ inches wide) give the room a more expansive feel, let in more light, and open the view up more than small louvers. When you want more privacy and less natural light, you can angle the louvers in the closed position, providing you with a cozy, darker environment.
How Much Privacy Do You Want?
Windows work both ways! While the viewer may be able to see out from inside the home, others may be able to see inside the house. There are also rooms, such as those with east-west facing windows, that you may want to prevent light from entering. In these cases, the desire for privacy and light control may be higher priorities. Divider rails are a shutter design option that give the user more privacy control. A divider rail is section of wood in the middle of the shutter that is stationary, allowing the top and bottom sections of louvers to operate separately. Closing a section of louvers can give you privacy while allowing light through the other open section. Divider rails are often used when windows have a sash, separating the top from the bottom of louvers. Like the idea of having half of your shutter open, but may not want a divider rail in the center of the panel? We offer shutters with a “split tilt” feature and can be done with either tilt rod choice. Split tilt is achieved when the tilt rod is cut, moving the top louvers independently from the bottom.
What Color Do You Want for Your Shutters?
When done properly, shutters are a beautiful design element that enhances any room. We understand it needs to match your vision and complement the rest of the home, which is why, at Southern Shutters, we craft our shutters to appear as though they were built with your home. The way Southern Shutters has achieved this result is by painting the shutters with the exact same paint used on the trim throughout your home. If you would like stained shutters, we create a custom stain and apply it to samples of our basswood. The samples are hand delivered by our paint / stain coordinator and reviewed in the home, to ensure your shutters are stained to achieve YOUR “ideal look”.
Ultimately, by answering these questions, you can have a better idea of the custom options available to give you the shutters you desire. The good news is that you don’t have to make this decision on your own! Our experts at Southern Shutters can guide you to the right solution that meets all your needs and look amazing.
About Southern Shutters
Southern Shutters has been in business since 1993 and serves all of Austin and the surrounding communities. For nearly three decades, Southern Shutters has used Basswood when crafting our shutters. Basswood is a stable wood, not prone to warpage, and thus a key element in our ability to offer a LIFETIME transferable warranty. We have a showroom in Georgetown where you can view full size examples of shutter configurations we offer. However, you are not required to ever step foot in our showroom. We are more than happy to come to you for an in home consultation and provide a quote onsite. We are proud to control every step of the process from manufacturing to installation. If you would like to schedule your free In-Home consultation with Southern Shutters, you can contact us through our website here.