The Origin Of The Wood Window Shutter

Whilst solid wood shutters are primarily known as a window accessory, they actually pre-date the use of glass in windows, making them a trusted, effective choice for providing privacy and blocking sunlight for thousands of years.

The first window openings date back to the 13th century BC, where small openings in the roof were made to allow light to enter the home during the day, and were typically covered with cloth or animal hide at night.

The first shutters were believed to have been created in Ancient Greece, and whilst wood and textiles do not survive that long, we do know that early shutters were made out of marble, although they were also known to have used wooden shutters in Ancient Greece as well.

The reason for the switch was obvious; whilst marble is an exceptionally beautiful and strong material, it is very difficult to make moving pieces out of marble, and so the louvres were solid and fixed to a single position.

Wooden louvres were much cheaper to make, much easier to fit due to being a lot lighter than marble, provided similar protection from sunlight and the tropical climate, and much later advances would enable the louvres to even move, allowing for as much or as little light in a room as you like.

Shutters would spread throughout the Mediterranean and were the standard covering for windows in the centuries before glass windows.

In Tudor England, you started to see glass windows, but as clear glass was expensive and fragile, solid shutters were used for the lower half of windowed openings.

By the time of King Louis XIV of France, window shutters had evolved from being a necessity to a royal accessory.