One of the first things you might notice when visiting a hot country is most windows are fitted with full height wooden shutters. So why are these preferable to curtains or blinds, even though they are known for trapping heat in?

Indeed, shutters are a great choice during the winter months, as they can keep homes nice and warm when it is cold outside. By providing another layer to block air from travelling through, it becomes harder for the chilly weather to seep into the house.

However, they are also the preferred option in hot countries too – for the exact same reason. As they block air flow, all the heat from outside doesn’t travel into the building.

By keeping out the sunlight and warmth, you can prevent interiors heating up. Shutters are ideal as they enable homeowners to crack open their windows for ventilation while keeping the sunrays out.

Unlike curtains, which do not provide a complete seal around the window and therefore, let some sunlight and heat in, shutters fit the window frame entirely, providing a barrier to stop air flow.

This is why houses in the Mediterranean all look as though they have been deserted during the daytime over the summer months, as everyone keeps their shutters closed so their bedrooms do not feel like a sauna at night-time.

When it comes to choosing the right shutter for your home, white is a wise choice as this also reflects the sunlight, helping to keep the house as cool as possible.

Bay windows are a highly sought-after feature in a house, whether for a period Victorian or Edwardian era home, or a more modern property. They were introduced to grander mansion houses in the UK during the Renaissance period, from the late 15^th century to the early 17^th century.

They are windows made up of three panels or more, which protrude beyond the exterior wall, on either the lower or upper floors. The most typical style of bay window is a hexagonal or octagonal shape, but they can also be curved or square. Upper storey protruding windows are usually referred to as oriel windows.

Until the late 19^th century, building regulations meant that bay windows were limited to grander styles of architecture and mansion houses. However, a rule change in 1894 meant that ordinary houses could enjoy the benefit of extra space and light, and the extended views afforded by a bay window.

While bay windows are a very attractive and desirable feature in a property, they can present a challenge when it comes to window dressings. Maintaining the sense of space and light control while providing adequate insulation and privacy takes some extra consideration.

Curtain rails are difficult to fit to bay windows, as they are often an irregular size. Even if a rail is installed, it is very tricky to achieve a close fit, meaning that the curtains let heat escape and light filter in. They can also look bulky, and detract from the sense of space created by the window.

Therefore, shutters are a great choice for bay windows, whatever the style of the property. They can be custom made to fit exactly, providing perfect blackout and privacy when you need it, and much more effective insulation. Full height shutters cover the entire window; ideal for lower floors where you want maximum light and privacy control.

For upper floor windows which are not overlooked, café style shutters are a popular choice. They are half-height, allowing the light to flood in. For the best of both worlds, you could also opt for tier-on-tier shutters, where the top and bottom half can be operated independently.

 

For more information on shutter blinds in Brighton, talk to us today.

In modern home design, huge windows are seen as a very important feature, and solid wood shutters help to ensure both privacy and greater control of how much light is allowed into a particular room.

However, when glass windows were starting to become widespread in the 17th century, there were some cases where the window would be covered with a rather more substantial form of shutter: brick.

The reason for this was a protest against one of the most controversial taxes the UK has enforced up until that point and would be commonly claimed to be the source of the term ‘daylight robbery’ to mean a cost that is seen as egregious.

The window tax was introduced during a period when the idea of income tax (a tax charged relative to a person’s earnings) was still particularly controversial and King William III had recently undertaken a vast recoinage scheme to try and stop the clipping of their edges.

To make up the £2.7m (over £200m adjusted for inflation) that had been spent re-minting all of Britain’s coins, King William wanted to bring in an income tax, but fierce opposition led to him enforcing a similarly banded tax based on the number of windows in a house.

It was made up of a flat-rate house tax that everyone paid (two shillings, or £14.19 adjusted for inflation), and a variable tax based on how many windows were in the home above ten,

Properties with between 11 and 20 windows paid an extra four shillings (nearly £30 in modern money) and houses with more than 20 windows paid eight shillings per window (£56.75).

In one sense, it was a relatively intrusive and easy to calculate tax because you could simply count the windows from the outside, but people strongly disagreed with it to the point that many windows were simply bricked up and it was called a “tax on light and air”.

Eventually, pressure from doctors and a growing agitation from people who connected a lack of light to ill health led to the tax being repealed in 1851.

If you’re thinking about redecorating the bedroom or looking at adding some finishing touches to provide the ‘wow’ factor, then plantation shutters may be just what you need.

Plantation shutters look stunning in any room in the house and perfectly suit the latest trends for blue-hued bedrooms. We have a look at five reasons why you should add plantation shutters to your bedroom.

 

They’re a great space-saving option

A great way to create the illusion of space is with window shutters. Because they fit right into the window recess, there is no protrusion into your room. Curtains, especially on bay windows are fitted onto the outside of the window recess.

 

Temperature control

It’s important to get the right temperature at night for quality sleep. Solid plantation shutters provide a level of heat insulation for the room and can make a significant difference in keeping your room warm in winter.

Conversely, the adjustable slats mean you can control the airflow around the room during summer, helping to keep the room cool, without compromising on your privacy.

 

They can help allergy sufferers

Curtains can harbour all manner of dust, mites, pollen and allergens, which can be problematic for allergy sufferers. However, wood shutters can simply be wiped down, and you will not have to worry about your allergies.

 

They add the wow factor

Plantation shutters are timeless and will never go out of fashion, as well as being elegant and versatile, and will still look great if you redecorate.

 

They keep out noise

Plantation shutters can help to reduce external noise because they provide a barrier between your window and your room. Whether it’s cars driving past, planes flying overhead or people passing by, shutters are an effective method of reducing noise levels.

 

If you’re looking for plantation shutters, visit our online store today.

Solid wood shutters are the best of both worlds in that they provide a distinctive look to your home whilst also effectively improving privacy and allowing you to control the amount of light in your home.

However, there are a few common misconceptions about these versatile solid window coverings that can cause people to get the wrong idea about what shutters can bring to your home.

Here are some common myths about shutters and the truth behind them.

 

Shutters Are Not The Same As Blinds

Perhaps because we talk about louvres for both Venetian blinds and plantation shutters, some have managed to conflate the two types of window covering.

However, they both produce a very different effect in your home even when using the same materials and colour schemes.

Venetian blinds, the closest analogue to shutters, use a series of louvres made of either thin metal or wood that are closed using a roller, whilst shutters are solid panels typically opened and closed using a latch or lever mechanism.

Whilst blinds are a common choice for windows, they can be difficult to operate, too thin and gather dust very easily depending on the design.

 

You Do Not Need A Traditional Looking Home To Have Them

Whilst plantation shutters have been historically associated with certain house styles, they are highly adaptable as a design concept and look great on nearly every home, with colours, louvre sizes, shapes and shutter systems to suit every need.

 

Shutters Do Not Darken A Room

Because shutters are solid and often have a border, there is a misplaced concern amongst some homeowners that they can sap some of the light away from a room.

Whilst they are very good at darkening a room at night when they are closed, rotating the slats provides a lot of light, and the shutter itself can be swung open to get the most natural light possible from a window.

The history of the beautiful solid wood shutters available today spans thousands of years and several fundamental changes in purpose, material and positioning in a home.

One of the most fascinating examples of this is how the first shutters ever made were made in Ancient Greece between 800BC and 500BC using, of all materials possible, marble.

Marble is a heavy, multicoloured stone that is more associated with Greek statues and column construction than it is with window coverings.

The reason for this is that it is especially heavy, requires special mounting points on a house and has louvres that are fixed in place, simply because no mechanical system would make them easy to move.

Because of this, Greek shutters were not really used to control light levels but instead were used to provide ventilation in the hot Mediterranean climate and protect against strong winds, dust and rain that were common in coastal towns.

However, because marble is also very expensive, it was typically only used for this purpose by the upper class and since the blinds were pointed downwards, they did not allow much light in. However, whilst marble was not the right material, the idea did have value in itself.

Either the Greeks or other Mediterranean countries would replace the marble with wood, which was not only cheaper and easier to build with but also allowed for movable louvres, which meant that for the first time a shutter could shut out as much or as little light as the homeowner wanted.

Eventually, as the centuries progressed, shutters would spread across Europe, most commonly in the form of solid panels for security and block out light, switching from helping air to circulate to helping to keep warm air in at night.

As glass would take over as the window covering of choice, shutters changed from being purely practical to being more decorative in nature, and to this day they are still used as a stylish way to control the levels of light in a room.

When people choose window coverings, how much they prioritise privacy will in many cases dictate what drapes they choose.

This is why so many people opt for blinds over curtains; there is a greater control not only over the natural light in the room but how much people outside could see into their home. People who choose solid panel shutters or plantation shutters over blinds prioritise their privacy even more.

However, when you close the louvres of your shutters, which direction the closed shutters are facing matters, as depending on what floor you are on, people can sometimes peer into closed shutters if they have not been closed the right way.

A carpenter did an experiment on social media that showed that if the blinds were closed facing down (where the closest edge of the blind to you is pointing down) and the lights are on, you can see inside a ground floor room from the outside.

However, if the blinds are closed in the opposite direction facing up, all someone will see through the blinds is the ceiling, and your privacy will be assured.

Interestingly, the opposite is true for upstairs rooms, which should face down to stop people from looking inside from below.

Whilst this is a useful hack to know in general, there are potentially interesting implications for future shutters that take full advantage of smart home technology.

There currently exist blinds that can be opened and closed remotely, and whilst these most often take the form of roller blinds, Venetian smart blinds also exist and unless they close completely flush, they need to take into account which direction the blinds are closing in to maintain privacy.

 

It may become the case that when smart shutters are sold to the public, they could need two closing options depending on which floor they are installed on.

Solid window shutters have a fascinating history that predates the glass windows they protect today, and outside of the marble louvres of Ancient Greece and solid hide protection, are one of the first window covering systems ever invented.

The most popular type of shutters, however, are the versatile, endlessly elegant and functional plantation shutters, which provide effective ventilation, home protection and control of natural light.

Initially, however, the concept of louvre shutters did not actually come from plantations, but instead, like the popularity of most window coverings, from the Sun King himself, King Louis XIV.

He insisted on the use of window shutters, in part so people could sleep comfortably in his royal domicile without being spied upon, and the royal cooks could use the kitchen without an abundance of sunlight burning them or making the kitchen too hot to use.

This, along with King Louis’ obsession with curtains on every wall, bed and other conceivable space, made him a very important part of the story of shutters, and it would only take a century or two for louvred shutters and curtains to spread beyond the Royal Courts of France.

Where these shutters would get their name would be in the Antebellum era in the southern United States, where the large plantation manor houses, often designed with overt inspiration from Gothic Revival and other European design movements, would employ shutters on every window.

After the end of the plantation era that coincided with the end of the American Civil War, many of the exterior window shutters were kept for decorative rather than practical reasons, helped by the development of more practical and affordable glass sheets that began in the latter part of the 19th century.

The days may be starting to get light again – although it will be some time before anyone notices much difference – but it is certainly cold most of the time. While Britain may have had its warmest New Year on record, the coldest weather usually comes in January and February.

Brighton’s southerly, coastal location means it is hardy vulnerable to the kind of perishing temperatures some parts of the UK may get, or the kind of snowfall seen on high ground, though there may be some flurries in town and plenty of the white stuff up on the South Downs.

Even so, if you have large windows, as many Regency buildings do, that’s a lot of area through which the cold can seep. That’s why solid wood panelling is a great option if you need full height shutters in Brighton.

Herein lies two of the great winter benefits of solid wood panels. Because wood is such a good insulating material, it helps keep the warmth in and the cold out. At the same time, it can have the reverse effect in summer if it gets very hot and you want to keep the room cool in the middle of the day – especially if you have just come inside after being out in it.

The second benefit is the way the opaque panels can keep the sun out. That may be easily overlooked on a cloudy day, but if your window faces southwards a winter day can provide a piercing low sun that gets in your eyes.

If the window faces in other directions, there may be times of day at other points in the year where there is a similar dazzling effect from a rising or setting sun.

While there are those who prefer a little bit of light filtering through, others like a clear all-or- nothing approach. For good insulation, avoidance of dazzling low sun and privacy, solid wood panel shutters are hard to beat.