Having full height shutters is a great way of making any window look stylish, especially the tall ones that characterise many older Regency-style buildings in Brighton and some other Sussex towns. But there are some variations you can consider.

Not everyone will go for full height shutters, of course, as some may prefer split shutters for a more flexible approach. But there are other questions too, such as what colour they should be painted.

This is an important question in a place like Brighton. If you do live in a Regency building, the outside colour scheme is uniformly white, which means any shutters that are not – at least on the outward-facing side – would stick out like a sore thumb.

However, you do have some options to consider. For example, you may want to have insides that are coloured in keeping with either the latest fashion or the colour scheme you have chosen for the room.

These are two things that may differ markedly. What is fashionable in any given year is a fickle matter, not least when some will follow prompts such as Pantone’s annual Colour of the Year, which in 2024 is a shade of pink known as Peach Fuzz. Last year was a darker pink called Viva Magneta.

All that may suit someone who loves pink. But other years will bring very different Pantone colours of the year. 2022 brought a bluebell-coloured Very Peri, one of many blues to feature in recent years. 2021 brought grey and yellow, while 2013 and 2017 were shades of green.

Rather than repainting your shutters every year, a better idea might be to choose a hue that fits well with the internal décor. After all, nobody wants to spend the time and effort redecorating every year to fit with what’s ‘in’. Instead, the choice should be something that fits your own colour and style preferences.

Of course, not everyone in Brighton lives in the same kind of home. While some might live somewhere that epitomises style and tradition embedded in stucco plaster, others may have a modern home that suits more variation. You should make your decisions on what looks good, not be a slave to fashion.

If you have shutters or blinds in your current windows, you may have chosen them based on a range of factors that made these the best choice for your home.

However, if you are moving, that choice will need to be made again – and it may be that what you have now is not necessarily the best option.

For that reason, it makes sense to look carefully at how things may differ in your new property, and talk to us about what may work best for you.

For example, you may have full-height window shutters, which make a simple and neat solution for a tall window, such as those commonly found in Regency buildings, of which Brighton has many.

However, if you are moving somewhere else in the city or county, you might be in a very different kind of house, such as a modern semi, where the window sizes and shapes don’t suit such a design. Alternatively, you might be moving in the opposite direction and need something for taller and narrower windows.

Indeed, you might want to make this part of a wider Regency-themed interior design project, where everything matches up stylistically.

Another factor may be the angles at which the windows are aligned. For example, a south-facing window will capture the sun all year, which means sometimes you might want to shutter out the glare, whereas a north-facing window will only capture it on summer evenings when the sun is low.

Equally, it could be that you decide to switch to blinds that can be adjusted so they are partially open, keeping out the worst of the bright summer illumination while letting in plenty of light. How much light is allowed in will also depend on the size of the window and whether or not the sun is blocked by outside objects from trees and hedges to buildings.

These factors are why a ‘one size fits all’ approach is never the wisest. Whatever you have done with the windows in your current home, you will need to look at everything afresh.

Whilst other types of blinds can sometimes show their age quite quickly, wooden plantation shutters are exceptionally elegant and hardwearing, lasting potentially for many years if looked after properly, a process that often does not take a lot of work.

This low maintenance, high functionality and beautiful appearance have made plantation shutters the favoured choice of many homeowners, but there may come a point due to misuse, age or bad luck where an issue could develop on one of the louvres.

This most commonly takes the form of a single one of the multiple louvre slats coming loose and sliding down even when the latch lever is lifted.

This is, thankfully, very easily fixed with the help of a Phillips cross-head screwdriver. Find the tension screws at each side and tighten them a bit whilst the shutters are closed. This will keep them in line with the rest of the shutter and should keep their position for a while.

They can sometimes also become misaligned, typically the result of a loose alignment pin that connects the louvre with the latch lever. Simply open the louvres so they are parallel to the frame, push the pin back into place and the issue should be very easily and clearly fixed.

The other, more serious issue that can occur after a long time, impact damage or a lot of temperature changes and warping that can come during particularly bitter temperatures or unusual amounts of pressure is broken parts of the frame or louvres themselves.

In some smaller cases of louvre damage, if you can live with a slight blemish to the shutters themselves, wood glue could potentially be used to fix it and put it back into place.

Larger damage might need an expert to replace the louvre itself, and broken frames will often require the entire shutter to be swapped out for a new one. 

Summer in Brighton has been a hot time this year, with no lack of excuses to head for the seafront. But if the season has been great for splashing about in the sea, lazing on the beach or just getting out and about in the heat, the months ahead are a different prospect.

The end of summer will always bring some disappointments as the days get shorter, the leaves start to fall and cricket stumps are pulled up at Hove for the last time this year. But this year brings a real sense of foreboding as the Energy Price Cap soars and many will worry about how to keep their homes warm, especially in Regency buildings with high ceilings.

However, this is where the use of full height window shutters in Brighton can prove invaluable. The reason for this is that wooden shutters are by definition made from a material that insulates and, because they are made-to-measure and don’t leave lots of gaps for cold air to sneak through, will help keep the warmer air inside the room on cold nights. 

This could prove particularly essential in the winter ahead as the temperatures drop, as homes with good insulation will be better equipped to cope with the heating being used sparingly in order to keep energy bills down. Indeed, now may be a good time to invest in insulating measures of various kinds.

February is the coldest month of the year in Brighton, based on figures from the weather station at nearby Shoreham Airport, with an average of around six degrees. Being a seaside town and further south than most of Britain, the winter will be milder than in nearly every other part of the UK.

Even so, it will still get cold, so now is the time to take steps to ensure your home is kept as well-insulated and warm as possible, helping you use less energy while still remaining warm in the coming months.

This summer, the United Kingdom had a particularly strong and long-lasting heatwave, meaning that many people were looking for innovative ways to beat the heat.

However, for people who own solid wood shutters, one of the best ways to keep the heat out in summer and keep warmth from escaping in winter is to close the shutters.

A study by English Heritage found that shutters could reduce the amount of heat that was lost by over 50 per cent, with similar results found for stopping heat from getting in.

This is one of the benefits of shutters that you might not have expected, but there are other considerable benefits that range from the obvious improvements to privacy, lighting and ventilation, to other more unexpected benefits.

Here are just a few more benefits to plantation shutters.

 

Easier To Clean

Curtains can be a bit of a nightmare to clean, and so many people either limit their curtain cleaning to an occasional dusting or do not bother at all, which means that they are at risk of containing potential contagions, pathogens, allergens, and dust.

Shutters can simply, easily and efficiently be wiped clean, not requiring any more maintenance than that to last years.

 

Soundproofing

Because plantation shutters are made from a more solid material than traditional curtains or even Venetian blinds, they can be very effective when closed as a soundproofing material.

Part of the reason for this is the material; the solid wood construction blocks out external noise in the same way a door does, and because of this external noise is reduced.

This can make shutters very useful as a home studio or home office soundproofing solution as an augmentation to other soundproofing methods, allowing for more professional communications and better results.

To achieve similar results, curtains have to be particularly thick and made from a material suitable for soundproofing, which is less likely to be found in a home setting.

Having a home you are proud of is incredibly important and while you may have definite ideas for the big parts, paying extra attention to the details is a great way to ensure you have everything perfected for your space. 

Window coverings may seem like the last task on your to do list, but choosing the right kind can really change the entire look and feel of a room.

Blinds are a popular option as they are easy to install, easy to use and come in a range of colours and styles. The simplicity of blinds is part of what attracts people to them and the option to have them hidden is also a huge bonus. However, blinds can feel dull and boring and while functional, they add little to a room aesthetically.

Shutters are a fantastic alternative to those who want both style and functionality. Shutters act not only as window coverings but also as a feature of your home. Aesthetically, they are wonderful and can add a classic and fashionable touch to any room. 

Durability is also a huge positive. Well-made shutters can last a lifetime and if maintained properly will look incredible for years, whereas alternatives like blinds and curtains often deteriorate from exposure to sun and various cleaning products. 

Shutters are also fantastic insulators, which only makes them more desirable. They are able to be opened and closed depending on whether you want to retain heat or allow air flow. 

There is also a wide range of materials that they can be made from, meaning you have far more flexibility when choosing the style that is right for you.

Low maintenance, durable and stylish, shutters are a fantastic way to add character and individuality to your home and are sure to be a talking point for guests. 

 

For bespoke window shutters, visit The Brighton Shutter Company today. 

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.

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 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.