There are many kinds of shutters in the market and these provide lots of choices for your windows. While personal taste may be a factor in your decision-making, the location of your property and the design of windows can be major factors that make particular designs and styles more appropriate than others.

A prime example is the use of tier-on-tier shutters, which are ideal for the sort of bay windows that are abundant in Brighton, especially in Regency homes.

There are three reasons for this. Firstly, Regency sash windows, being period properties and also homes owned by those with the means to cope with the ‘window tax’ levied in the Napoleonic Wars, are tall and designed to let a lot of natural light into the room, pre-dating as they did the invention of electric lighting.

That provides the opportunity for householders to add shutters that, on the one hand, allow lots of light in through the upper tier, especially in summer months when the sun is high and the light can be maximised.

A second factor is that while Brighton has some wonderful architecture, it is not nicknamed ‘London on Sea’ for nothing. Because the inner city has some very densely-populated areas reminiscent of those in the capital, those living in homes with big Regency windows will similarly be close to crowded streets.

For that reason, it is very convenient to have shutters that will allow in lots of light higher up, away from prying eyes, while staying closed at appropriate times lower down.

A third reason is that such shutters are elegant and stylish in a way that fits perfectly with Regency windows. Shutters can be designed to work with bay windows and the combination they create provides a great aesthetic.

Put together, these factors make tier-on-tier shutters a wonderful option for a classic Brighton home.

If you are looking for new shutters or blinds here in Brighton, you may find alternative companies to ourselves online or on the high street. But we have always set out to offer the communities we serve here, and across Sussex, with something more than just excellent products.

Of course, we do offer a wide product range, with high-quality blinds and shutters to suit a wide range of tastes and windows of all shapes and sizes, from modern homes to historic Regency-era villas.

Ultimately, however, we are not just another shutter company in Brighton; it is the high level of our service that sets us apart, making sure that you don’t just get products that you love, but that you have them fitted professionally, at a convenient time, with minimal fuss and highly-skilled craftsmanship.

However, don’t just read us blowing our own trumpet; the reviews we get from customers tell their own story.

For example, the reviews we got from Trustpilot in 2023 all gave us five stars, which is a great feather in our cap to begin with. But what people wrote was even more heart-warming to hear, both for us and no doubt for anyone looking to us to supply and fit their blinds or shutters.

Reviewer Lauren said of us: “From start to finish the service we received from the Brighton Shutter company has been incredible.”

Another review, by Susannah Easy, commented that our service was “nothing short of fabulous”. She explained that after the initial blinds fitting took place in 2021, a problem arose two years later that we came and fixed.

“I would not hesitate in recommending them, competitive price, great product and wonderful, note-worthy customer service,” she exclaimed.

Then there was Julie Foster, who said we had been “fantastic from start to finish” and the installation had been a “hassle-free project”.

None of these are our words, but we are proud of them. We always seek to give the very best service. Now we just hope that our 2024 reviews will be as good as were delivered last year.

It is not often we have scorching hot days in the UK, but when they do come, most of us don’t know how to cope with them. As our homes are not built to remain cool in soaring temperatures, they can heat up quickly, making them uncomfortable and stuffy places to be. 

Wooden window shutters can help regulate the heat by limiting the amount of sunlight entering the house, which stops it from overheating. So you can open your windows and keep the shutters closed at the same time, preventing the strong sun rays from warming up the property. 

The question is though, is it best to keep your window shutters open or closed on a hot day?

Though it is important to get some ventilation through the house in the summertime, the best thing to do is open the windows and shutters in the morning and close them when it begins to get warmer. You can then open them again during the cooler evening. 

Doing this means the hot air and strong sunlight will be kept out during the hottest part of the day, while the cooler morning and evening air will be trapped in the house during this time. 

This is particularly important for rooms that get particularly hot, with the NHS advising: “Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler, and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors.”

Therefore, it is sensible to open up your windows once the temperature begins to drop outside to let some fresh air in. 

The good thing about shutters is you can open your window at night to let the colder air circulate while keeping the slats closed so your room doesn’t become too bright.

Whilst there is no accounting for taste, particularly when it comes to interior design, a recent opinion piece that collected the views of interior designers on solid wooden shutters made some claims about the popular louvred shutter design that seemed to be misinformed.

The article in Homes & Gardens has a lot of interesting viewpoints that explore the various practical and aesthetic benefits of shutters, ultimately concluding, as we do, that shutters are a “timeless fixture”, there were some criticisms that merit discussion to see if there are any weight to them.

One measured response argued that whilst they are “classic”, it is important to consider where they are being placed to ensure you let as much light in.

Another designer thought they were perfectly fine outside of the name, but another more critical voice was emphatic in her dislike of shutters.

She claimed that they should only be used in warmer regions, specifically citing Florida and Hawaii, felt they looked out of place anywhere else, were bulky and imposing in design and blocked a lot of light.

It is difficult to know where the tropical climate argument comes from outside of history. Wooden shutters have been used to keep heat in and control light for centuries before the plantation shutter. They also have a lot of colour options for harmonising with different design styles.

The claim that they are bulky in design can depend on the shutters in question, but if anything they tend to be the exact opposite. They are minimalist, easy to operate, easy to open and close entirely if you like and far from imposing. 

They also offer a fantastic level of light control, with a comfortable level of light just a simple tug of the louvre away, with versatility for a wide range of styles.

Ultimately that control, freedom and flexibility are why they have been in style for so long and will likely continue to be a timeless touch.

Much has been said about the growth of panel shutters as a design trend, with louvred shutters in particular providing an elegant, hard-wearing alternative to Venetian blinds or curtains.

A key question for many homeowners hasn’t been whether or not to get them but whether they should be fitted to the inside or the outside of the window frame.

Ultimately, the right answer depends on the type of window, the type of shutter and the type of house, but there are certainly ways to make interior or exterior shutters work for your home.

Exterior shutters with louvres are often added as a rustic feature, particularly for coastal cottages to add to the breezy seaside aesthetic. They also serve as an effective security system by locking off access to the window frame at night and can more effectively protect the house from stormy weather.

The big problem with exterior shutters is that they are very architecture-dependent, and it is much easier to create a stylistic clash with shutters fitted to the outside than to the inside.

If you have a rustic, more traditional-looking home that would suit panel shutters or a Mediterranean-style home that would benefit from outdoor louvred shutters, then external shutters are the way to go. 

A more conventional suburban semi-detached might look a bit out of place unless you pick a perfect combination of styles and colours.

As well as this, external shutters require a lot more maintenance to protect against storm damage.

By contrast, internal shutters are relatively low-maintenance, there are a huge number of options for colours, styles, fixtures and fittings, they can more easily fit an interior design style than external architecture, and the lack of risk of them being damaged by the rain means you have more options for materials.

They also help to keep the home more effectively insulated.

What often surprises people looking to install solid wood shutters onto their windows is just how many practical benefits come with the beautiful aesthetics.

Alongside rather obvious benefits like improving the curb appeal of a house, plantation shutters are excellent at controlling light into a room and thus making it more comfortable, more intimate and more private. 

As well as this, wooden shutters are surprisingly good insulators that keep a room at the right temperature, either by keeping unwanted heat out on hot summer days or locking it in when the mercury drops.

However, one question that is sometimes asked is whether it can help make your home more secure, and whilst plantation shutters will not bring the high-security ratings a set of metal roller shutters would, louvred shutters can add an extra layer of security that you might not expect.

Some shutters can be locked and cannot be easily removed from the outside due to being attached to the window frame, providing a barrier that an intruder would have to take the time to noisily break their way through.

Burglars are typically opportunists, so every additional second needed to break in adds an extra risk that they might get caught, and so this added physical layer can be the difference between a successful smash and grab and prison time.

However, its greatest security benefit is how successfully it acts as a deterrent. Whilst plantation shutters are not designed necessarily with security in mind, they create a lot of unknowns for potential intruders that will often make them reconsider a particular target.

Louvred shutters can be open enough to let light in but still provide enough privacy that a burglar cannot easily look into the room without suspicion, and leaving them slightly open can create the impression that someone is in the home at all times.

If you want a light, beautiful window covering, there are few choices that have become more popular than the louvred wooden shutter.

Also known as plantation shutters, louvred shutters have become the look of the moment, because they provide a particularly bright addition to a room and allow for both carefully controlled privacy and a lot of natural light.

Because they are primarily associated with quite warm, summery designs they tend to be sold either with a wood treatment to bring out the natural grain of the solid wood, white or a very light off-white or neutral shade such as beige.

Because a lot of modern interior designs prioritise lighter shades to create lighter, airier looks, a lot of people tend to stick to white to complete that contemporary look, but if you want to create a style that stands out, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot opt for a different colour to your shutters.

Whilst the only practical limit is your imagination, here are some colours other than white that look great on plantation shutters.

 

Connecting The Inside To The Outside

For rooms that either have a design inspired by nature or link the interior and exterior spaces of the home, natural shades and earthy tones such as blues and greens can be exceptionally popular and effective, particularly in combination with other natural textures and greenery.

 

A Striking Focal Point

White shutters tend to be relatively unobtrusive, which helps them to fit into practically any potential design concept.

Using a bold colour choice such as yellow, purple or pink immediately draws the eye and often causes a reflective contrast into the room itself. 

Typically, if you are willing to be more minimalist with the rest of a room’s design, using bold shutters can make it stand out stylistically.

 

A Richer Ambience

By contrast, black, dark grey, charcoal and richer shades create a darker, more elegant ambience, particularly when used in contrast to a lighter colour scheme.

Desire is often a strong enough motivation to have beautiful wooden shutters fitted to your home. 

They often brighten the look of a home both inside and out, and seeing them revitalise a nearby property can be enough of an incentive to get them fitted.

However, beautiful, timeless aesthetics aside, sometimes louvred or solid shutters are not merely desirable but are necessary, helping to fix fundamental issues with a home’s design and improving the quality of life for the people living in it.

Here are some reasons why you may need shutters in your home.

 

If You Feel Exposed In Your Own Home

Privacy is a fundamental need for so many of us. If we feel we are being watched we can never truly feel comfortable, which is a significant problem if you feel that way in your own home.

Closing the curtains is somewhat of a blunt way to solve the problem, but louvres can allow for natural light to fill the room without feeling like neighbours and passers-by can see into your house.

 

If You Struggle With Temperature Control

Insulation is a common issue with many older homes, particularly around windows, leading to certain places getting too warm in the summer and too cold in winter.

Wood, as a natural insulator, is very good at helping to reduce heat loss compared to curtains.

 

If You Live Near A Busy Road

Traffic, passers-by and noise from nearby buildings can ruin quiet days and lead to sleepless nights. However, with wood being not only a good heat insulator but an excellent sound insulator, shutters can help provide a better night’s sleep.

 

If You Don’t Want To Clean Your Curtains

Cleaning curtains is a lengthy, awkward process that often requires a stepladder, a large washing machine and considerable time with an exposed window. Sometimes curtains need to be professionally cleaned, which is both more expensive and more time-consuming.

Wooden shutters, by contrast, can be easily and simply wiped clean and require almost no maintenance to take care of, saving time, energy, money and stress in the process.

Window dressing is so often seen as a binary choice; you either have solid wood shutters, blinds or curtains, with no room for a mix of materials and styles.

There can be some cases where a combination does not work; Venetian blinds and plantation shutters are somewhat redundant even if they could be practically fitted to the same window.

However, the belief that you have to choose between curtains or shutters is simply not the case, and there are a lot of reasons why you might want to have both, especially in bedrooms and in rooms with large windows.

Curtains, particularly thick luxury curtains, look fantastic as a frame for windows and if they are made from the right material and with a cut and style that suits the window, are a very effective way of blocking out light when they are closed.

The problem is that this is largely a binary choice; either the curtains are closed and block out all light, or they let in direct natural light, which can be uncomfortable on a particularly bright day and lead to the rather unusual tendency for some people to keep their curtains closed to avoid the glare of the sun.

This can be particularly frustrating for bedroom windows that face south or east, as the glare from the sun can be uncomfortable for someone who has just woken up

One solution is to have another set of curtains made of a thicker material that can be opened separately, but this can be unwieldy to use and make a window frame look disorganised.  

A more effective solution, therefore, is to use louvred shutters such as those found in plantation shutters to control the amount of light entering the room.

They could be set in the evening to be closed entirely or open to provide a comfortable level of light before the curtains are closed.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend towards more solid window covers, away from curtains and even blinds in favour of solid wood shutters with adjustable louvres.

These shutter systems are popular because they look fantastic, fit a wide range of different interior design styles, at once fit traditional and modern architectural aesthetics and are easy to maintain and clean.

Because of this, a lot of homeowners are enquiring about potentially getting them installed, either for their own sakes or to potentially help improve the curb appeal of their home. 

However, whilst in many conventional homes it is clear that they can be fitted and provide an immediate benefit, not all homes are necessarily conventionally designed.

Some have particularly long or wide windows, whilst others have strange shapes that do not necessarily match the square or oblong footprint of a conventional louvred shutter system.

These include windows that have arches or semicircular sunbursts, windows with triangular slopes or even windows that are rounded, hexagonal or octagonal, completely in defiance of the typical quadrilateral window shape.

The typical solution in all of these cases is to fit curtains instead, since ultimately the shape does not matter, but this is not always an elegant solution and if your heart is set on blinds and shutters, bespoke shutters are very much an option.

These can come in a variety of forms. The first and most complex is to have custom-designed louvres that match the shape of your window. These are especially important for round or uniquely polygonal windows, but it is also not the only option.

The simplest option for people with arches or other unconventional parts to their windows is to opt for cafe-style shutters that only cover the square or rectangular part of the window, which are fantastic if the ultimate goal is privacy rather than light control.

Finally, there are several bespoke choices such as solid panels to cover the rounded parts of the window and plantation shutters for the rest, and an expert will be happy to discuss your needs and options.