There is a certain archetype when it comes to louvred shutters, and that is that they have to be a relatively neutral colour, which typically is characterised as either pure white, silk white or off-white.

The reason for this is to create the greatest amount of light reflection possible in a room, which in turn helps to make it look bigger. Whilst this can be important if you are looking to sell your home in the near future, not everyone goes to a shutter company looking for pure kerb appeal.

If you are not looking specifically to maximise room size, and you are not wedded to the idea of creating a summer getaway in the dead of winter, you might wonder whether all louvred shutters necessarily need to be white, and the answer is a resounding no.

One of the advantages of neutral shutters is that they go with every interior design style from Scandinavian minimalism to maximalist cottagecore. This means that choosing shutters that are not a neutral shade requires a greater focus on the overall aesthetics of the room.

Typically, this means choosing a shutter colour that matches the accent colour of furniture, fittings or an accent wall itself. This helps turn the shutters into a feature of the room’s design in itself and is a perfect way to personalise.

Black, navy and other dark-coloured shutters are also effective for very similar reasons; they provide a strong counterpoint to lighter-coloured rooms and can add a luxurious finish to nearly any room they are added to by virtue of being such a unique choice.

In any case, shutter experts can see your room design and give you advice for which types of colours will work and which might conflict with the ultimate design goals for the room, but do not feel like there is any limit to which shutter colours can work.

Of all the different kinds of blinds, shutter blinds do the most to keep light out. That may make them less useful in some rooms of the house, such as the living room or kitchen, because of their all-or-nothing utility. However, there are places where they are entirely useful.

The bathroom can be one of these, because it helps maintain privacy. But the most common place to find them is the bedroom.

An obvious reason for this is to be found in summer, when the late sunsets can make it hard for children to sleep and early sunrises can wake everyone up too soon. While the longest daylight hours in Britain are to be found in Scotland, even down here in Brighton the sunrise and sunset can be over 16 ½ hours apart in Midsummer.

All of this provides a good reason to think about investing in such blinds as summer approaches, especially if the window faces toward the rising sun in June. But shutter blinds can also be very useful even in the darker months that we are now into.

The most likely reason for this is artificial light. The coastal towns of Sussex may not be like Blackpool with its seafront illuminations, but there are plenty of cases where lights will commonly be close to windows.

It may be that the window is near a street light, or it could be close to a security light that is frequently illuminated, not because burglars are lurking but because it is being tripped by a roaming cat.

With Christmas approaching, there may also be lots of festive lights outside homes that can add to the light pollution.

When shutter blinds were first invented in Classical Greece, such nocturnal light pollution would not have been a major consideration. But in a modern setting, it is not just summer that creates the need to shut extra light out to help people get an undisturbed night’s sleep.

A lot of people are opting for louvred wooden shutters, because of the curb appeal, the beautiful way they frame windows, the better control of light on sunny days or the fact they last a lot longer than blinds whilst requiring far less maintenance.

Another big reason why shutters are popular during the winter is a matter of security. Whilst plantation shutters do not resemble traditional security shutters, there are options available to make louvred shutters a key component of your security system.

Shutters by themselves can help improve security simply by stopping people from looking into your home and seeing that there are valuables that could potentially be stolen, but aside from that, various options for security plantation shutters do exist.

One option for external shutters is simply adding a latch to fit a padlock, but whilst easy to install, it is not necessarily the best option from a security standpoint, can only be used on the ground floor, and whilst it will stop some rather more casual burglary attempts is unlikely to stop a committed criminal by itself.

A better option is an integrated security shutter, which features a lock built into the shutter that stops the shutter from being forced open by locking down panels at the top and bottom.

In terms of appearance, they look like other wooden louvred shutters, but at their core tend to be a stronger material such as aluminium, which also helps to avoid attempts to force the shutters open or break them to get access.

This is often beneficial when security is paramount but more conspicuous options such as grates, bars and metal roller shutters are less desirable because of the aesthetic implications of fitting such conspicuous security measures.

Louvred security shutters are a significant investment due to the specialist work involved but could be worth exploring as a beautiful alternative.

If you are looking for new panel shutters, you will, we hope, be impressed with the quality and appearance of the different products on our website. But you may be wondering what materials to go for.

A choice between basswood and polyvinyl (PVC) panels is certainly a good one to have between two very durable and high-quality materials. But what are their relative qualities?

Basswood is a hardwood with a light colour, smooth texture and fine grain. Timberblogger describes it as a “lightweight yet durable wood that is often favoured by woodworkers and craftsmen for its unique qualities.” 

More specifically, it is easy to carve and shape and is well suited to being used in furniture, cabinets and panels – in short, just what you would need in blinds. While not the most durable wood, it is light in weight, which is a highly desirable quality for a moveable and flexible window covering. It is easy to paint as well.

Polyvinyl, or PVC, is a form of plastic with a very wide range of applications. Durable and long-lasting, it is waterproof, a good insulator and has long been used as an alternative to wood as a material in windows and doors, as well as shutters.

The British Plastics Federation stated: “Unplasticised PVC is one of the stiffest polymers at normal ambient temperature and shows little deterioration after many years in service.”

Overall, what this means is that the PVC panels will have the edge in durability while still offering high quality, lasting for many years and providing good insulating qualities.

Basswood will provide a more natural look with its fine grain and may fit well with a general décor with a lot of wood. Like any wood, it is a good insulator.

This goes to show that there is plenty of choice and quality on offer, ensuring you can find the best shutters to suit your home and its decor.

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.