Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Book Appointment

Why Are Vertical Shutters So Rare? | The Brighton Shutter Co

White vertical blinds slats hanging in front of double glazed white frame window. The slats have no cords at the bottom. The focus is shallow.

The vast majority of panel shutters are horizontally aligned and have been for centuries, but why is this the case, and why do we so rarely see the reverse?

The reason why horizontal shutters are so common is that historically Venetian blinds and shutters have always been made with horizontal louvres, and they are perfectly suited for controlling the light levels of a room.

However, a much rarer configuration, at least with shutters, is shutters with vertical louvres instead of horizontal ones, which can provide a very dramatic look, particularly for rooms with larger windows.

Given the popularity of floor-to-ceiling blinds and the development of effective window coverings for larger and taller windows, it may seem surprising that vertical louvres are less common, but the reasons why are based more on practicality and function than feasibility.

From a feasibility standpoint, they can certainly be manufactured; vertical solid curtain blinds exist and can be commonly seen in many public buildings. All that would need to be done in addition to this construction process is to create a solid panel around the vertical louvres.

This certainly could be made, but why is it far less common than horizontal shutters?

Part of the reason is expense; by definition, a vertically-aligned panel shutter would have longer louvres than a horizontal one, which for many solid wood shutters increases the manufacturing costs to ensure the shutter is as solid and long-lasting as people expect it to be.

As well as this, there is an issue of practicality. Most shutters with louvres are plantation shutters that are designed to open and close as well as have adjustable shutters.

As these panels can be opened regardless, the practicality benefits of vertical shutters are vastly reduced compared to floor-to-ceiling vertical blinds, given that many panels can be opened individually.

Horizontal louvres provide more precise light control and can create the perfect ambience for a building.

Related articles

What our customers say