Window Shutters for Window Treatments

by Sylvia Fredericks
(Laguna Niguel, Ca, USA)

Window shutters for interior and exterior window coverings have stood the test of time for hundred s of years. If you are looking for indoor window coverings that provide the best of all worlds- privacy, ease of use, durability, and style -then shutters are an excellent choice.

The benefits of shutters are compelling:

- Window shutters are one of the easiest window treatments to clean.

- Window shutters provide greater flexibility to allow filtered sunlight and fresh air from an open window into a room, while still allowing for privacy.

- Shutters are the perfect window treatment for your home if you do not want to spend a lot of time deliberating over drapery fabrics.

- Window shutters never go out of style.

-Wood window shutters are very durable, and will outlast many other types of window coverings.

-Shutters provide another barrier of insulation on your windows against heat and cold, which will cut down your energy costs.

- Window shutters, once installed, are considered a built-in, and will stay with the house. If you plan to sell your house in the near future, you can recoup some of your investment, or at least enjoy an edge with buyers.

- According to the IRS, solid wood window shutters are the only window covering that qualifies as a capital home improvement. That translates to a tax break if you plan to sell your home within two years after purchasing.

Once you decide that window shutters are well worth the expense for your budget, and that one or many rooms in your home will allow for them, you only have to decide what style and material you will choose.

The best quality shutters are made of solid wood, but shutters are also made from vinyl, aluminum, and composite wood. Although custom-built wood shutters are more expensive than composite (which you can install yourself), the quality of solid wood is hard to beat in the long-run. Where composite shutters might warp and swell in humidity, solid wood will last for decades, making wood shutters a sound, economical investment.

When you begin to shop for window shutters you will find several options: Traditional, Plantation, and Solid Panel.

Plantation shutters, with their wider louvers of up to 4 inches wide, offer more admittance to the sunshine and the view outdoors Although they have been a popular home window treatment since antebellum days, especially in the South and the West Indies, Plantation shutters are by no means out of style.

Traditional shutters have 1% wide louvers They are favored in cottage or traditional decor, but can be incorporated comfortably in any type of interior design.

Solid (or Raised Panel) shutters were originally used only on exterior homes of the Edwardian period, used to protect homes from bad weather. Now used indoors as well as a stylistic window treatment, solid shutters can be a decorative item paired with curtains, or used practically for privacy. Unlike traditional or plantation shutters, which can remain closed yet allow light and visibility, solid shutters must have clearance to open and close.

Window Shutters for Window Treatments

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