Considering all the different considerations, including style, function, benefits, and, of course, cost, deciding whether to add plantation shutters to your home’s living space can feel like an overwhelming decision. To help homeowners, builders, and interior designers simplify the decision-making process, we’ve created this comprehensive plantation buyer’s guide for 2019, a unique resource designed to answer questions you may encounter when shopping for the perfect many of the most frequently asked questions about your home’s blinds – all in one place!
What are plantation shutters?
Indoor blinds are usually made of solid window coverings made of wood, wood or other composite materials. Available in a variety of styles, materials, and finishes, interior shutters provide a variety of applications for any room in a home, including kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms, offices, closets, and general living areas.
The history of plantation shutters
It is believed that shutters were first invented and used by the Greeks in the 15th century. Made of marble and other solid stone, they are designed to provide light control, improve ventilation, and increase protection from the storms that occasionally hit the Greek coastline. Due to their stone construction, these shutters were a luxury item reserved primarily for the elite who could afford them. While their design is simple and strong, the stone construction requires the use of fixed slats, which limits their flexibility, functionality and affordability.
As shutters were used throughout Europe, craftsmen began experimenting with new designs and materials, including wood, which allowed for lower construction costs, more design options, and greater functionality. Blinds have become especially popular among French royalty, so much so that rumors that King Louis xiv required them in his private residences have added momentum to a nationwide window treatment trend. Eventually, moveable slats called shutters (from the French word “louver”, which means “coiled”) were invented, greatly increasing flexibility and control.
Spanish colonization of the Americas eventually brought the use of shutters to modern America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Owners of large mansions and plantations throughout the south found shutters not only particularly useful in providing cross ventilation during hot, humid summers, but also added protection from severe summer storms. Planters also love the decorative and aesthetic advantages shutters provide to their homes, and are eager to install them as an elegant status symbol. As you may have guessed by now, the popularity of shutters among plantation properties helped “plantation shutters” gets the common name that is referenced today!
Why invest in custom blinds?
When you’re considering whether planter shutters are right for your living space, there are many benefits to your decision!
Add style and aesthetics
If your goal is to make an eye-catching statement in your home’s interior spaces, custom Plantation Shutters are a solid option. With high-quality hardwood shutters from well-known brands you can add unprecedented beauty and elegance to your room that not only enhances your lifestyle, but also enhances your lifestyle. When guests first enter your room always welcomes their home in a welcoming atmosphere. You can also achieve seamless integration with your home’s existing architecture by matching the shutters to existing woodwork with paint or stain. If you choose this route, be sure to read our article on paint that matches your blinds!
Add light control
One of the most obvious functional benefits of installing blinds in your home is your added ability to control the amount of light entering the room. The reality is that harsh up rays from the sun can easily fade and damage furniture or hardwood floors (not to mention your skin), and blinds are a great way to limit this damage while still letting in the mood-appropriate light living space. Modern blinds are available in a variety of adjustable blind sizes, giving you a wide range of light control flexibility, from almost total darkness to full brightness.
Increase property value
Since Shutters Blinds are a permanent fixture within the windows of your home, they are proven to add more value to your home than other more temporary and/or removable shades such as blinds and drapes. If you’re adding shutters to an existing home, keep in mind that because they’re custom-made for your home’s unique windows, they often appear as if they were built during your home’s initial build, making them a bargain with potential clients. Additional dialogue points for homebuyers.
For new home construction, consider having your blind installer work directly with your builder and trim carpenter to determine how best to frame your windows to fit perfectly with your blinds. And, keep in mind that increased property value can positively impact the loan approval process!
Improve energy efficiency
The loss of hot and cold air through windows in your home is known to be one of the biggest contributors to increased energy bills, especially during cold winters and hot summers. Fortunately, energy-efficient curtains can help reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home by providing an extra layer of insulation for your wallet-draining windows. When comparing the energy efficiency of window coverings, it is important to consider the “R-value” of the material you are evaluating. The r value is essentially a measure of the thermal resistance of a material.
Untreated uncovered windows typically have an R-value of 0.75-1.0 (depending on pane and/or coating). Plantation wood shutters typically have an R-value between 2.0 and 4.0 (some materials claim as high as 6.0), which means you can easily double or triple the insulation protection of your windows by installing shutters!
Privacy and security
Have you ever wondered where the term “peeping tom” came from? Believe it or not, this story involves blinds! An old legend claims that lady Godiva once walked naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the heavy tax her husband levied on the town’s people. Most of the town’s residents agreed not to look at her as she galloped through the city on a white horse, but “voyeur” defied the agreement and peeked at her through his shutters. Legend has it that he was instantly blind, and lady Godiva was the last woman he saw.
