Choosing the perfect dressing for your windows is no mean feat especially if you are unsure as to whether you’d like to opt for wooden window shutters, blinds or curtains. Add into the mix that you then have choices within each options such as solid shutters or plantation shutters, venetian blinds or roller blinds, curtains with pelmets or not, it really can be quite overwhelming!
Here we start at the beginning of your window dressing options and look at some of the pro’s and con’s of having shutters, blinds or curtains.
Light and Privacy Control
If light and privacy are high on your priority list then shutters will give you the most flexibility. Depending on the type of shutter you buy, the louvres you choose will determine the amount of light that can filter into a room, as well as how much of the room can be seen from the outside. A great advantage with shutters is that they can be completely versatile in terms of the top shutter and bottom shutter working independently. This means you can have your shutters closed in the bottom section and open at the top. If you live on a busy road this is a great benefit. Curtains are either closed or open, but you could add a net curtain if you wanted to stop passers-by looking through your window. Blinds offer a degree flexibility but not to the same level as shutters as they can only be open, closed, or tilted at an angle.
Child and Pet Friendly
If you have a busy household which includes the comings and goings of children and pets, your window dressing is an important consideration. Light infiltration in the summer months especially, can cause many a disturbed night’s sleep when the early morning sun seeps into children’s bedrooms. Black out blinds do offer great protection and can be added to curtains which may have been chosen specifically to complement the décor of a room. If you decide to opt for this solution make sure there are no cords left dangling from either the blinds or the curtains as they are hazardous for small children.
Wooden window shutters have no cords for children to play with and are therefore an extremely safe window dressing in a children’s bedroom. The light can be controlled with louvres or you can even opt for solid shutters. If however this doesn’t give enough black out for the room there are some companies that do offer a shutter solution that have an integrated blind mounted within a specially designed frame that is fitted behind the shutter.
Pet hair can get everywhere and stick to everything! Curtains and blinds not only attract pet hair but also dust so it probably stands to reason that shutters, although they will get dusty, are a great choice to combat pet hair! If you or a family member suffers from allergies, shutters help to keep dust at bay. Visit the allergy website – https://www.allergyuk.org/ – for further advice and support.
Insulation
During the winter and summer months protecting your home from the elements is important in keeping your family both hot and cold. Curtains and blinds are great at keeping the sun rays out but you will find your rooms get plunged into darkness when they are closed which is not always a practical solution especially as many of us are working from home and need daylight to see our computer screens! Shutters with louvres enable you to filter as much light into a room as you want which is great for controlling heat. Curtains are also great at keeping the cold at bay but as they don’t fit into the recesses of a window quite like shutters they can let in draughts. For top tips on keeping your home warm this winter visit: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/shivering-winter-wonderland-7-top-tips-make-your-home-warmer