a second look at interior shutters

Ever since Fran posted about her lovely cafe shutters on the windows of her new home, I've been taking a second look. She's been living with them and loving their look and function.


Isn't this little vignette so pretty? And the cafe shutters instantly add an architectural gravity. You could hang a curtain here or a Roman shade, but if you were lucky enough to find a home that had interior shutters, would you remove them? If you had a period home that didn't have them, would you consider adding them?


My newest project is a small powder room that's got some very dated woodwork. My initial thought was to remove the shutters and replace with a pretty fabric shade. I thought the shutters were dating the room. But really, it's the wood tones that date the room. And I'm now taking a second look at the shutters. Perhaps just painting them white, along with all the trim, will instantly freshen them and create an even lovelier (and high-end, custom) look. And it'd have the added bonus of keeping in the style of the period of the home.

Fran also pointed me to High Street Market's recent post about interior shutters. Tons of inspiration there, and here's just one example.


In the end, I'll leave the decision to the client as to whether the shutters stay or go. What would you do?

8 comments

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

My mom suggested half shutters for my kitchen, and I'm kind of loving the idea!

www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

Fran said...

Casey, thanks for the shout-out. In our old house I had a roman shade in our bathroom and every time I needed privacy, I had to lower the shade. But, then I would always raise it because I wanted the sun to shine in. It kinda drove me nuts. We now have these cafe shutters and I love it. I can open and close them with ease or I just keep them close and open up the louvers (sp.). Anyway, I would keep them!! :)

Shay said...

Very nice job putting this together!

Cheryl said...

Thanks for this post. I have a new appreciation for the white louvered shutters that came with my cottage-style house! Nothing blocks out the light better, and any fabric window treatments would overwhelm my space. I will say, though, they are a pain to clean ;)

Gillianne said...

I put half-shutters in my first apt. and liked their look and function in filtering strong light. Years later, I'm part of a family that has dust mite allergies, and shutters would be just one more dust-collecting batch of surfaces to clean regularly--if not daily.

casey at loft and cottage said...

On the other hand, a hard surface like a shutter is less likely to harbor dust and allergy causing mites than a soft surface like a fabric drape...

Anonymous said...

The use of interior window shades or shutters is getting really popular today. I just love functional shutters because it adds privacy and you can simply open or close it so the right amount of light and heat will enter your home.

Unknown said...

I agree with you that the honey stain tone dates the room. The shutters, if still operable, can be painted with the woodwork. Remove the shutters before painting with quality spray equipment. You will need to rotate the louvers to cover all areas and to make sure they don't stick. If the traditional shutters are beyond repair, you may need to replace them.