Choosing The Perfect Shutters

A guide to choosing the perfect shutters for your home.

2011-11-03

COLWICK, ENGLAND, November 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) Although initially linked with tropical climes as a way to shield against heat and strong sunshine (the chance would be a fine thing in this country!), shutters are also a perfect window treatment to help keep us warm and cosy during cold, wintry weather (that'll be a fair proportion of the year then!).

As they fit snugly and tightly into the window recess, effectively 'closing' off the window, they provide better insulation than curtains or blinds. Making the most of natural daylight is even more important during the shorter winter days and shutters allow you to let light flood in while maintaining privacy and security.

They also help reduce outside noise - ideal if your windows look out onto a busy street.

Shutters are a fabulous window dressing and can actually add to the value of your home. But as they are more expensive than other window treatments, it's really worth doing your homework to make sure you get it right. So here are a few handy pointers to help you get the perfect result.

- Room - the room you're thinking of fitting shutters into plays an important part in the type of shutter you go for.
- Budget - decide how much you want to spend, as the wood ranges vary in price.
- Use - you can fit shutters against sash or bay windows, French doors and even use them as room dividers, as well as the conventional window.
- Shutter style - the amount of light and privacy you'd like depends on the room and where it is situated.
- Wood range - when choosing a white painted finish or natural wood stain, consider the style of room, colour scheme, furnishings and budget. (Mid rail - you can have a mid rail fitted to a full-height shutter as an optional extra for more light control, but on certain heights you'll need to have one.
- Frame - these can be made to fit on the outside or inside of the recess of your window to complete the look.
- Hinges - fittings are available in a choice of colours and finishes to match or contrast with your shutter, depending upon the look and feel you wish to create.
- Installation - a perfect fit is essential so use an expert to measure and fit.

SHUTTER STYLES
Choose from three different types of shutters and find out where they work best:

Full height - bathrooms, living rooms, awkward and smaller windows
These single full height shutters cover the entire window, so you can completely shut out the world and open up when you want to welcome in some light. Bathrooms benefit from this shutter style as you can relax in the bath in privacy and let in the early morning sunshine. They also make an excellent statement in the living room and can easily be fitted to awkward-shaped bay windows. However, if the shutter is over 180cm it will need to have a mid rail. This allows greater control of light as the top panel can be operated separately to the bottom one. It's an optional extra for shutters under 180cm.

Cafe style - kitchens and ground floor rooms - great for privacy
These are panels that only cover the bottom section of the window, creating privacy at the lower level whilst permitting full daylight to enter through the top of the window. So if you want to keep prying eyes out but plenty of light in, these are the shutters for you. They are ideal in kitchens as they're easy to clean and can be flung open for ventilation. You can also make the most of a sunny day and still let in lots of light when closed. They work really well in other ground floor rooms too, giving you much-needed security.

Tier-on-tier - bedrooms, studies and tall windows
These have two sets of shutters with the top tier of the panels being able to swing open independently from the bottom set, thus allowing full light to enter through the top of the window, leaving the bottom section closed if necessary, which is perfect for any peaceful study. Tier-on-tier also work brilliantly in the bedroom as they give you a number of different options from fully open to half open and fully closed. You can easily block out the light and external noise for a restful sleep when they're fully closed.

Notes to editors:
As with their blinds, Hillarys offers a personal, made to measure service. A Hillarys advisor will visit the home to offer advice on the best shutter type to choose, measure the windows, bring samples and prepare the order in the customer's home. The shutters are then made to measure to the customer's specification and the same advisor will return to fit them perfectly.

Hillarys Blinds was founded in 1971 by Tony Hillary, and specialises in making and fitting window coverings including Venetian blinds, Roman blinds and conservatory blinds.

Website: http://www.hillarys.co.uk

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Choosing The Perfect Shutters

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