The Advantages of Using Shutters Over Other Window Treatments

Shutters are a great choice for your home's windows and work well in any room and with any type of décor or style. If you've never thought of having shutters installed in your home, note why they can be a better choice than curtains, roller shades, or blinds, and then you can shop with confidence, knowing you'll find the best window treatments and accessories for every room of your house:

Maintenance and cleaning

Curtains will need consistent cleaning, and more so if you have kids or pets who may touch the curtains with dirty hands or paws. Cats and dogs might also cause damage to the curtain material as they try to pull the panels out of the way to see through the window, or even nap on the bottom edge of curtains that pool under the windows! The same is true of blinds, as pets and children may be rough on the slats, pushing them out of the way to see out the windows, and smaller pets may climb through those slats to sit on windowsills, also causing damage.

Shutters are more durable and their slats are too strong for pets or children to push out of the way, so they won't sag or break from such rough treatment. Cleaning shutters also typically involve just a quick wipe down with a wet cloth, rather than having to remove them and take them to the dry cleaners, as you often need to do with curtain panels.

Style

Coordinating curtains or roller shades with your home's furnishings and paint colours can be a challenge, but plain curtains, as well as white shades or white vertical blinds, can be very dull and drab. Wood shutters, on the other hand, can be repainted or stained any colour you prefer. You can "jazz up" a room with something bold and bright, or use a neutral paint colour that would easily coordinate with the room's furnishings while being able to change that colour as often as you prefer.

Overall appearance

Curtains can easily overwhelm a small room and small windows, but shutters fit compactly inside a window frame for a more proportionate look. Roller shades are also a challenge to lift and lower to the desired height, and this can be especially unsightly when you have several shades installed on windows that are next to each other. Vertical blinds can also seem very industrial and impersonal. Shutters, however, offer a welcoming, homey look for any room, without any struggles to open them properly and evenly.