When it comes to designing your home, window coverings are a great way to draw attention to your countryside views or complement modern home decor. With so many different styles on the market, it can be hard to know which window blinds are best suited to your home.
Here, we’ve put together a guide to one popular style: wooden shutter blinds. We’ll show you the basics of this window covering and how to use it in your home. You’ll also learn how they compare to alternative styles, like wooden blinds and Venetian blinds, and get tips on how different colours and materials can complement your design aesthetic.
The Basics of Wooden Shutter Blinds
Wooden window shutters are a style of window blind characterised by a rigid structural frame and fitted wooden slats. These blinds are also known as plantation shutters and hardwood shutters. There are a range of shutters, including tier-on-tier shutters and cafe-style shutters, enabling you to create various design aesthetics from boho-chic to modern.
Shutters are different from classic window blinds in that they don’t open from top to bottom. Instead, they work like exterior window shutters. That means they open into your room like a door. You let light in by pulling the frame which moves all of the slats inward or outward together. That means these blinds don’t have corded mechanisms to move up and down.
With wooden shutter blinds, you can adjust the light by either opening or closing the shutters completely, or by tilting the slats to reflect light out or draw it into the room. Since these blinds open inwards, it’s important to keep furniture and decor clear of the windows if you want to be able to open your blinds.
There are different window shutter styles including full height shutter blinds, cafe shutter blinds, wide slat shutters and French door shutters.
Full height shutters cover the whole window, creating a bold look that can draw attention to picturesque views.
Cafe style shutter blinds are mounted only to the bottom half of the window. This enables light to filter through the top portion of the window while maintaining a high degree of privacy. They're well-suited for offices and ground floor rooms where you want to let light in without sacrificing privacy.
Wide slat shutters have fewer slats since the individual louvres - or slats - tend to be larger. They’re great for modern and minimal designs while French door shutters are suitable for bifold doors, patio doors, and conservatory doors.
How To Use Wooden Shutter Blinds
Wooden shutter blinds are renowned for their elegant appearance and functionality. They’re ideal for just about any room in your home - from living rooms and dining rooms to bedrooms and bathrooms - and you’ll find styles for both windows and doors. Made-to-measure or bespoke shutter blinds fit perfectly in bay windows and in unusually shaped windows.
These blinds can be made of both real wood and faux wood. You’ll also find other interior shutter blinds made of PVC, aluminium and other metals. New shutters are also made of fiberglass for a lightweight option that’s slimmer and less bulky than wooden varieties.
One downside to real wood blinds is that they can warp if they get wet or extremely hot. That’s because wood contains tiny pores that expand when they get wet or when they’re subjected to high heat. When they dry out again, the pores shrink, causing the wooden slats to warp. You’ll also find water-resistant MDF materials, but those styles will still warp if they are put in direct contact with water.
Fortunately, you can still use wooden shutter blinds in wet spaces such as bathrooms and kitchens. All you need to do is look for faux wood shutter blinds. These shutter blinds are usually made of PVC and other plastic materials that don’t get damaged by water and humidity.
How To Style Wooden Shutter Blinds
Natural wood window coverings like wooden shutter blinds are a great way to bring a touch of nature into your home. The natural wood invokes visions of forests and pairs well with Asian decor as well as cabin-style designs. Wooden shutter blinds are perfect for creating a cozy, warm appeal, but they’re also great for more modern aesthetics.
Silk white wood shutters create a sophisticated backdrop for rooms with minimal decor or with eye-catching works of art. Pure white wooden blinds and shutters create a sleek backdrop, helping to set the scene for other decor items to take centre stage. For something edgier, you’ll find wood shutters in black as well as vibrant colours, making it easy to find a style that suits your personality.
Playing with colour can be intimidating, but it’s also one of the best ways to infuse personality into our homes. With coloured shutter blinds, you can create bright boho-chic designs, set up cheery spaces and even add an eye-catching element to simple designs.
Mix and match colours in the same family to create depth and a cohesive look. To do this, you can select light and dark shades of one colour such as powder blue and navy. Alternatively, you can mix similar colours such as soft blues with pale greens for a similar effect. If you want to draw attention to your natural views, look for colours that blend with the environment - think yellows, greens and blues.
Alternatively, contrasting colours play well in boho chic designs. Use vibrantly hued shutters and match the colours to rugs, throws and other decor elements throughout the room. You can also use vibrant red and orange hues to add cheer to a conservatory or kitchen without overwhelming the space.
Wooden Shutter Blind Alternatives
Wooden shutter blinds can be more expensive than traditional blinds since they are sturdier and come with an entire frame. In addition, this style of window covering tends to be bulkier than other alternatives. If you’re looking for the beauty of wooden shutter blinds but want something more minimal in appearance, wooden blinds are a great choice.
Not only is the aesthetic of wooden blinds sleeker, they also offer a greater degree of light control. With shutter-style blinds, you have to open or close the whole shutter since the blinds cover the whole window. With wooden blinds, you can move the slats up and down to different heights, giving you greater control over the way light filters into your home. This also enables you to control light as the sun changes position throughout the day.
Also known as venetian blinds, wooden blinds are also lighter and easier to install than wooden shutter blinds. That makes them the perfect solution for people who want gorgeous window coverings without a lot of hassle. In fact, one style of blind doesn’t require any power tools or screws for mounting. Known as Perfect Fit blinds, they use a beaded system to snap the blind into place in between the glazing and the frame of the window.
