Buying Plantation Shutters? 4 Decisions You Need to Make

A lot of customers tell me, “I want shutters.”

Great! You’ve made the first decision. Now we have four more to make.

Shutters may look fairly simple once they’re installed, but there are actually several choices that go into designing the right shutter for your home. And those choices aren't just about what looks pretty. Some affect how the shutter functions, how much of your view you keep, and even whether you can still operate your windows properly.

When I’m helping a homeowner select shutters during an in-home consultation, there are four main decisions we work through: tilt style, louver size, frame style and color.

Here’s what you need to know about each one.

1. Tilt Style: Traditional or Invisible?

The first decision we usually make is tilt style. And honestly, this one tends to come up first simply because of the sample shutter I'm holding in my hand.

The Norman shutters I carry feature InvisibleTilt™, and it's one of my favorite features to show homeowners.

Unlike some hidden-tilt shutters that still have a bar or mechanism running along the back of the louvers, InvisibleTilt has no tilt bar on the front or the back of the shutter.

Instead, Norman uses a patented hidden-gearing mechanism built right into the stile of the shutter. You simply grab any louver and tilt it, and all of the louvers move together.

The gearing is safely tucked away inside the stile, so there's nothing exposed for someone to mess with and no staples to worry about eventually pulling out.

But probably the biggest reason homeowners love InvisibleTilt is the view.

Without a tilt bar running down the front—or a mechanism visible from the back—you get a beautiful, clean, uninterrupted view through the shutter.

That doesn't mean a traditional center tilt rod is a bad choice. Far from it. A center tilt rod gives shutters a more traditional, classic look, and in the right style of home, it can be exactly the right choice.

So our first decision really comes down to the look you're trying to achieve: Do you want the clean, unobstructed look of InvisibleTilt, or the more traditional character of a center tilt rod?

2. Louver Size: It's All About Proportion

The second decision we make is louver size, and for me, this one is really about proportion.

We want the size of the louvers to feel proportional to the size of the window.

If you have really tall windows, for example, the largest 4½-inch louvers can look fantastic. They have the scale to stand up to a large window and give the shutters a nice, substantial look.

The louver size I sell most often is 3½ inches. It's kind of the Goldilocks of shutter louvers—not too big and not too small.

It works really well with most of the standard builder-size windows I come across every day, which is why it's such a popular choice.

But bigger isn't always better. There are also 3-inch, 2½-inch and even 1½-inch louvers that we can call upon for projects that need something smaller.

On a smaller window, or in a space where a large louver would simply feel out of proportion, one of those smaller sizes may be exactly what we need.

The goal isn't to choose a louver size just because it's popular. It's to choose the size that looks like it belongs on your window.

3. Frame Style: This Is Where It Gets a Little More Complicated

Of the four decisions we make when selecting shutters, frame style is probably the most complicated.

There are several different shutter frame styles available, but before we even get into what looks best, we have to talk about something much more practical:

How does your window operate?

Years ago, we commonly installed shutters using what's called a Z-frame. A Z-frame sits inside the window opening and allows the shutter to sit fairly flush with the wall. It's a nice, clean look, and for many years it was a very common way to install shutters.

The problem is that windows have changed.

Most modern windows have a tilt-in feature that allows you to tilt the glass into the room for cleaning. And on many newer windows, you actually have to tilt the window in before you can remove the screen.

If we install a Z-frame inside that window opening, the shutter frame can block that tilt-in function.

You end up with a beautiful new shutter—but you've lost an important function of your window.

That's why today we frequently use what's called a Deco frame.

Instead of wrapping into the window opening, a Deco frame sits on the face of the wall and goes around the window. This gives the shutter panel somewhere to sit without interfering with the operation of the window.

The shutter sits a little farther forward on the sill, but you can still tilt your windows in when you need to clean them or remove your screens.

There's another reason I like this type of frame, and I say this to customers all the time:

“Shutters hide all sins.”

Let's face it. Sometimes the builder didn't leave us with a perfectly straight, perfectly square window opening. Maybe the sheetrock isn't quite straight or the finish work isn't beautiful.

That's okay.

We're going to put a perfectly straight and square shutter over that window, and nobody will ever know what's going on behind it.

Once we've figured out which frames will work with the way your windows operate, then we can talk about design.

I'll often take inspiration from the home itself, looking at things like the baseboards, door trim and other millwork to lead us in the right direction. Ideally, we want the shutter frame to complement the existing trim so well that it looks original to the home.

That's the goal: a shutter that works with your window and looks like it has always belonged there.

4. Color: White Isn't Always Just White

Our last decision is color, and for most homeowners, we're talking about some version of white.

As a starting point, I usually look at the existing window sill. Ideally, we want the shutter color to work with the sill paint so that when everything is installed, the shutter looks like it was original to the home—not something we came along and added later.

There is one shutter color I sell more than any other: Glacier White.

And there's a reason it's our best seller. It's a really clean, crisp, bright white.

One thing I always point out to customers is that when you're standing inside your home looking at your shutters, you're looking at the shadow side of the shutter.

Think about it. The sun is outside. The side of the shutter that you see every day is naturally going to be on the shaded side.

Because of that, I usually recommend going a little lighter, brighter and whiter with your shutter color. A white that looks perfectly fine on a little sample can sometimes look dingier once you put an entire shutter in the window and see it in shadow.

And besides, a crisp white shutter looks amazing against a painted wall!

Of course, we still want the shutter to coordinate with the existing finishes in the home. But when we're deciding between two similar whites, I generally lean toward the cleaner, brighter option.

Once that shutter is installed and you're seeing it in the actual light of the room, you'll be glad we did.

Four Decisions—One Finished Look

Tilt style. Louver size. Frame style. Color.

None of these decisions is particularly difficult on its own, but together they determine whether your finished shutters simply cover your windows—or look like they were designed specifically for your home.

And that's really what I'm looking for when I help a customer select shutters.

I don't necessarily want someone to walk into the room and think, “Those are new shutters.”

I want them to look at the room and think, “Those shutters look like they've always belonged there.”

That's the difference that comes from paying attention to the details.

Reach out if you are in the Hays County or Southeast Austin area and would like an in-home consultation to learn more about shutters.