When considering plantation window shutters in Los Altos Hills, CA, you may find yourself looking at them and feeling a little nostalgic because they remind you of your grandmother’s nice house in town, where window shutters were just as much a fixture as were the patterned wallpaper throughout the house, heirloom china cabinets and dressers, and, if she hailed from the South, sweet tea in the summertime.
But that wave of nostalgia may also make you wonder if plantation window shutters are old-school, or whether they can be used in your new home and give it both a classic style and a fresh look.
Your grandmother’s window shutters probably were tier on tier (one set on the top part of the window and the other set on the bottom part of the window, opening and closing independently of each other) window shutters. They had thin louvers and small window shutter panels that folded like an accordion. The window shutters also had knobs to open and close them, and a hook latch attached to one of the knobs. The hook latch was pulled over the knob on the adjacent window shutter panel to keep the window shutters closed.
While tier on tier window shutters are still a popular window shutter option for homes today, they have been updated in style and functionality. But plantation window shutters are a completely different style of window shutters entirely.
Plantation window shutters come in a variety of styles, but they can completely transform a home with their elegant, built-in design that will give your home more curb appeal, increase the value of your home, and will last a very long time, without ever feeling dated.
Plantation window shutters will also increase the energy efficiency of your home and give you maximum control over the amount of light that is allowed into your home. When they are closed, plantation window shutters give you complete privacy, making your home more safe and secure.
You may be wondering if plantation window shutters with work with any kind of architectural design or whether they are limited to a more traditional-styled home. While the wide louvers and tall panels of plantation window shutters are a natural pairing for Victorian, colonial, and farmhouse style homes, they also look just as good in new and more contemporary-styled houses.
One of the ways that plantation window shutters can be adapted to fit into a more modern architectural style is by changing the placement of the tilt rod. In traditional plantation window shutters, the tilt rod to open and close the louvers is placed in the center of each window shutter panel and is attached to the louvers with staples. This allows the louvers to open and close simultaneously.
For a plantation window shutters in a modern-styled home, a hidden tilt rod places the tilt rod out of view, leaving a clean and contemporary look. This adapted style of plantation window shutters is also known as “Clear View” window shutters.
Another way that plantation window shutters can make a modern-styled home shine is with color. With new composite materials that are used to manufacture some plantation window shutters, almost any color you want is available. Gray is often used in contemporary homes as an accent color, and gray plantation shutters are available in many different hues. However, if you want your plantation window shutters to pop a room, bolder colors like emerald green, scarlet red, or navy blue are also available.
If you’d like to learn more about plantation window shutters in Los Altos Hills, CA, you can speak with our experienced staff at Windows & Beyond, Inc. You can come to our showroom at 4020 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303, or you can call us at (650) 938-8822 for a free in-home estimate.