A Guide to Plantation Shutters: Styles, Materials, and Benefits

Plantation Shutters – Both shutters and shades have louvres, so you control the light, privacy and air coming into your room but it’s all comes down to the material and the way they are made. Shutters are a made to measure product that is fitted to the inside or outside of the window recess, hugging the window seamlessly while still having the freedom to open and close the panels as you wish, whereas shades don’t give your that sort of freedom. Blinds can also be fitted to the inside or outside of the window recess but are lifted up and down by using a string that can quite easily break or get tangled.

The larger louvers give the shutters an elegant look, which works well in dining rooms and bedrooms. But these versatile window treatments also translate to casual rooms like dens and kitchens. The most popular color is white, but stained shutters have their followers, too.

Plantation shades come in three types of material, vinyl, composite and wood. Here’s a breakdown of each, to help you determine which is best for your home.

Plantation shutters, sometimes called plantation shades, are interior shutters with wide louvers, usually 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 inches wide. They’re the most popular type of shutter across the country, but particularly in the warmer Southern and Western states.