I should have called this post ‘why choose window shutters over traditional window curtains’ because in all honesty this is really an overview of some of the great benefits that you can obtain through installing interior window shutters over traditional curtains.
As a caveat and to balance things out curtains can be a good, quick replacement for a window offering a potential way to change the impact that any window has as a feature on a room in a room by room basis. Changing curtains in a room can be an inexpensive way to add a feeling of space, add some variation to the interior design of the room and even add some seasonality to a room (by varying prints within the curtain to the season) – for more information on seasonality with windows you may wish to read a previous post that I wrote on summertime windows.
So let’s look at some of the benefits of window shutters over curtains for your home:
When you look at professionally fitted interior window shutters whether they are plantation shutters (those with the slats that are also known as slat shutters), bathroom shutters or other types the impact in the room is unparalleled.
Window shutters when fitted correctly (reduce any drafts caused by gaps in the window which can be seen when people sometimes go for a DIY shutter) can reduce the amount of noise that comes into a room and provide some control over the temperature in the room.
A typical window shutter has a lifespan that far surpasses any typical window curtain so although initial costs are often higher the lifetime value that you will get from window shutters again surpass the curtain as an option.
The housekeeping required on a window shutter barely goes past the occasional dusting. When you compare this to a curtain (especially a curtain in a family environment or one fitted where there are family pets – cats particularly) you have the hovering, the removal of fir form household pets, the stains that are easily picked up, the washing and the regular taking down of curtains.
It goes without saying that there is a role for curtains in the home and there will always likely be a place for the traditional window curtain BUT if you are looking to make more from your windows from design and durability to maintenance and performance think about interior shutters.