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Choosing the Perfect Interior Window Shutters—Jacksonville, FL
Interior window shutters are not as common as exterior design versions, but interior shutters have featured in homes across the world for hundreds of years. Slatted or louvered shutters are great for privacy, light control, ventilation, and trimming, but the applications don’t end there. Today, window shutters are a prominent part of Floridian architecture, and they’re even fueling discussions around efficiency and energy costs as smart technology enhances design capabilities.
At Gala Window Treatments, we offer the option of Wood and PVC materials for your custom Shutters. The images we have displayed are not the only colors available. If you would like to see more options, please contact our office to make an appointment to visit our showroom.
Affordable Interior Window Shutters for the Florida Sunshine
Professionals like Gala Designs Interior Design & Window Shading provide high-quality interior shutters in a variety of styles. The local designers know the Jacksonville climate well, and their material selection includes these considerations for every project. Any of the company’s frames, louvers, and hinges will withstand the humidity of the Florida summers and spice up your home’s interior.
Here are a few considerations to help you choose the right interior window shutters for your home in Jacksonville, Florida:
Choose Beautiful Interior Shutters for Windows
Shutters are prominent across style and culture, from the earliest buildings of the Spanish conquistadors to the plantation style of the Old South. Even luxury homes with award-winning architecture make interior shutters a versatile addition. Interior window shutters are a simple, low-maintenance way to create a traditional but refined look, and they increase the window’s functionality with an attractive feature, whether open or closed.
Shutters are often made of wood in this setting, but a range of materials might be suitable. The fixtures include a frame that fits the size and shape of the window and slats (called louvers) that stretch across it. The angle of the louvers allows light in, usually at a downward angle, and typically blocks any direct line of sight into the room.
Interior window shutters are easy to clean, maintain, and adjust. These fittings typically last longer than comparable exterior shutters, thanks to the protection from the window against the rain, sun, and wind. Like eyelids to an eye, shutters turn a sparse window treatment into a functional fixture that conveys emotion and sets the tone.
Traditional Plantation Shutters Offer Natural Appeal
Plantation shutters have wide louvers, a prominent feature of antebellum architecture in the United States’ southern regions. Authentic elements are traditionally white, but designers are now branching out into other colors and textural effects. Plantation interior window shutters are usually made of real wood, and faux wood or vinyl shutters offer more cost-effective options that still achieve the rustic look.
Faux wood shutters are plywood encased in a vinyl coating, and these provide an inexpensive way to achieve some of the durability of wooden versions. Vinyl is not as sturdy as wood, but that might not matter if the shutters are small and ornamental.
Green Options are Now Part of the Shutter Landscape
If your interior window shutters are meant to be functional and not merely decorative, make sure that they are sized properly to fit the window they will cover. Well-fitted louvered shutters will control light levels and airflow and be more attractive. Thick shutters add a layer of insulation and reduce heating and cooling costs.
One recent trend to consider is the use of reclaimed wood in your design scheme. For example, repurposing an old plantation shutter creates a genuine historical accent within your home and might save money if the wood is of good quality or not too badly damaged. It’s also an environmentally friendly choice that refurbishes items instead of adding them to landfills.
Some new shutter designs are treated or painted to create a distressed look. Open, they beckon, drawing the eye to the window beyond. Closed shutters let the pattern and tone intermingle with the natural light passing through them, enriching the look you’re trying to achieve within the space.
Other Considerations When Choosing Shutters
Shutters that swivel relative to the frame offer even more control over light and ventilation. Vertically positioning the louvers blocks all external light, and a fully horizontal position lets light in but frames the view with pretty slats. You may also want to customize the woodwork in your shutter designs by including patterns that reflect the room’s theme.
Are you aiming for a rustic look? Does the room have a nautical theme? Include a cutout of a farm animal or incorporate a carved fish or anchor motif.
It’s also good to consider the quality of the hinges that allow the louvers to move. These are the only moving part on interior window shutters, and high-quality hinges are essential. Humidity also corrodes these hinges in balmy Florida, so be sure to ask the Gala Designs Interior Design & Window Shading team for their recommendations.
Gala Designs’ Creative and Stylish Selection of Interior Window Shutters
Shutters do not have to be window coverings. As an interior design concept, shutters can cover sliding glass doors, pantries, shelving, and many other features. People have even turned plantation shutters into coat racks, shelving, headboards, and wall art.
Shutters have a cultural resonance and aesthetic appeal that go beyond function, and the possibilities are limitless. Consult the Gala Designs professionals for ideas and advice that rely on many years of experience crafting traditional and modern design principles. Call 805-407-6569 today to schedule an in-home free consultation in the Jacksonville, FL, area.
