How To Choose Between Plantation Shutters, Window Blinds, And Window Shades In Hartford

Shades, blinds, and shutters–oh my! The many different window treatments available will often feel overwhelming when you are looking to select one for your Hartford property. Understanding how to differentiate between each type will aid you in determining which ones will function and look best on the windows you need to cover. Let’s explore the benefits, drawbacks, and best spots for louvered shutters, window shades, and window blinds in Hartford.

The Pros And Cons Of Plantation Shutters

Interior shutters are made of hardwood or a wood synthetic and go within your property where they secure permanently to your window with a shutter frame attached to the window’s frame. Hinged panels on the inside of the frame smoothly glide open for total sunlight and an unobstructed view or shut tightly to cover your window for a dark, private interior. If the panels are shut, you may also rotate the rows of louvers for partial light and manipulate them to redirect light where it needs to go.

The Pros

Plantation shutters are distinctive from other window treatments because of their unique design. They not only look quite different but supply various amazing advantages for Hartford interiors:

• Elevate your home with enticing architectural style

• Find them in neutral hues to match your design in the present and down the road if you change your home’s look

• Provide absolute privacy and nearly eliminates all light when shut

• Open effortlessly for sunlight and a view

• Work with any specialty shaped window like arches and angles

• Shift unwanted glare with the louvers

• Simple to clean off

• Deliver an extraordinary level of energy efficiency

• An enduring part of your interior that increases your Hartford home’s value

• A range of personalization options to design the style you would like and meet all of your needs

On top of these pros, faux-wood Polywood® shutters feature their own noteworthy assets: 

• Unmatched durability with resistance to damage from cold, heat, humidity, and the sun

• Never experiences bending, splitting, or chipping

• Patented weatherstripping for noticeable efficiency and money savings

Actually, Polywood shutters are able to do everything you require a window treatment to perform, from upgrading your window’s appearance to blocking cold air and destructive ultraviolet rays. They also operate and look just as great decades later as the day you first got them.

The Cons

Plantation shutters’ lone downside is that they are only available in neutral colors. While their classic hues match all types of style choices, you’ll need to settle for window shades or blinds if you have your heart set on colorful or patterned window treatments.

How To Incorporate Louvered Shutters

You may incorporate plantation shutters on any window in your Hartford residence. Hand-tailored shutters accommodate every type, size, and shape of window without losing their function. Put them on half-circle, triangular, and sliding glass door windows just as easily as regular rectangular windows.

You can also place Polywood shutters in any area. Pick them for their durability and energy efficiency in damp bathrooms, cold attic dormers, or sunny south-facing rooms. Shutters even work great in heavily occupied spaces and children’s rooms since they don’t have cords that pose a safety threat.

The Pros And Cons Of Window Shades

Window shades come in various contasting styles, but, in general, all consist of a sheet of fabric positioned at the top of your window. You typically pull the shade up or down to enclose and uncover your window via a built-in pull bar or cord, although you can locate motorized options as well.

Window shades don’t have louvers to control sunlight and privacy, but more transparent or less tightly woven fiber shades will let light into dark rooms while obstructing the view into your property. Or you might consider top-down/bottom-up options that allow you to open up the top of your window for sunlight while maintaining your privacy below.

The Pros

Hartford property owners enjoy window shades due to the fact they can be found in many different styles, colors, and materials. You’ll find shades with standard colors and bright tints, one color or bold patterns, sheer or non-transparent styles, fabric with pleats or fibrous materials, and numerous different choices. If you would like a special focal point when redecorating a space, window shades in the ideal color or material will elevate your decor and encompass your windows.

Distinct window shade styles have their own advantages as well. Roller shades have a sleek feel. Cellular shades offer energy efficiency. Tumble shades are nice additions to door windows. And sheer shades give you an agreeable mix of privacy and sunlight.

The Cons

Window shades don’t offer the resiliency of firm window treatments and are often a chore to clean. Their soft materials will in time fade on account of the sun or may rip, develop mold, or be tarnished with stains. You should anticipate replacing window shades in less than five years as they break down or you alter your home’s style.

Window shades also provide less capability in adjusting sunlight and privacy than interior shutters. Even opening them part of the way means you forgo your privacy on a portion of the window and can’t adjust how the sunlight streams in at the bottom. And various window shades will show your shadow when your lights are on after dark. And rectangular window shades in Hartford compel you to choose between hiding a specialty window’s distinctive shape or leaving the window exposed at all times.

How To Utilize Window Shades

Most Hartford homeowners choose window shades if they prefer specific colors of window treatments to match their design. They are best suited for low-traffic spaces where they won’t wear as quickly from persistent usage.

You can also employ some types of window shades for their specific purposes. Go with cellular shades to help block outside drafts. Slim roller shades work in spots where you don’t want a larger window treatment. Blackout shades keep out light to get a better night’s rest. Woven fiber shades add a natural element to your decor. And remember, custom shades will without a doubt look and work better on your windows than off-the-rack products.

The Pros And Cons Of Window Blinds

Window blinds consist of long, connected slats made of a rigid material that you let down over your windows to cover them. Blinds function with cords or cordless lifting mechanisms. In addition to concealing windows with blinds, you can also rotate the slats toward or away from you with a rod for additional control over sunlight.

The Pros

The advantages of window blinds depend on their material. By design, all blinds conceal windows to impede exterior light and sightlines inside your Hartford residence, but their substance and quality of manufacturing play a big role how well they do this. You may observe sunshine and shadows with low-cost vinyl blinds. Aluminum and vinyl blinds also bend and fracture easily, leaving unattractive spaces that allow outside light. For these blinds, their affordability and limited longevity make them suitable primarily as short-term window coverings.

Quality natural wood and faux-wood blinds utilize stronger slats that blanket windows more completely. You won’t be able to look past them, and they don’t damage quickly. The natural wood and composite components, joined with the attractive horizontal lines of the slats, provide a more elegant appearance as well. Superior real wood and faux-wood blinds can be found in classic neutral tones that go with the decor of any space.

Blinds permit you to manage the quantity of light that enters through your windows. You may move them up for an unhindered view and total light or close them for privacy and an absence of light. If your blinds are lowered, you are also able to tilt open the slats for a restricted view and some sunshine.

The Cons

Wood and faux-wood blinds have a similar appearance to louvered shutters but aren’t as tough. The cords that hold the slats together may unravel in the long run, and wood slats might warp and crack from too much humidity or drastic temperature fluctuations. Blinds also come with a fair number of components that can make them a challenge to clean, and the common pull cords could stick or get tangled if you make an effort to use them.

Even though customized blinds will accommodate your windows in terms of size, they don’t have the full coverage over the edges that shutters do since they aren’t enclosed by a frame. You’ll also discover that both window blinds and shades in Hartford are prone to sway and knock against your window if jostled or caught in a breeze. This movement opens a sightline to your interior and permits light.

How To Use Window Blinds

High-end blinds make sense in any space on traditionally sized windows. Be sure to install waterproof faux-wood blinds in humid locations like baths and kitchens. And motorized or cordless blinds provide safer products when you have kids or animals.

Sunburst Has Everything From Plantation Shutters To Window Blinds And Shades In Hartford

Want to know more about the the variances between louvered shutters, window blinds, and window shades in Hartford? Sunburst Shutters Connecticut boasts the best lineup of premium window treatments in the area and will is pleased to answer whatever questions you have. We conduct free in-home consultations to display our options and give you a chance to decide which window treatments are right for your residence. Request yours by dialing 860-266-5459 or filling out the form on this page.