Aoki Interiors Shutters

Types of Shutters include:

Full height shutters

Covering the full height of the window, this is a very popular and flexible installation style.

Café Style Shutters

Cafe Style Shutters can be used on windows for road side houses and where you need the most light but at the same time provides privacy. These Shutters leave the top of the window open as shutters are only placed in the bottom part of the window.

By-Fold/By-Pass Shutters

Patio doors and large window are suited to this type of shutter. These systems are best used for runs of long panels and at the same time suitable as room dividers and partitions.

Tier on Tier Shutters

Tier on Tier Shutters give great versatility and also plenty of opportunities when it comes to controlling light and privacy.

Solid Shutters

I can think of many reasons for installing shutters rather than curtains or blinds, but don’t forget internal shutters can in fact be used in combination with curtains. On the whole shutters will have a low profile against the window. This means there is less imposition into your room irrespective of which room these shutters are used in. Having control of light by opening shutters fully or twisting tilt rods to open the slats gives you a wide range of light and privacy options.

That’s not all. Opting for hard wood shutters affords you the option of maintaining and cleaning your shutters when needed and as with all hard wood products you can get many years of service from shutters if they are well maintained, if you periodically apply stains or wood finishes, clean the slats and oil any hinges, you should see decades of service from your shutters.

So, to summarise, installing shutters to your windows provide you:

1. Excellent light control
2. Added privacy
3. Potentially added security
4. Easily cleaned
5. Years of service if maintained

Not a bad start for reasons to use internal shutters for your windows!

The functionality of your shutters is also really important and needs to be considered when selecting your shutters; the big question regarding design in the long run, is whether they should open up or not. Shutters can be controlled by moving the slats up and down to allow light through them, so why would you also have shutters which open?

Opening shutters means folding back the shutters over the window fully showing off the glass of the window behind. This will be done by the wooden shutter frame being hinged and allowing a fold back to occur.

Whether your window shutters should open or not, is a decision that really depends on if you live right by a busy street. You may not wish to fold back your shutters exposing the room to passers-by, however if you have a great view and would like maximum light to penetrate your room on a regular basis, then being able to open the shutters is a real bonus.

Another deciding factor is how much glass there is, as the design of the shutters will usually match this. If you think of a multi -panelled bay window for example, you can imagine one shutter panel per window frame. These multi-framed windows lend themselves to having opening shutters as there will tend to be space for folded back shutters, without encompassing too much on the room in question.

When you come to the next stage of which type of panels to have, whether they will be full height or not, then your original thoughts about opening the shutters will become apparent. For example if your windows are to have solid shaker style shutters which cover the full height of the window, you would guarantee that very little light will penetrate your room, so you'd be wanting to allow the shutters to open, unless you keep bats or other nocturnals!

So, consider when deciding whether to have shutters which open fully or not;

1. The number of glass panels, the more glass you have means easier to open panels
2. The height of the shutters, cafe shutters may not need to be opened as light comes in over the top.
3. The beauty of your view. Could you live with the full exposure of the next door’s fence? Or do you need to be able to have full access to the sight of the stunning countryside outside.
4. The type of shutters you have - large opening plantation slats will let in more light when tilted open, than many thin slats.

Aoki Interiors is now able to respond to a multitude of different requirements, and offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of shutters available anywhere in the country.