So what are plantation shutters and interior wooden shutters?

louvered shutters refer to plantation shutters, or interior shutters with slats between the frame or window frame. Louvers are another word for slats, so the slats you see can also be called louvers. In the UK the spelling is louvre rather than louver, but hey that’s a small obstacle for this purpose.

Louvered shutters have been around for a long while and play a big part in the window covering market, for both interior and exterior shutters. They serve a purpose, being on the whole a moving part of the shutter which lets the window user tilt the louvers in order to allow light and air to get through the gaps (see the drawing). The louver or louvre is the means of controlling the shutter in many cases. If the shutter is closed, just grab the edge of any of the louvers and twist upwards and the whole panel will (if it’s working right) open up to reveal the exterior. It’s simple and effective to use and control light in this way, as appose to some curtains and blinds which you need some muscle to be able to pull back or raise in order to get the same effect. Read more about this in our plantation shutters pages

Louvers can be made of all sorts of materials, generally depending on what the shutter is made from, these days particularly in the US there will be plastic louvers, or faux louvered shutters. These will tend to be a little cheaper than hard wood louvers as the materials are cost and some argue less visually attractive. It doesn’t matter how much they cost, the difference between plastic and wood is usually immediately apparent to most people, but the cost saving can be worth the compromise in finish. Nowadays, architects are also experimenting with other materials like glass and mirrors. In modern blocks and bespoke designs a glass louver can look incredible, allowing light to be controlled in a different way, reflecting and changing the diffusion as the slats are adjusted. We’d all love to have some of these for sure!

What About Louver Sizes?

The sizes of the louvers will depend on what the chosen manufacturer can supply as well as personal choice. Generally we prefer the visual appearance of a bigger louver. They make the plantation shutters look more solid and architectural, but some people prefer smaller slats - especially on smaller windows we would agree. If you are using solid wooden louvered shutters, the advantage of bigger slats is that they will tend to be thicker, which means you can feel the more solidity of the mechanism, more substantial and we think less goes wrong. With the thinner louvers you are more prone to get a snap if someone manhandles the shutter, which can be a pain to repair. With some windows which are really big you’ll be needing a solid block called a rail, but this is for support and doesn’t interfere with the louvers. Some people have midrails for aesthetic reasons as well.  Price is going to feature at a point, read about the cost of shutters and budgets here

So, the humble louver or louvre is another word for the slats, on a plantation shutter. Bet you never thought you could learn so much about this treatment?