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How To Differentiate Between Plantation Shutters, Window Shades, And Window Blinds In St. George

August 12, 2022

Blinds, Shutters, and shades–oh my! The many distinct window treatments available will often become too much if you have to choose one for your St. George home. Understanding how to differentiate between each variety will aid you in determining which styles will function and look best on the windows you need to cover. Let’s explore the pros, disadvantages, and best uses of louvered shutters, window blinds, and window shades in St. George.

The Pros And Cons Of Interior Shutters

White Polywood shutters in a living room

Plantation shutters are made of natural wood or faux wood and go into your home where they affix permanently to your window with the shutter’s frame positioned over the window’s framework. Easy-to-move panels inside the frame swing open for total sunlight and an unobstructed view or close again to cover your window for a darker and private space. If the panels are shut, you may also rotate the slats for some sunlight and adjust them to redirect light where you want it.

The Pros

Plantation shutters are distinctive from other options thanks to their unique design. Aside from looking quite different, they also offer various amazing bonuses for St. George properties:

  • Enhance your home with beautiful architectural styling

  • Available in neutral hues to match your interior now and later if you change your home’s look

  • Provide absolute privacy and near-total darkness when closed

  • Open effortlessly for light and a sightline to your exterior

  • Fit any uniquely shaped window like arches and angles

  • Shift glare with the slats

  • Easy to dust and clean

  • Provide an extraordinary level of energy efficiency

  • An enduring fixture that increases your St. George property’s value

  • A range of personalization choices to create the look you would like and meet your specific requirements

On top of these advantages, faux-wood Polywood® shutters come with their own significant virtues: 

  • Unrivaled durability with resistance to distress that comes with heat, cold, moisture, and the sun’s rays

  • Will never be impacted by distorting, splitting, or nicking

  • Exclusive weatherstripping for exceptional efficiency and money savings

Actually, Polywood shutters will do any job you require a window covering to accomplish, from enhancing your window’s beauty to blocking cold drafts and destructive ultraviolet rays. And they function and look just as superb decades later as the moment you installed them.

 

The Cons

Interior shutters’ lone downside is that they can only be found in neutral tints. Although their classic hues match all types of decor, you’ll need to opt for window shades or blinds if you have your heart set on window treatments in vivid colors or patterns.

 

How To Incorporate Interior Shutters

You can incorporate interior shutters on any window within your St. George home. Custom shutters accommodate every size and shape of window without losing functionality. Put them on circular, angled, and sliding glass door windows just as easily as normal rectangular windows.

You are also able to install Polywood shutters in any space. Pick them for their longevity and superior efficiency in humid bathrooms, chilly attic dormers, or sunny rooms. Shutters are even a great choice in high-traffic spaces and children’s rooms as they don’t use cords that pose a safety threat.

 

The Pros And Cons Of Window Shades

White shades in a corner of a living room.

Window shades are available in a range of different styles, although, in general, all feature a layer of fabric mounted at the top of your window. You typically pull the shade in the direction you want to enclose and uncover your window using a cord or pull bar, although you will also find motorized functionality too.

Window shades don’t feature slats to manage sunlight and privacy, but lower opacity or loosely woven fiber shades are able to permit light into dark rooms while obscuring the sightline into your property. Or you can use top-down/bottom-up shades that allow you to uncover the upper region of your window for sunlight while preserving your privacy on the lower half.

 

The Pros

St. George property owners enjoy window shades because they are available in a range of colors, materials, and styles. You’ll discover shades with standard colors and bright hues, solid color or dramatic patterns, transparent or blackout types, pleated fabric or fibrous materials, and numerous additional possibilities. If you want a stylish accent when redesigning an interior, window shades in the ideal color or pattern can elevate your decor and encompass your windows.

Distinct window shade kinds have their own advantages too. Roller shades have a classic minimalist look. Cellular shades will boost efficiency. Tumble shades are nice additions to French doors. And sheer shades provide an agreeable blend of filtered light and privacy.

 

The Cons

Window shades don’t last as long as firm window treatments and are often challenging to clean. Their materials will eventually discolor on account of the sun or can pull apart, become moldy, or get stained. You might plan on replacing window shades every few years as they get worn down or you alter your home’s style.

Window shades also offer less versatility in balancing exterior light and privacy than louvered shutters. Even pulling them up a bit means you give up your privacy on a portion of the window and you’re not able to modify how sunshine floods in in the open section. And various window shades will display shadows if your interior is illuminated at night. And rectangular window shades in St. George force you to choose between concealing a non-standard window’s unique shape or keeping the window uncovered at all times.

 

How To Incorporate Window Shades

Many St. George homeowners choose window shades because they prefer specific colors of window coverings to match their decor. They work best in less active spaces where they won’t wear as quickly from persistent use.

You can also use various kinds of window shades for their particular purposes. Select cellular shades to assist in blocking outside drafts. Slim roller shades work in spots where you can’t use a larger window treatment. Blackout shades stop sunlight so you can sleep. Woven fiber shades bring a feeling of nature to your decor. And of course, custom shades will always look and work better on your windows than store-bought options.

 

The Pros And Cons Of Window Blinds

Wood blinds in a small dining room area.

Window blinds consist of movable slats built from a rigid material that you lower over your windows to cover them. Blinds operate with pull cords or cordless lifting mechanisms. Along with shielding windows with blinds, you may also tilt the slats with a wand for more control over natural light.

 

The Pros

The benefits of window blinds depend on their material. By design, all blinds shield windows to block sunlight and views within your St. George home, but their substance and quality of manufacturing play a big role how well they accomplish this. You might notice light and outlines of people with low-grade vinyl blinds. Aluminum and vinyl blinds also bend and snap without much difficulty, which leaves unsightly openings that let in outside light. For these blinds, their bargain pricing and limited longevity make them suitable chiefly as short-term window coverings.

Well-made real wood and faux-wood blinds utilize sturdier slats that envelop windows much better. You won’t be able to look through them, and they don’t fall apart easily. The natural wood and composite components, mixed with the pleasant defined lines of the slats, provide a more elegant appearance as well. Superior natural wood and faux-wood blinds can be found in adaptable neutral colors that work well in any room.

Blinds permit you to direct how much light comes through your windows. You may draw them up for an unhindered view and full light or lower them for privacy and a dark room. With the blinds drawn down, you may also turn the slats for a limited view and a bit sunshine.

 

The Cons

Wood and faux-wood blinds look similar to louvered shutters but aren’t nearly as durable. The cords intertwined with the slats will unravel in the long run, and wood slats can become misshapen and crack from too much humidity or intense temperature variations. Blinds also include a fair number of components that can make them tricky to clean, and corded blinds may get tangled up or stick if you attempt to use them.

Although made-to-order blinds will accommodate your windows just right, they won’t have the complete coverage along the perimeter that shutters can as they aren’t built into a frame. You’ll also discover that both window blinds and shades in St. George will swing and slap your window if bumped or taken by a gust of air. This moving around opens a sightline to your interior and allows exterior light.

 

How To Utilize Window Blinds

High-end blinds look great in any area for rectangular or square windows. Make sure you only install waterproof faux-wood blinds in high-humidity areas like kitchens and baths. And automated or cord-free blinds provide safer options in the event you have little ones or pets.

 

Sunburst Has Everything From Interior Shutters To Window Blinds And Shades In St. George

Want to know more about the the variances between interior shutters, window shades, and window blinds in St. George? Sunburst Shutters St. George offers the most incredible selection of exceptional window treatments in the area and can answer whatever questions you have. We provide no-charge in-home consultations to display our choices and let you determine which window treatments are right for your home. Arrange yours by dialing 435-485-9332 or filling out the following form.