Interior shutters

In the fall of 2010, when we were in the midst of building our house, I started a post on interior shutters (and never posted it!).  I was coming to realize that interior shutters might be the best solution for some of my windows given that I have European in-swing casement windows in most of my house.  In-swing windows are wonderful – so easy to operate, so beautiful to look at, and window cleaning is very easy - but they make window treatments a huge challenge in certain spaces!

I have been slowly but surely collecting images of interior shutters over the past few years, and here are a few of my favorites.

I just found this gorgeous image from Atlanta designer Margaret Kirkland’s portfolio.  What a stunning house – and of course I noticed the interior shutters on the French doors in the back.  The three interior doors are interesting because they translate as interior shutters too.  This is a beautifully detailed and designed house – I would love to see more of it.

Here is a close-up of the folding shutters from the same house. The depth of the bookcase creates a great place for the shutters to  ‘stack’. Via Margaret Kirkland’s website.

I love this bedroom for so many reasons – the limed beams on the ceiling, the beautiful bed treatment, and of course the charming casement windows on either side of the bed.  I especially like the small folding inside shutters on the window – what a great way to block the light without using window treatments (especially for those upper windows).

When looking for images for this post, I came across this one – an interior shutter painted blue.  It looked familiar (one of the issues with pinterest and other internet images is that pictures often become separated from the source)…

Then I realized that it was part of an Atlanta house I have long admired, with interiors by Barbara Westbrook.  These interior shutters are particularly interesting to me as they are one of the few images I found where the shutters are flush with the wall – which makes them more prominent and more a part of the décor (they were more than likely added to the house during a renovation).  In fact, if you look closely, I am not even sure there is enough space between the windows for the shutters to be fully open.  Image via House Beautiful.

The blog Belgian Pearls has been a rich source of images of interior shutters over the past year.

This picture clearly shows the accordion style of the shutters, particularly on the left shutters. Via pinterest.

The upper shutters are separate from the lower shutters. Via pinterest.

I prefer the look of solid shutters – not the plantation shutter style – but I thought this image was pretty and the folding style of the shutters works well for wider spaces.  I also love the details of this picture – the arch before the area that the bathtub is tucked into, the chandelier above the tub.  Via pinterest.

Another tub with shutters on the window.  Note the gorgeous circle detail on the shutters.  Image via Belgian Pearls.

Love the green color of these interior shutters. Source unknown.

It looks like a radiator is below this window, but the window is also recessed to provide the depth for the interior shutters. Source unknown.

This interior shutter has hinges and multiple sections due to the width of the window. Via Belgian Pearls.

In this picture, you can actually see how the inswing window rests against the shutter when both are open.

One of my favorite images of interior shutters, via Verdigris Vie.  When I saw this picture, I got an idea for how interior shutters could be used as a solution for a tricky area in my house.  Note how both sides of the shutters have paneling, making them equally beautiful when open and shut. 

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In the master closet, we have a window that has drawers underneath, and required some sort of covering for privacy reasons.  We thought about multiple solutions – a roman shade or curtains were initially considered – but we wanted ease of opening and closing, and realized that if we had a shade it would end up closed most of the time (making the closet a very dark place).  The hanging sections on either side of the window reminded me of the deep recess of the European windows in the pictures above, so I asked my architect if we could do a solid interior shutter.  He sketched one up, and we had a shutter company fabricate it.

Here is a quick iphone snapshot of the finished product!  We did molding on the front and back of the shutters as they are viewed from both sides.  The interior shutters have proven to be an excellent solution for the space – they are easy to open and close, and look great both from the outside of the house and the inside. We had them painted in the same custom paint blend used in the bathroom, a greyed blue.

Have you seen interior shutters used much in your area?  I suppose plantation shutters are a form of interior shutter, and they used to be very popular in Atlanta when I first moved to town, in the late 90s.  It seems as if plantation shutters are often fixed, and they typically have the slatted openings.  For my project, the solid shutter seemed like the best solution for the space and for the style of my house.

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