One of my favorite window treatments that looks great in any home with any style, and stands the test of time, is the custom shutter, specifically, custom café shutters – a shutter that is designed to cover the bottom half of a window. This style shutter is a fantastic “stand-alone” treatment because it offers tremendous value. Of course, if full privacy is needed, then a full-height custom shutter may be a better option, but for an application in which both light and privacy is needed, then a café shutter is the answer.
Enjoy Privacy while Allowing Maximum Light at the Top
(Did you know that café shutters were named such because they are very popular in France patisseries and bistros?) They allow privacy on the bottom part of the window for their seated patrons, while allowing maximum light at the top! Café shutters, as with most custom shutters, can be designed in a variety of configurations – one panel or two (left and right door), as well as bi-fold to cover wider windows, with exposed front tilt bars or hidden, giving the shutter a cleaner, more modern feel. They can even be designed with divider rails, allowing flexibility to open and close louvres differently between top to bottom sections. The louvres can tilt both up and down and they come in different sizes so depending on how big the window and how much depth is available for installing.
Cafe Shutters Look Great in Any Home with Any Style
While white painted shutters are still the most common, stained wood and custom shutters are quite popular and can be manufactured in real hardwood or composite “hybrid” materials. Such advancements in technology, allow shutters to cover much larger window openings while maintaining their strength and rigidity over time. Either way, shutters work especially well with double hung windows but can also be designed for picture windows, bay windows and even sliding windows and doors. They can even be designed for arch windows and French doors!
Shutters continue to be a very popular and beautiful choice for any room in the home and can even be combined with soft treatments. Shutters, while often on the higher end of the price spectrum, never go out of style and will be a worthwhile investment to be enjoyed for many years and they will be a great selling point for your home when the time comes!
When you are thinking about new window treatments for your beach home, modern farmhouse, or city brownstone, consider custom café shutters from Linda’s Decors. They very well may be the first and last treatments you will ever purchase!