What a shutter gives you that a curtain does not
Separate control of light and sightline. Angled louvres let daylight in while closing the view from outside. A curtain is open or closed.
Heat blocked before the glass. An external or in-reveal shutter intercepts radiant heat before it reaches the pane, which is more effective than an internal blind absorbing it after the fact.
A solid element. Shutters read as part of the building rather than as soft furnishing, which is why they suit a window you want to be a feature.
Longevity. A well-made shutter outlasts several sets of blinds.
Styles
Full-height louvred. One panel per opening, louvres adjustable across the whole height. The classic look, and the simplest to operate.
Tier-on-tier. Upper and lower panels operating independently, so you can close the bottom for privacy and leave the top open for light. Ideal on a street-facing ground-floor window.
Café style. Shutters covering only the lower part of the window. Privacy at eye level, daylight above.
Solid panel. No louvres — a solid panel that closes fully. Best for blackout in a bedroom, and for security-minded external shutters.
Sliding and bi-fold panels. For wide openings where hinged panels would need too much swing space, or for use as a room divider.
Materials, for this climate
uPVC. Stable in humidity, does not rot or corrode, low maintenance, available in woodgrain foils. The practical default.
Aluminium. Slimmer sections and a more contemporary line; the right choice for external shutters and for large panels.
Composite. An engineered core with a painted or foiled finish. Looks closest to painted timber and behaves much better in monsoon.
Timber. Beautiful and troublesome here — swelling, warping, and a finish that needs regular attention. We will make it if the look demands it, but we will tell you what it involves. The maintenance is essentially that of a wooden window.
Fitting and reveal depth
A shutter needs somewhere to sit and somewhere to go when opened.
Recessed fit sets the frame inside the reveal, so the shutter sits flush with the wall. Neatest, and needs adequate reveal depth.
Face fit mounts the frame on the wall around the opening, projecting into the room. Works where the reveal is shallow, at the cost of a deeper profile.
We measure the reveal at survey, because this decides the look more than the style does.
Shutters as window sashes
In Indian usage, “shutter” also means the moving leaf of a window. If you are looking for repairs to a sash that has dropped or sticks, that is window shutter repair rather than this page.
For finishes and colours see colour options; for hinges, catches and tilt hardware see window accessories.