Shutters: More than Just Window Dressing

Styles Hinged at the top, Bermuda shutters give home's island flair. Credit: Withers Industries Shutters come in many different styles and finishes. The traditional louver pattern is common on Colonials in the Northeast and the upper stories of Southern homes. Raised-panel designs were very popular in the South and would have provided an added measure of security to the homeowners. Quite often a home would have paneled shutters on the lower windows, and louvered shutters upstairs. This allowed the air to circulate in the sleeping areas, while closing the lower story to intruders. Shutters can be made of southern yellow pine that is treated and kiln dried, such as the shutters from Withers, or made of basswood, redwood, or pine. Shutters may be painted or stained, but like all exterior wood, must be properly maintained in order to last. "Properly maintained, shutters should last a lifetime," says Withers. "Painting them and priming them when you first put them up is the most important." Selecting an appropriate shutter style is as much a matter of preference as anything else. There are louvered shutters, board-and-batten, raised panel, combinations, cutouts, and even Bermuda-style shutters for a more tropical appeal. Browsing through catalogues and Web sites, looking at historic photos and magazines is a great way to develop a sense of shutter styles. If working with a designer, contractor, or architect, clients can cut and paste different shutter styles into an exterior home program. Some paint stores even offer this service. Authenticity Board and batten shutter are reminiscent of early Colonial style architecture. Credit: Withers Industries As with any finish element, shutters bring about the debate over style and authenticity. Architectural review boards and historic societies argue over them, preservationists insist on historically accurate reproductions and restorations. Still, it can be hard to pinpoint the historically correct details for any given home, especially when it comes to shutters. While some neighborhoods and regions show a predisposition toward certain shutter styles and hardware components, it is important to remember that taste, preference, and availability were just as important throughout history as they are today. "If homeowners wanted it to look like a page from a magazine (or style catalogue), then they'd make it look like the magazine," says Donaldson. "If they wanted it like the house next door, they'd do that." Granted, the star, shell-shaped, or S-shaped shutter dogs may have been prevalent in a given area, but that's probably because those are the styles that the local hardware store carried. Different hardware stores had exclusive contracts with different suppliers, so a certain style was often limited to a region or area of the city. There would have been more variety if they'd had more selection. So, make certain to select the style and ornaments that work for you and your home. Paint colors can be matched to their historical era, and craftsmen are available throughout the country to reproduce treasured patterns and styles. Shutters are the ultimate ornament for a home's façade. If they can operate to keep your home, its contents, and inhabitants comfortable and secure, then shutters make smart home sense, too.

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