How frustrating! I can't imagine where you even found brackets that were 5ft deep by 2ft high. I'm not surprised tho that they have metal inside since they were probably made to be true structural supports instead of merely decorative. Since that roof section seems to be staying in place just fine without bracket support, it looks like your brackets just need decorative. If so, you don't need any metal inside. I know you already paid for those brackets and I'm sure they weren't cheap. But, since you want your shutters to be operable, the only other option is to get/make brackets that will fit into the space you have available and that CAN be done. You just need to find someone with the skill to duplicate the style in wood but make it thinner. Are the brackets fairly simple in design or very complex (lots of scroll work)? Obviously, the more complex they are, the more it will cost you to get thinner duplicates made - but a really good millwork shop can duplicate just about anything. I've linked to one place in California that I'm pretty sure could make you whatever you want. Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Ox Millworks

Fluffeebiskits1, you are a genius. I'm back from the paint store with a large sample board of Mascarpone and I think I am in love. It's great with all the colors and light enough to work with the fixed whites. And now I know what color I'll use next time I repaint my living room! :-)

Kaismom asks a good question.....where do you put all that messy media stuff if not in the living room? Thankfully, the TV has given up the throne as the most important electronic device in our homes. I grew up with it firmly ensconced on its living room throne. That meant no real visitation could go on in that space. Then there came the stereo, cassette player, 8-track player, CD and VHS and now DVD and TiVo and BluRay, and thumb drives and the biggest thing of all, which I think has finally knocked the electronics and all those WIRES out of the living room, THE COMPUTER, THE TABLET, THE E-READER, and we have a new need. At our house, we do not have a home office. Instead, we have a STUDY. I mean, we are both retired. We do not work, except on personal projects. And we read. Holy cow, do we ever READ! And since we have no need for a second bed, unless it is a daybed, we turned our #2 bedroom into a STUDY. PERFECT place to put all our electronics. And that included the flat panel TV. The charging cords for the cell phones, the tablet, the GPS even, the DVDs, the CDs, and I figured out how to play my DVDs on the computer screen, which now doubles as a TV. They are even building the monitors these days to moonlight as a TV when the old tower or separate OS is junked. So I'd say, move all that STUFF out of the living room. If it is possible, make the LR into your guest room. We shall do that, if it looks like we might need to have guests stay over, by mounting french doors to close it off. Usually a LR is the most spacious room in the house. And it is frequently not on the traffic pattern one uses in the mornings to get ready for work. I give myself a pat on the back for thinking about it. Talk about UNDER-UTILIZED SPACE, that is the living room if set up as a separate space. Keep it looking pretty. I mean, you could move that "entertainment center" into the former bedroom/guest room, and move a hidden Murphy bed into the living room, yet keep the space sensational for every occasion. I'm married to an Irishman, and heaven knows, they LOVE TO TALK, so having a sitting room area which is quiet enough for meaningful conversation is a big plus. Up in MA, I furnished the real living room, which was fairly small, had a fireplace, with a simple love seat facing the fireplace, and two armed dining chairs on either side of the fireplace. Just enough table surface for us to set down a wine blass or a beer can or a Diet Coke--because this is the place which set the mood for good adult conversation.No TV, no radio. Well, that's my take on where to put it. And that's all I've got to say about that. :)

Thoughts? How about the extra wattage that will be applied to the existing circurit breaker along with the branch circurit wiring and openings that it already controls? Sounds like your idea of tapping and borrowing to achieve not having to (Attaching conduit and running wires to a switch on the exterior porch wall are not an option (aesthetics). And there is no way to run additional wiring without tearing things apart) Sometimes you have to tear things apart to make things right or it will just be another cobbled up mess that will never be safe and efficient. Call someone that knows what they are doing and takes pride in their craftsmanship and quality of work that they leave behind for others. D B Electric Website www.dbelectric.us