I am just now researching this same thing. I just ordered faux wood 2" blinds for two bedrooms from J.C. Penny. Really good sale. But the shutter prices were to much $$$$$. I think they quoted me $141.00 per window. I have found some good pricing at netshutters.com around $65.00 for the same window. These are in my kitchen are I need the cafe shutter 19 1/2" wide & I need 26" high. That is just beyond the sash. Now in the master bath I am also doing the cafe shutter and I have three windows mulled together. I need the shutter to be 75" long and 32" high. Again, netshutters had the best price. I asked on this forum about blinds and shutters and someone on here said she got some from this company and was happy with them. They are not the same quality as hunter douglass but lots less $$$$$ Does anyone know where the top of a cafe shutter should be? I thought that it should just about cover the window latch. So I figured 1 inch above the window sash!!

Use the same number of panels as the number of windows. Line the stiles up with the mullions. Use an inside mount frame that is typically called a Z frame and do a sill cut on the bottom. This way the frame will sit on the marble sill and the sides and top will overlap the edges giving you a nice finished look. You can get a free ebook that explains all about shutters at this blog post. https://dressthatwindow.com/beauty-of-shutters/ another thing I would recommend is that you do what is called a split tilt. You will see that in this picture also. The tilt rod is made as 2 pieces so that you can open the top and bottom separately. This allows you to open the top for light and leave the bottom closed for privacy. Don't get Hunter Douglas shutters unless you want to over pay. Get that ebook and read it to understand the different types of materials and what is best. If you are somewhat handy you could easily install the shutters for these 2 windows yourself. If you are not handy, say yourself the frustration and have someone else do it. Good luck!

I only meant that the “sunburst” style to cover the arched portion of the window is a bit dated, not to mention way more $$$. The straight across style of arch, especially with the 4.5” vanes are certainly in style. Having said all that, semi-sheer, billowy panels hung on a decorative “u-channel” track high and above the arch will operate smoothly and look much lighter than the shutters. You could consider Ripplefold style.

@K Kohr @Jon Alan and @res2architect helped me a ton with windows and the charm they bring to your home's design. They are a wealth of knowledge. I agree with PPF when he describes window pane sizing. I think that you want to have the same width of pane size. To explain that here is an example... See how the panes in the dormers are similar widths to the panes in the lower windows. Here are some of the colonial style. Honestly with the size of window you have I think a 9 over 9 would be just fine. I love the charm of the cape pictured above with it's 12 over 12! These are all equal widths and 6 over 6 This stone colonial has 9 over 9 on the bottom and 6 over 6 on top. Notice the side windows are 4 over 4 (kind of hard to see because of the tree in the way but they are attempting to keep the grids equal widths like PPF stated above. The dormered windows look to be 6 over 6 which is fine imo. Window grids definitely add charm if done right. So make sure you draw it all out and are ok with the look before you order your windows. Looks to be a beautiful house. Can't wait to see more of your build. You'll have to share your milestones on the home building forum when you get started. It is a fun group of people! Here is a photo of our exterior. We just finished building this summer. While it's not the same scale of build (financially) as your home will be (I'm basing that off of your window selection. Marvin's were definitely out of our budget). The addition of window grids gave our custom home the old world charm my husband and I were looking for. Thanks again Res and PPF for the help with window grid design :)