Hi Annie,
I was hoping to get as wide of blinds a I could. Like a 3 inch to get more light and view, do you think that obstructs the view a lot? Have you had duettes before? Don't know much about them... Thanks for your reply!
Ruth

I agree with Annie. I personally hate the look of shutters and wood blinds, when open, closed or pulled up.

Our previous house had plantation shutters in all the front formal rooms and in the bedrooms, all done by the previous owners. I hated having "bars" in my house. Luckily they left the the large vaulted wall of windows in the family room bare. This area had our best views. You can't just open the plantations shutter, they get in the way and obstruct drapes and other decor items.

Current house had wood blinds installed by the previous owners. Once again when down/open they are "bars" and when pulled up they aren't pretty. I removed all the wood blinds and replaced with Hunter Douglas Duettes. They are down for sun control at certain times of day and for privacy at night. At other times they are pulled up and stack into a neat 3" stack. They are inside mount and white to match the windows. When pulled up the windows are completely "naked" and I get to enjoy the mountain views. I also have drape panels for softness and color.

We all like different things, but my opinion is that wood blind and shutters do obstruct the views. Your eye stops at the "bars" and doesn't see the view.

thanks chispa for your input ! do you happen to have a picture that you can upload of your duette in your windows to give me an idea ? thanks again ! Ruth

Check here for more info on shutters. I love mine! Hated the blinds as they would catch dust more so than the shutters and the cotton cording would look dirty after attempting cleaning. My shutters actually let in more light
4 1/2 inch slats than the 2 1/2 inch blinds I had.

http://www.shuttercutter.com/Choosing-Louver-Size.html

I have shutters and do not like them. They block a lot of light when they are open... when they are closed at night they let light in all around the cracks. Same thing with wood blinds.

You can get shades that block all of the light and then pull up to show off that fabulous view or yours! I want to live there!!!

Ruthy3, I don'thave photos, but here are several photos from Smith & Noble. I don't like the colored ones as I'm not looking to have my blinds stand out. I prefer having white to match my white trim and maybe a light beige if you had stained trim. They don't seem to show any photos of them stacked up at the top, but they do stack neatly into a few inches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smith & Noble

hi Chispa, on the white ones that you have, can you see outside through them, or do they just get through light in. How is ir for maintenance ? to clean them. how durable are they , or how long have you had them for.? are they expensive, compared to wood blinds ? is it something that goes well in the living room as well a a bedroom ? sorry I'm bombarding you with all these questions, but I'm coming around to the idea of duettes, by the way, that is the brand right Hunter Douglas, they are the same thing as honeycomb cellular blinds I've been finding online ?
that's again !
Ruth

Yes, the ones I have are Hunter Douglas, called Duette. The HD blinds are more expensive, but we have been using them in the family for years and have been very happy with the quality and service from HD.

I have different fabrics types on them:
- Opaques: can't see through them, but let light through
- Semi-Sheer: more light through and can see through them a bit
- Room darkening: no light through

For rooms that get quite a bit of sun, the opaque are more practical as they block the damaging sun and heat. I also have some that are battery powered and some that have a two-fabric option (duolite), but these get heavier and can be more prone to problems. I also have some cordless ones and also some bottom-up/top-down.

We've had ours for around 3 years. I don't do anything special to maintain them. Sometimes bugs do get in them, but you can tilt the blind and shake the bug out ... it doesn't happen often!

I did have one that got knotted up inside, one of the duolite ones. HD stands behind their products. If one brakes you need to take it to the nearest HD dealer and they will ship back to HD for repair. I got charge $60 for shipping and the blind was back in 2 weeks.

What you do have to watch out for is people who don't know how to open/close them and might damage them by pulling too hard or the wrong way.

Look for a HD dealer in your area that is a HD Gallery Dealer. They will have a store with all the samples set up in display windows, which you can play around with. They also have all the books with different fabric and color choices.

Shutters on first home 12+ years ago. Can not express how I was with those daylight blockers (Wooden Thick 80's Shades) replaced! New window covering, Clear, Happy, and very regretful for not doing earlier. Anyone else have an enlightened experience in seeing the light and benefits? I killed a number of plants by not tuning in to the changing environment.

Regards
Shaderhater

Hi Shaderhader, can I ask what you replaced your window shutters with ? At first I was thinking wood blinds, but seems like those block out the light too much. Thinking about the honeycomb shades maybe.... I know that Annie and Chispa on this thread have Hunter Douglas, so thinking about those.....

thanks rrs626 !. seems like shutters are not for me....i guess i just need something that will let the light and view through..... maybe honeycomb shades ? researching that option now. Thanks for your input, i really wanted to header from people that have shutters, but they do look beautiful !!! part of me still wants them.....:)

I put wood shutters on a wall of windows on my master bath remodel. I struggled with the choice because I have no window coverings on any other windows in my home and am used to expansive views and light.

The problem was a 9' expanse of window that was impossible to configure shades for...I only wanted bottom up shades and didn't want to look at strings. I only need to have the bottoms of the windows covered when using the shower or dressing room, and wanted to be able to see out into the trees (2nd story room) even with the bottoms of the windows covered. So I bought 3" cedar shutters that are gorgeous. They don't have a center mechanism, you just open and close manually. The thing that I do love is that they were constructed so I can close the lower part independently of the upper half. BUT, they really reduced the light into the room.

I probably wouldn't do it again, but am not sure what I would do instead - all the same choices, no good solution. It was the only decent looking solution I could find. It takes me only about 10 seconds to close the bottom of 5 shutters and then open them again. It would have been a big hassle to me to open and close any other WT.

I regret the loss of light every day.

before:

After:

Olychik, a solution for your windows might have been to do the lower 1/3 of your windows with a frosted finish. Naked windows, lots of light and just a touch of privacy.

A few years ago we rented a beachfront town house in Santa Monica. It was brand new, very modern and had lots of big windows, even in the master bathroom. Their solution was the "electronic" one, you flip a switch and the glass becomes opaque blocking views in and out.

chispa, thanks, if there was an electronic frosting available, I might have looked into that. I did have frost film on the lower 1/3 for about a year before doing the shutters. It made me crazy to not be able to see out, even tho' it was light and bright. Too many years with no restrictions on my viewing out my windows, I guess. I feel like I'm being strangled to have window coverings on any window.

Get the shutters that stack back and you can have your window as open as it is now. I do not understand why anyone would buy fixed shutters. It is either a lack of availability or cost saving. Just never, never, never buy fixed shutters; buy the ones that stack back.

What are shutters that stack back? I have no idea what you mean...unless you are talking about verticals...

On windows that small, you want the 2" slats. When they're open, whether they're 2" or 3" doesn't make a difference.

But when they're closed or slanted, the 2" will look much better on those windows.

The other nice thing about slats is that you can manually close just the amount you want. So, if you want the view of the landscape but not the glare from the sky, open the slats to their full position, then gently, with the back of your fingers, starting with the slat where the sky begins, flit the slats up to close them, up to the top, like if you were doing a sweep on a piano.

I have the slat blinds, and that's what I do with my landscape window because I like to awaken to the view and green but don't want the full light or glare of the sky.

hi olychick, the pictures you posted of your window, are they taken at the same time of the day ?

hi tibbrix, that is one of the windows.... but i was hoping to get the whole house done... there's another window like that on the other side of the wall... would the frame close up alot of the window ? really i was thinking of going at least 3inches hoping that it would make a difference....:(

Patricia43, you mean the biofold shutters?the ones that bend in the middle to fold back ?

thanks to all for your responses !!! great info !!!

HD also makes luminettes which function like vertical blinds, but are more finished so they look more like drapes and they stack back for better glass exposure.

Annie. that is an interesting idea... do you have any at your house ?or used them before ?

I like plantation shutters, just put some in a room in our beachhouse, but they are only on the bottom half of the window and they fold back, exposing all of the glass.

I'm not sure though, if id want shutters on modern windows such as yours.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't just go with a roller shade? Maybe I am not reading closely enough

Here is a pic of the wood slat blinds on my BR windows. On the tall windows, they are 3" slats. On the small windows, they are 2" slats. I think 3" slats would not look good on small and average-size windows. The amount of light they let in when open doesn't matter because, when open, that is actually when they are all thin slats, really hardly noticeable when standing in front of them.

"Would the frame close up a lot of the window?"

By this are you asking about a frame of the blinds? there is not frame . The blinds don't close off any of the window. they hang from the top, behind a valance.

The slats that Olychick put up DO have their own frame, and they do take some window away. I don't think they'd work on the window you show because of the sideways opening style of your windows. You'd block off the ability to open the windows.

Here are mine, but I recommend getting cordless if you go this route.

I asked many times how to post pictures and never got a definitive answer. Stack-back shutters are not stationery shutters.

https://www.google.com/search?q=stationery+shutters+vs+shutters+that+stack+back%5C&biw=1280&bih=635&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=jBwXVPnCI5GyyAS944CIAg&ved=0CDYQsAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=4ISIWozujFtpaM%253A%3BstgeRsJi-XeWiM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fhandbasketproductions.biz%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2014%252F08%252F2bbf824e792736cb86f2d81500309109f59c8a3d.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fhandbasketproductions.biz%252F%3B400%3B265

Annie. that is an interesting idea... do you have any at your house ?or used them before ?

Patricia, here is a tutorial on posting pics: Scroll down to Graywings' post. Sometimes when you right click on a pic you will see "copy image location" (that's what I see in firefox on my mac). If that's what you see, too, just do that and follow the rest of graywings' instructions.

If you want to post your own photos, add them to photobucket or tiny pics and post the HTML code in the body of your message.

If you scroll down to the INFO on posting at the bottom of a message, you will see a hotlink to a TEST forum where you can practice. Ask again if this doesn't work for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Posting pictures from the web

Patricia,

To post a link to something like you tried above, copy and paste it into the optional Link URL at the bottom of your message, give it a name and then people can click on it instead of having to copy and paste it into a browser:

Here is a link that might be useful: Patricia's google search

I'm a fan of HD Silhouette blinds. We had them in the Florida room of a vacation condo overlooking the gulf. I planned to put them in my living room after my remodel but choked at the quote. If I had your view, I would have purchased them in a heartbeat. I ended up with Bali cordless, top-down/bottom-up cellular blinds through Penney's, heavily discounted. They are large windows so we wanted to allow light in but have privacy from the street. I'm pleased with them.

Here is a link that might be useful: HD Silhouette Blinds

Hi bbtrix, thanks for your picture.! how are those blinds holding up ? how long have you had them for.... quality, any issues with them ? how do you keep them clean ? do you special order them through Penneys ? if it's not too intrusive, how expensive are they ? that is exactly what i want, let light in, and privacy. :)

They are only three months old so look new. Absolutely no problems and the quality is very good. They operate very smoothly. I did custom order through Penney's. I first did my internet research and had several quotes online. The sales rep was able to beat all my quotes. It was nice to able to see the various blinds in person, then I brought home the sample books to match color. That proved difficult with the tiny samples but I wanted neutral and am happy with the results. You have the choice of separate head rails like I did, or a single head rail. They are easy to clean though I have not needed to yet. I haven't decided if I will put my drapes back up as I'm enjoying the clean look right now.

Mine are 3/8" double cell, 40"x72". Each blind was $268 +tax. The top-down/bottom-up function does increase the price but I feel it was worth it for my application.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cleaning Instructions

thanks bbtrix, I will definetly go looking locally to see on fabrics and what not, but I do like the top/bottom option as that is something I like most about these shades.

No, I don't have them, but have seen them and they are very functional and far more attractive than the regular vertical blinds.

i've seen vertically hung wooden blinds. they open and close and can be pulled aside. expensive yes, but maybe worth looking into.

this is an old thread revived by a spammer...reported