Great question, actually, and one I asked here myself not long ago. I think the shutters will look better if they match your woodwoork. We're going with Shutter Classic for our shutters. They will custom paint their basswood shutters free of charge, and they will also custom match stain colors for a one-time $125 charge, no matter how many sets of shutters you order. I am posting details below from their site. Our shutters will be custom painted to match the trim in our home. Shutter Classic has been extremely easy to work with so far, although the shutters are still on order and won't arrive for another few weeks or so. They also have some standard stain colors you could check out (and order samples) to see if any match your woodwork. Here is some quoted information from the Shutter Classic web site for their basswood shutters: Custom Stains - You provide us with a physical sample of the stained wood that you want to match. We then do a custom stain match and ship samples of our custom stain match to you for approval. If the stain needs adjusting, we take another pass at it until we get it right. Once we receive your approval, we stain your shutters with the custom formula. There is a $125 one-time flat surcharge for this service for our Basswood shutters. No matter if you order one shutter or an entire houseful, the surcharge is only $125. Include your name and mail your sample to: Attn: Custom Color Shutter Classic 1408 N. Fillmore St. Suite 16 Arlington, VA 22201 Click Here for details on custom paint colors and stains for Crestview, Classic Line, and Alder Plantation Shutters. A few words about wood shutters: Due to the fact that wood is a natural product, wood grains and color tones vary. This is what makes wood stains so beautiful. Stained shutters will have similar variations in color tone and grain pattern - which of course is why people love stained wood. Your shutters may also have these variations from the samples you receive. Here is a link that might be useful: Shutter Classic Web Site

Yes, plantation shutters afford maximum privacy. When all the shutters are closed there is no possibility of anyone seeing in. As an added bonus, they also help keep strong sun at bay when they're closed, but consequently the wood shutters can warp. Our last three homes have had plantation shutters and I find them a bit austere, so have added some curtains in selected rooms. They present a nice, uniform appearance from the exterior of your home, though, and in many markets they add to the appraised value of your home.

We've had various plantation shutters (not Norman Woodlore, though). In one home we didn't have trim on our windows, so the trim was provided with the shutters and this time we already had trim so I ordered them to be installed without the trim and both looked great. Also I have windows and trim that are white so selected white shutters. I agree that you should choose the one closest to your trim color. I didn't find white to look stark and it's not any harder to keep clean. I think shutters add a nice dimension to a room.

Regarding your choice of dark plantation shutters versus white, dark shutters will show dust and white not so much. In the house we're in now we have dark stained shutters and they drive me crazy because of the dust. In our new build I'm going with white plantation shutters.