Shutters for bedrooms?

Shasta

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I am considering wood shutters for 2 bedrooms at the front of our house.

Do shutters work well in bedrooms? What size slats would be most appropriate for kids rooms?

These two kids bedrooms face west so they get intense afternoon heat and sun.

Thank you!

Featured Answer

User

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

slatted window treatments allow a little bit of light in, which is fine in some places but not others. the fact that your kid's room is not east facing is a good thing. but also consider what kinds of lights are out there at night? I used to have blinds in my room and had to replace them due to the very bright street lamp. teeny little rays of light came through the slats and spilled across our faces. we couldn't point the slats in the opposite direction because it didn't darken enough. we have a motion detector flood light nearby. whenever they were activated, our room got visibly brighter and it would wake me.

so if you have none of that going on, then it might be ok to do shutters.

one other thing to consider is that if you want to completely open them for full brightness, they will be in the way. you might want to keep the surrounding area free of obstacles and furniture so you can swing them all the way open. is there room for that?

Comments (9)

Shasta
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you SeattleMCM. There is a streetlight across from us. I think I’ll go with something else.
If you don’t mind my asking, what window treatment did you end up selecting?
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anj_p
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I loved the shutters we had in our bedroom (south facing). They let in a tiny bit of light, but a lot less than wood blinds. I suppose if you get a perfect fit with an inside mount blackout shade it could do better, but shutters are pretty good at light blocking. DH hates any light when sleeping and he really liked them. When we decorated our bedroom (a few years after getting our shutters) we also added curtains (pretty thin ones from JCPenney) and they took care of the rest of the light. We also had our street redone last year and they put in super bright LED streetlights - it was a bit bright with just the shutter but with the curtains over it, it worked well.

ETA: shutters are expensive, so if you don't care what kind of treatment you get and are just trying to block light, I would opt for a blackout shade.
Shasta thanked anj_p
User
2 years ago
Shasta, we selected cellular shades. Wouldn't recommend that for kids either, they wrinkle and/or break so easily.

I would have preferred drapes, but our window is super wide and short so it wouldn't have looked good. Thicker drapes that overlap the whole window allow a bit of a gentle glow around the edges. It lets in just enough light at night so that it's not pitch black, and it glows more as the sun is coming up. Add sheers under them if you need daytime privacy.
Shasta thanked User
Shasta
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you SeattleMCM.
HU-580475022
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
We have shutters in the kids bedrooms. They are easy to clean and I don't forsee the kids breaking them as they've done with cellular and roller shades. I love that they can open halfway as well. Very easy to control how much or little light you want in. Also good for insulation. And easy to wipe down. I really love shutters in bedrooms!
Shasta thanked HU-580475022
Shasta
Original Author
2 years ago
HU-580475022, we’ve had problems with the cellular breaking also. I still like the idea of shutters. What slat size did you use for the bedrooms?
HU-580475022
2 years ago
The lady from the window covering company recommended the faux wood blinds (cordless) as being the best for kids rooms. She said they held up great and the price is good as well. We still went with shutters because I've always loved how they look.
Shasta thanked HU-580475022
anj_p
2 years ago
We used 2" slats for our shutters but 3" is probably more popular these days.

Wood blinds let in way more light than shutters, so keep that in mind (all slatted window treatments are not created equal). We had wood blinds in DD's room and (even though it was north facing) we still needed blackout curtains over them. We did wood blinds and no curtains in our guest room (also north facing) and it was bright in there.

If I could spend the money I would absolutely have done shutters in all bedrooms. I would probably choose the 3" slats if I could do over.
Shasta thanked anj_p