The Differences Between Plantation Shutters, Window Blinds, And Window Shades In Washington DC

Blinds, Shutters, and shades–oh my! The range of different window treatments out there might seem a bit mind-boggling when you have to choose one for your Washington DC home. Understanding how to differentiate between each kind will help you decide which products will function and look best on the windows you need to cover. Let’s explore the benefits, disadvantages, and ideal uses of louvered shutters, window shades, and window blinds in Washington DC.

The Pros And Cons Of Louvered Shutters

Interior shutters are built from natural wood or a wood synthetic and go into your home where they secure permanently to your window with the shutter’s frame positioned over the window’s frame. Movable panels inside the frame swing open for total light and a clear view or fasten securely to encompass your window for a dark, private interior. Whenever the panels are closed, you are also able to tilt open the slats for some sunlight and manipulate them to angle the light where it needs to go.

The Pros

Louvered shutters stand out from other window treatments due to their specialized design. Along with their unmistakable look, they also offer various amazing bonuses for Washington DC interiors:

• Elevate your home with beautiful architectural styling

• Come in neutral hues to blend with your design in the present and in the future if you redecorate

• Offer absolute privacy and near-total darkness when secured

• Open effortlessly for light and views to your property

• Accommodate any specialty shaped window like arches and angles

• Shift glare with the louvers

• Simple to dust off

• Deliver an amazing degree of energy efficiency

• A permanent feature that increases your Washington DC property’s value

• Many customization options to craft the look you desire while fulfilling your specific requirements

In addition to these pros, faux-wood Polywood® shutters come with their own noteworthy virtues: 

• Unmatched toughness with resistance to distress from heat, cold, humidity, and the sun

• Will never be impacted by bending, cracking, or nicking

• Exclusive weather protection for impressive efficiency and cost-savings

Actually, Polywood shutters are able to do everything you require a window covering to perform, from upgrading your window’s beauty to blocking cold drafts and harmful UV rays. They’ll even operate and look just as nice decades later as the moment you first got them.

The Cons

Louvered shutters’ single disadvantage is that they come only in neutral colors. While their versatile hues match all sorts of decor, you’ll be required to opt for window shades or blinds if you have your heart set on colorful or patterned window treatments.

How To Utilize Plantation Shutters

You may utilize interior shutters on any window in your Washington DC residence. Hand-tailored shutters fit any type, size, and shape of window without losing functionality. Put them on circular, angled, and sliding glass door windows just as easily as standard windows.

You may also install Polywood shutters in any room. Pick them for their durability and energy efficiency in damp bathrooms, cold attic dormers, or sun-filled south-facing rooms. Shutters even work great in family areas and children’s rooms as they don’t use cords that pose a safety risk.

The Pros And Cons Of Window Shades

Window shades come in various different styles, although, by and large, all have a piece of fabric mounted above your window. You generally pull the shade up or down to enclose and uncover your window using a cord or pull bar, although you are able to discover motorized functionality too.

Window shades don’t use louvers to manage light and privacy, but more transparent or less tightly woven natural fiber shades are able to permit light into dark rooms while blocking the view into your interior. Or you could consider top-down/bottom-up options that let you open up the top of your window for sunlight while protecting your privacy below.

The Pros

Washington DC homeowners like window shades because they can be found in a range of styles, colors, and materials. You’ll find shades with neutral colors and vivid tones, solid color or bold patterns, see-through or blackout opacities, neatly folded fabric or woven fibers, and numerous additional choices. If you’re looking for a stylish design element when redecorating an interior, window shades in the ideal color or fabric can elevate your ambience and shield your windows.

Individual window shade styles have their own perks as well. Roller shades have a restrained appearance. Cellular shades offer energy efficiency. Tumble shades work well on French doors. And sheer shades provide a pleasant blend of filtered light and privacy.

The Cons

Window shades don’t offer the resiliency of solid window coverings and can be challenging to clean. Their materials will in time discolor from the sun or may tear, grow mold, or be tarnished with stains. You should anticipate replacing window shades every three or four years as they get worn down or you change up your interior design.

Window shades also provide less capability in balancing exterior light and privacy than plantation shutters. Even pulling them up a bit means you forgo your privacy on some of the window and you’re not able to change how the sunlight streams in in the open section. And many window shades will display shadows if your lights are on at night. And square window shades in Washington DC make you to decide between hiding a specialty window’s distinctive shape or keeping the window bare at all times.

How To Incorporate Window Shades

Most Washington DC homeowners choose window shades because they want colorful window treatments to match their design. They are perfect for less active rooms where they won’t get damaged by frequent usage.

You can also use some types of window shades for their particular purposes. Select cellular shades to help block cool air from entering. Slim roller shades accommodate spots where you need to avoid a bulky window treatment. Blackout shades stop sunlight so you can sleep. Woven fiber shades add an element of nature to your property. And remember, custom shades will unquestionably have more appeal and function more reliably on your windows than store-bought shades.

The Pros And Cons Of Window Blinds

Window blinds feature long, connected slats made of a firm material that you bring down over your windows to shield them. Blinds function with pull cords or cordless lifting mechanisms. As well as covering windows with blinds, you may also turn the slats toward or away from you with a wand for more command over exterior light.

The Pros

The virtues of window blinds depend on their material. By design, all blinds conceal windows to impede outside light and sightlines within your Washington DC residence, but their substance and quality of manufacturing play a big role how well they achieve this. You may notice sun and silhouettes with low-cost vinyl blinds. Vinyl and aluminum blinds also bow and break with ease, leaving unsightly openings that permit outside light. For these blinds, their affordability and lack of durability make them suitable chiefly as temporary window products.

More resilient natural wood and faux-wood blinds use sturdier slats that cover windows more thoroughly. You won’t have to worry about seeing past them, and they don’t break quickly. These materials, joined with the attractive straight lines of the slats, provide a more elegant appearance too. Superior wood and faux-wood blinds come in adaptable neutral shades that work well in any room.

Blinds permit you to manage how much light enters through your windows. You can move them up for an unrestricted view and total light or guide them down for privacy and a dark room. When the blinds are drawn down, you can also rotate the slats for a restricted view and a bit natural light.

The Cons

Wood and faux-wood blinds appear similar to interior shutters but aren’t nearly as durable. The cords that hold the slats together can fray in the long run, and wood slats might become misshapen and crack from an abundance of humid air or intense temperature changes. Blinds also include a fair number of components that might cause them to be difficult to clean, and the common pull cords may get tangled up or stick as you try to adjust them.

Even though made-to-order blinds will suit your windows in terms of size, they can’t give you the full protection around the borders that shutters offer because they aren’t built into a frame. You’ll also find that both window blinds and shades in Washington DC can sway and slap your window if jostled or taken by a wind gust. This moving around provides a view to outsiders and lets in exterior light.

How To Incorporate Window Blinds

High-end blinds make sense in any room on traditionally sized windows. Only choose waterproof faux-wood blinds in humid areas like bathrooms and kitchens. And motorized or cordless blinds offer safer products when you have little ones or animals.

Sunburst Has Everything From Louvered Shutters To Window Blinds And Shades In Washington DC

Would you like to know more about the pros and cons of interior shutters, window blinds, and window shades in Washington DC? Sunburst Shutters DC offers the most comprehensive selection of premium window treatments around and will is pleased to answer any questions you might have. We conduct no-charge in-home consultations to exhibit our products and give you a chance to decide which window treatments are right for your property. Arrange yours by placing a call to 240-339-2588 or filling out the form on this page.