Hey there, Readers! I’m back after a little Easter break with the first instalment of our Shutter Story.
As you’ve seen over the past few months we have been working on our Dining Room.
If you fancy catching up on the dining room you can go here and here.
You’ve already guessed we really fancied shutters for the windows of this room.
Up until just before Christmas we had Venetian blinds in the four sections of the bay window. They were fitted below the stained glass panes and had been there since before we moved in.
The reason we kept the blinds for over three years is simply because they worked in the space. The dining room is on the front of the house, so privacy is key in this room. The blinds let in the light but still protected our inside space.
I’d seen shutters appearing more and more, as an alternative to blinds. They are becoming more affordable than ever before. So when we needed to get our bay window replaced due to age, (and the fact there were so many layers of paint on the wooden frames we couldn’t open the windows!) shutters started looking like a feasible option.
We had a local firm sort the windows and we paid extra to have them re glaze the original stained glass panes at the top of the bay. As I’m sure you know we try to renovate our home sympathetically to its age (budget allowing).
Preserving things like the stained glass from around 1928, when the house was built, helps to keep the character and history of the house intact.
Its at this point in the story I’m going to introduce you to Santa Fe Shutters who I’ve partnered with to share my experience of their shutters. From the measuring up and consultation; right through to the fitting and how we live with, and use the shutters in different seasons. I hope to share our experience as fully as possible.
Santa Fe are a Decora brand. Decora have been going for over thirty years and are experts in window solutions. I cant wait to share more with you about this collaboration. This image in particular from their brochure really has me swooning! I want to show off the original stained glass so definitely don’t want to cover the whole window so a shutter that starts lower down would be ideal.
The images you see here are after the new windows have been put in, but before the shutters. You can see how close we are to the the footpath and road. People can see right in, so the privacy thing is a big deal for us. I think if the house was raised a little like some period properties are, then I wouldn’t feel as vulnerable. But as it is, with nothing on the windows, we are virtually eyeball to eyeball with passers by.
I’m wondering if any of you have shutters in your home?
How do you get on with them? Do you have any tips?
Or are shutters something you’d love to get, if so, in which room would you install them?
Stay tuned for the story of the shutters!
susan earlam ~ horror author 
I would love your input