You'd better sit on your hands because after seeing this you're going to want to rip all the curtains off your walls and throw them in a ditch. Interior shutters for the win. The minimalist solution for a heritage home.
If you already know you want to make interior shutters you can go straight to my full step-by-step tutorial on how to make them.
Once upon a time I bought $15 curtain panels from the discount bin at a fabric store. As far as home decor decisions go, it was right up there with buying a shag rug from Costco. When I finally threw the discoloured, flattened rug out, I suspect many pounds of potato chip crumbs, tv remotes and socks went with it.
You can see my old horrendous curtains AND the Costco rug in this post I wrote on how to create a gallery wall. I still miss my gallery wall.
It wasn't my most inspired move to impulse buy curtains for my entire house based solely on the fact that I was out buying buttons, but at the time I needed something fast and cheap. I hung them up and loved them for the first 2 weeks or so. That's the period when I still had the WOW I saved so much money!!! adrenaline rush. Then I noticed in photos my curtains looked kind of ... well dusty rose. I have nothing against dusty rose, it's just that I hate it. Therefore I hated the curtains. Obviously I couldn't keep them so I immediately got rid of them 10 years later.
In that time my love affair with cell shades ran out as well. I had those on my windows in addition to the curtains. But cell shades are nearly impossible to wash, have a tendency to break and need to be custom cut to size.
So I spent a decade thinking about what to use as window coverings and THIS time it was going to be something that would last. Enter the interior shutter.
I finally got rid of the horrendous curtains and built these shutters with some birch plywood and trim. If you look at the photo above you might think to yourself ... "But there's no room to actually open them. Stupid Karen." And you'd be right. But I fixed that by designing shutters that ...
... fold in on themselves making them half the size they appear on the windows when they're closed. I've never loved anything so much in my life. I'm certain of it.
The two windows at the front of my house have a clear stained glass transom over each of them so I did the interior shutters at ¾'s the height of the window for those two windows. That way light still comes in the house during the day even if the shutters are closed, the transoms become a design feature in the rooms whether the shutters are open or closed and they're still high enough to create complete privacy.
I don't have a lot of extra space around my windows. There are buffets and tables and couches everywhere. Like some kind of house or something. So annoying. I had to come up with a solution that would allow me to have full sized shutters that would fit into a tiny space.
I created a concealed hinge folding shutter. And they work perfectly. The hinges that allow the shutters to fold in on themselves are hidden by a strip of trim down the centre of each shutter.
After figuring that whole thing out I realized I had a bit more figuring out to do. Because they're on hinges and made out of very lightweight ¼" plywood the shutters have a tendency to want to pop open. A few magnets here and there and a latch (that is actually a picture hanger) at the bottom and my problems were solved.
I assume you realize I'm only referring to my shutter problems. I still have those Idris Elba, potato chip and always grabbing the grocery cart that pulls to the left problems.
The shutters are a basic shaker style which makes they really easy because the trim joints in the corners are all just straight butts.
These shutters are astonishingly versatile. Because they're on hinges I can maneuver them open many different ways. I can open them so they're folded on themselves like you see below, or just crack them open a bit like you see in the photo above plus a multitude of other ways.
If you feel like your house needs some sort of architectural element, this could be your answer.
So how long did this take? I figured it would take me a full day to make these shutters. Knowing I'm always wrong about this sort of thing, I doubled my timeline and gave myself a weekend. Then I laughed and laughed as I entered day 5 and I was still making shutters. The tears didn't start until day 7. But they were tears of joy because the shutters were finally done. 5 windows of shutters made, painted and hung in 7 days.
I know that probably seems like a long time but these babies are here for good. There's more to making these than you think. It's not hard, there are just a lot of steps, mainly in finishing them. Stuff like sanding and gluing and hanging.
For more, click on over to my tutorial that outlines exactly how to build them.
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Mindy Northrop
For the win!!!
Karen
I know, right?! ~ karen
Betty
I am so happy im not so odd afterall. I too did this only i used coordinating fabric and paper to tie in with each room. I love how i can shut my house off for privacy or open all the way and enjoy the sunlight. And best of all no more having to clean drapes
linda in illinois
oh JOY!, you made my heart skip. I SO want to do this with you when you post the instructions. I hate curtains, but I have never been confident enough to make shutters. I just painted my livingroom flannel gray and need new window covers. Why not shutters right. It's a large bay window, straight, not concaved, so should be much simpler to shutter. Fingers crossed.
Jan in Waterdown
Hi Linda, I don't want to rain on your parade, but with a bay window how would you fold back that type of shutter on the middle window? We have 3 bay windows in our house and it took years to figure out what to do. Eventually my talented husband made california shutters painted white and they still look fab. Great light and privacy control and easy to dust, not that I ever do...
Heather
You amaze me. In the nicest way. Beautiful! : )
Bev Bennett
Fabulous shutters. You are so clever. See you at the vets
Jan in Waterdown
Well you can say THAT again ....
😏
Bev Bennett
Fabulous shutters. You are so talented. Enjoy your blogs See you at the vets
Karen
LOL. Thanks Bev. Maybe I'll see you at a garage sale first. ~ karen!
Lea
You did a fantastic job Karen. Your talents are endless. 🇨🇦
jaine kunst
They are beautiful and so much better than curtains. I would love to make them for my bathroom and replace those dusty mini blinds. UGH!!
Phyllis Kraemer
These are truly lovely!!
Tracey Miller
LOVE,LOVE,LOVE!!
danni
oh shite! This might be what I needed to push me over the edge to paint all my crappy woodwork white....
Karen
Lemme tell you - it took me YEARS to finally paint all my woodwork white. I did a post on it last year (or the year before). I cant' believe I was such an idiot and waited so long. Ditto for painting my brick wall. - karen!
Leisa Daly
Incredible! So hard to find good, affordable window coverings!
Jean ann
Seriously perfect. The transom makes it ‘perfecter.’ After lusting after these in great houses In Europe, you did it!!
Gail Dedrick
Perfection. You have outdone yourself. I use shutters in the city for the window over our bed. It solves a lot of problems.
Karen
Good for you! I have no problems to solve in my bedroom. Sometimes I don't even close the curtains. ;) ~ karen!
Bonnie Harris
Best ever! eagerly awaiting instructions!
Jenny W
"Obviously I couldn't keep them, so I got rid of them 10 years later."
Best Sentence Ever :)
I love the shutters! I had some made for my kitchen windows when I first moved in, and I topped them with Poofy VALANCES!! My tastes have certainly changed 13 years, Thank G, and now you've given me reason to revisit shutters again (I loved the privacy).
This time, however, I will make them myself, cause I rock :)
Karen
'Cause you rock! You go make those shutters your badass self. ~ karen!
Claire Bickley
So nice! I love the clean crisp lines of shutters.
Speaking of: what's the source of your pretty pretty sectional?
Thanx,
Claire
Karen
Hi Claire! I actually got it at EQ3 in Burlington. But I got it a longgggg time ago. Years ago. It was the floor model. It might be next up on the replacement list, so I'll let you know. ;) ~ karen
Janet Goddard
Oh, they are beautiful. I'm excited that you will share how to make them!
Thandi
THEY'RE AMAZING!!! WHY DO I RENT?! I NEED THEM!
Karen
They're pretty great! Yeah, don't do these if you rent, lol. Too much work! Unless you plan to rent there forever and then ... who cares! ~ karen!
anakit
Well done! Now you can live in there!