Shutters transform the look and feel of a room. Period. But we’ll bet you didn’t know the many other ways shutters can be used throughout your home - beyond the traditional window or door dressing. Discover these 10 alternative ways to use shutters in your next home decoration project and get ready to get your DIY on…
1. Shutters as a headboard
Pic credit: Style Made Simple
When you’re decorating a master bedroom, shutters bring real character to the room. Installing shutters behind your bed creates either a charming and traditional or contemporary headboard depending on the style and color you choose. Want warmth and character? Our Premium Elm Hardwood shutters offer a subtle grain in the wood which is more traditional. Get them finished in stains like Chestnut, Mahogany or Java to bring coziness. Want a more contemporary or coastal look? Our Classic Poplar Hardwood shutters in Silk White or Bright White offer a very smooth finish and look fantastic against colored walls. Prefer a dramatic, luxe look? Opt for the deeper colors that are featured in our Designer Collection. Claret Red, Thunder or Peacock are all packed with drama and would look incredible as a headboard. Read about our various shutter styles here.
2. Shutters as a table centerpiece
Pic credit: Baskets of Burlap
A simple shutter panel laid on the center of your dining table will bring charm no matter what the occasion. Dress with plants, candles and dinnerware - or scatter with festive twinkle lights for a romantic touch. The best part about ordering a new shutter as table decoration? The Shutter Store can manufacture the perfect sized shutter for your table measurements to ensure there’s plenty of space surrounding for placemats, drinks and cutlery. Simple.
We don’t offer distressed ‘vintage’ style shutters, but to achieve a similar look choose warmer colors from our Affordable Fauxwood collection. Alabaster, Pearl and Dove look pretty with fresh flowers and table linens for the vintage-chic feel.
3. Shutters as louvered closet doors
Pic credit: Precious Sister Blogspot
Installing shutters as louvered closet doors is a popular choice for our customers. We have helped hundreds of customers correctly measure and install louvered shutters for their closets, talking them through the design options and the benefits shutters as closet doors brings. Mix your look with half solid, half slatted, keep the whole door slatted with a mid rail, all options are completely down to you and bespoke. If your home is particularly prone to damp, consider installing louvered shutters as closet doors to keep air flowing right through the closet, while still hiding any clutter inside.
4. Shutters as a notice board
Pic credit: Pinterest
A super functional way to store any letters, car keys or photos from your vacation is to mount a simple shutter to your kitchen or entryway wall. Whether your wall space is little or large, we can build a shutter to suit it in a whole variety of color options. ‘S’ hooks and mini pegs are easily picked up from your local craft or hardware store and will help to make full use of the slats.
5. Shutters to hide a TV screen
Pic credit: Ballard Designs
Wall mounted TV screens are a big perk in the home, but design-wise they can tend to dominate the look of a room - especially when the overall color scheme sits on the neutral side. A big, dark TV screen can easily be hidden when not in use. Build a bespoke frame around your TV (your carpenter can advise on this), then fit our made-to-measure shutter frames and panels on top. Opting for a part-solid, part slat shutters gives a charming ‘french door’ look but we can manufacture lots of different options - all slatted, all solid. Just make sure there’s space either side of your TV screen for the shutters to sit flat when open, so as not to obstruct your view of the movie you’re trying to watch!
6. Shutters as a master bedroom lighting feature
Pic credit: Pinterest
Solid shutters can bring ornate, traditional detailing to a room, like these stunning wall lights fashioned using vintage solid shutters as a backdrop. One big benefit to installing lighting fashioned in this way is that electrical cords can be hidden behind. No messy plastering needed to install wall lights, and you’re left with beautiful lighting details that will become a key feature in your room.
The Shutter Store don’t offer distressed shutters like those shown in this article however we do have a wide selection of paints and stains as well as different grains of wood to achieve a ‘vintage’ look. Our Premium Elm Hardwood shows a subtle wood grain and when painted in Alabaster, Grey, Dove or Biscuit it achieves a modern-vintage look. Remember we make free samples to order so you can see for yourself, and we offer fantastic customer service to advise you.
7. Shutters to decorate an alcove
Alcoves are a common feature in older American homes, often used as storage solutions or painted to be a feature of the room. For a more decorative look, lean high shutters and style with plants and baskets underneath or if it’s a bedroom you’re decorating, use the louvres to hang a special dress or your favorite fabric.
8. Shutters as bathroom hooks
Pic credit: Liz Marie Blog
There’s something very coastal about white shutters when they contain a prominent grain like those shown above. Lean the shutter to one side, drill in some hooks and in less than an hour you have yourself a completely unique hook system perfect for towels that would look beautiful in a bathroom, utility room or en suite.
To replicate the look shown above, we recommend opting for a Bright White or Silk White shutter in our Premium Elm Hardwood which will give you a textured grain. Choose the optional mid-rail and central push rod for added detail.
9. Shutters as a room divider
Pic credit: Pinterest
If you’re decorating a long, narrow space, zoning it off into sections can help to make it feel less ‘tunnel’-like. The picture above shows a clever use for shutters. They’ve positioned vintage, solid shutters at the foot of their bed, to divide the room. This not only brings privacy to anyone entering, it’s also created an additional space to position a desk and chair.
If you’d like to install something like this in your home, discuss options with an experienced carpenter. The Shutter Store can provide made-to-measure shutters in a variety of colors and styles, but it is best to seek a builder or carpenter’s advice on how these can be propped up and supported.
10. Shutters as a bedside table
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Pic credit: Decoist
One final idea we love is this use of shutters as a bedside table. If you’re a keen DIY’er this is a really fun project to transform your space. Any of our shutter styles and colors will work for this, simply select your favorite, measure the size you’d like and place your order online with us. Once you’ve fixed the shutter to either side of your bedroom wall, install a shelf with brackets at the height you need and paint it a complementary color. If you’re super organized you could measure the exact height you need your shelf to be and opt for a mid rail to be included at the same height when you order your shutter. This will give you more back board to drill your shelf to.
Feeling inspired? Order some free samples today to help you choose the shutter style and color for a similar project, or give our team a call for a chat - we’re happy to help!