Café style shutters cover only the lower portion of a window opening. This option gives you privacy and the beauty of plantation shutters while still allowing plenty of light to enter the room.
These café style shutters cover about 2/3 of the window opening.
A common question is how to measure the height for café style shutters. While this is really a personal preference, there are some common factors to consider when choosing the height for café style.
Double hung windows
Café style shutters are a popular choice for double hung windows. The most aesthetically pleasing option would be to measure to just above the natural divide in the windows. This way the solid rail at the top of your shutters will hide the division and any locks or hardware where the upper and lower panes overlap.
Here is an example of a double hung window where our customer used café style shutters to cover the natural divide and the lock.
The same goes for covering any natural divide in a window or covering any obstructions that you don’t want to see after the shutters are installed.
In the example below, the natural divide of the window is a little higher than the center. It is hidden by the top rail of the shutters and would only be visible when the shutter panels are opened.
Cover the natural divide of the window or any obstructions you don’t want to see, like locks or alarm sensors.
Privacy
Another good way to measure for café style shutters is to see how tall the shutters need to be to block visibility into the home.
Café style shutters are a great option for rooms where you still want plenty of sunlight coming in all day, like
bathrooms or
kitchens, but don’t want to keep your windows fully uncovered.
Create privacy and stunning style with café style shutters.
Very tall or arched-top windows
There is no right or wrong height for café style though many people associate café style with shorter shutters. Any height can be considered café style, if it leaves any of the upper portion of the window open.
For example, the tall windows below have café style shutters covering about 3/4 of the window opening.
Café style is not limited to any certain height.
While we do offer arched shutters, custom made for your special shape windows, some customers prefer to keep the arched top open. In this case, you can choose the height for your café style shutters measuring up to just below the arch.
Although these resemble full height shutters with a mid-rail, they are only framed on the left, right, and bottom, and are considered café style since the top of the window remains open.
The Sky’s the Limit
Since The Shutter Store provides custom window shutters, there are no stock sizes, and you can fully customize the height down to the sixteenth of an inch! Check out our
gallery for more inspiration.
You can also refer to our measuring guides and videos for more details on how to measure for café style shutters.
When in doubt on how to measure, or if café style is right for your interior shutters, send a picture of your window to our shutter experts for advice or give us a call.
Contact us anytime!
This post was brought to you by Yasmeen, one of The Shutter Store USA's experienced shutter consultants. Contact our team today for advice on your shutters. We're here to help!