Dressing a Small Window With Plantation Shutters

Which Shutter Style Works Best for Small Windows?

For small windows, full height shutters are almost always the right choice. They cover the entire window opening in one clean panel, maximizing both the visual size of the window and the amount of light that comes through when the slats are open.

The other styles are generally less suited to small windows:

• Café style shutters cover only the lower portion of the window — on an already small window, this can feel unbalanced and reduces visibility further.

• Tier on tier shutters split the window into upper and lower panels. Where they meet, there is a solid band of material that can block a significant portion of an already limited view.

For small windows, smaller louvers tend to look better and give you more flexibility. Our smallest louver size is 2½" and is often the best choice for compact windows for two reasons:

• Smaller louvers allow more movable slats to fit within the panel, with proportionally smaller solid top and bottom rails.

• Larger louvers reduce the total number of slats that can fit, and the difference is made up by increasing the size of the solid top and bottom rails — which can make a small window look even more blocked.

Even if you have chosen larger louvers elsewhere in the house, it is worth going smaller on compact windows to keep everything looking proportional.

Inside Mount vs. Outside Mount for Small Windows

For small windows, outside mount is often the better choice. Here's why:

• An outside mount frame attaches to the wall surrounding the window opening, so the overall shutter covers a larger area than the window itself — making the window appear bigger.

• An inside mount frame sits within the window recess, which means the shutter panel has to be even smaller to fit inside the frame. On a small window, this can result in a very narrow panel with limited visibility.

• Outside mount is especially useful for narrow sidelight windows that may not be wide enough to fit a shutter panel inside the recess at all.

With outside mount, you can provide us with the finished size of the area you want the shutter to cover — whether that's flush to the window opening or slightly larger to cover more of the surrounding wall.

Which Frame Type Is Best for Small Windows?

Whether inside or outside mount, choosing the narrowest frame available will maximise the size of your shutter panels. Our American Hardwood range has our narrowest frames, starting at just 1⅛" wide, and also offers the most flexible minimum panel width — making it the best option for very narrow windows.

Other Design Tips for Small Windows

Color: Light, neutral colors like Bright White make windows and rooms appear larger. Dark colors tend to have the opposite effect, making the space feel smaller and the window more dominant.

Hidden tilt rod: Choosing a hidden tilt rod eliminates the central bar that runs vertically down the middle of the slats. This opens up more of the view when the slats are open and gives the shutter a cleaner, less cluttered look — particularly noticeable on smaller panels.

Still Have Questions?

Every small window is different, and our shutter experts are here to help you find the right fit. Contact us by phone, email, or online chat — or attach a photo of your window when you order and we'll advise on what will look and fit best.