Why North Dartmouth homes choose shutters
Around our North Dartmouth showroom the houses are a real mix, and plantation shutters suit more of them than almost any other window covering. A shingled cape in Padanaram has small, deep openings that a soft shade can look lost in. A ranch off Faunce Corner Road or Slocum Road, built in the sixties or seventies, tends to have one wide living room window and a run of plain bedroom windows. A farmhouse out toward Russells Mills often has old sash set well back in thick walls.
Shutters are built to the opening, so each of those windows gets a panel that fits it rather than a stock size that nearly fits. They also handle light in a way people come to rely on. Tilt the louvers and you can bounce hard afternoon glare off Apponagansett Bay up toward the ceiling while still seeing the water below.
Three Hunter Douglas shutter collections
Hunter Douglas makes three lines of shutters, and we carry all of them. They share the same idea, panels of louvers set in a frame, but the material is different, and that decides which room each one is happiest in.
Palm Beach Polysatin
A solid polysatin compound with no wood in it. This is the one we point to for bathrooms, kitchens and rooms near the water where steam and damp are part of daily life.
NewStyle composite
A hybrid of wood and modern materials with the look of a painted wood shutter. A sensible choice for bedrooms, living rooms and a whole house done in one style.
Heritance hardwood
Real hardwood, painted or stained, with the widest choice of finishes. The natural fit for older colonials and rooms with wood trim you want to match.
Choosing louver size and frame style
Once you know which material suits the room, two decisions shape how plantation shutters look on the wall: the size of the louvers and the style of the frame.
Louver size is about view and proportion. Wider louvers leave fewer slats across the glass, so when they are open you see more of the yard and less of the shutter. They look right on big windows and tall living rooms. Narrower louvers suit small panes, older sash and bathrooms, where a wide louver can look heavy on a short window.
The frame is what holds the panels and finishes the opening. An inside mount sits within the window casing and keeps the trim on show, which is why we often suggest it for older houses with good original woodwork. An outside mount sits on the wall around the window and can square up an opening that is out of true or too shallow for an inside fit. There are also choices about divider rails, which split a tall panel so the top and bottom can tilt separately, and about how the louvers are tilted, with a tilt rod on the face of the panel or a hidden mechanism at the side.
Shutters for older and unusual windows
Deep-set nineteenth-century sash, the kind you find in farmhouses toward Russells Mills, is one of the main reasons homeowners call us about shutters. A deep sill gives an inside-mounted frame plenty of room, and the shutter can sit flush with the casing so the window looks finished rather than covered. Bays, arched tops and pairs of narrow windows are all things we measure for. We have written more about this in our guide to shutters for older windows.
Cafe-style plantation shutters are another option for older houses. They cover only the lower half of the window, so you keep privacy at street level while daylight comes in freely over the top. They are popular on dining room bays and in bathrooms facing a neighbor.
Request a Consultation
Visit a showroom or let us bring the showroom to you, with samples, an expert and a free estimate.
How a shutter project works with us
- You request a consultation and we arrange a time to come to you. Our vans carry samples, so we can bring the showroom to your living room.
- We look at each window with you, talk about how the room is used and show you the three collections side by side.
- You get a free estimate for the windows you want covered.
- We take careful measurements of every opening, because a shutter is made to fit that one window.
- A certified Hunter Douglas installer fits the frames and panels and checks every louver and hinge before leaving.
If you would rather see the full collection before anyone visits, you can browse the Hunter Douglas shutter catalog and then bring your questions to the North Dartmouth showroom.
Why buy shutters from a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer
Blinds & Designs is a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer, and every shutter we sell is fitted by a certified Hunter Douglas installer. That matters more with shutters than with most products, because the frame has to be set square in the opening for the panels to swing and close properly.
We also offer in-home consultations, free estimates and interior design consultations if you want help pulling a room together. And if a shutter or shade you already own needs attention, we handle blind and shade repair as well.
Towns we cover from North Dartmouth
The North Dartmouth showroom is the base for our shutter work across the South Coast and into Rhode Island. Many of our customers live close by, in Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven and Westport, and each of those towns has its own page about plantation shutters for its housing: Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven and Westport. Our full list of towns and showrooms is on the store locations page.
Shutter questions
Which shutter is best for a bathroom?
Palm Beach is usually our first suggestion. It has no wood in it, so steam from a shower or a tub is not a concern in the way it can be with a wood product.
Can shutters be stained to match my wood trim?
Yes. Heritance is real hardwood and comes in stains as well as paints, so it can be matched to existing doors, floors or window casings.
Will shutters fit my old, deep-set windows?
In most cases they fit very well. A deep sill is good news for an inside mount. We measure every opening, and out-of-square windows can be handled with the right frame.
Do plantation shutters block light completely?
Closed louvers cut most of the light, but a little shows at the edges and between panels. If a room must be fully dark, we can talk about pairing shutters with drapery or choosing a room-darkening shade instead.
How do I choose the louver size?
Think about the size of the window and how much view you want. Bigger windows usually look best with wider louvers; small panes and older sash often suit narrower ones. We bring samples so you can see both on your own window.
Is the estimate free?
Yes. Estimates are free. We visit, look at the windows with you and give you an estimate for the shutters you are considering.
See shutters on your own windows
The easiest next step is to request a consultation. We will bring samples of all three collections, look at your windows with you and leave you with a free estimate. You can also call the North Dartmouth showroom using the call button, or stop in to see shutters in person.
Every Hunter Douglas line we carry is on our Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer page.