Café style shutters are most loved for their versatility and typically cover the lower portion of a window, providing privacy where it is needed but, leaving the top half of a window completely visible and open to letting bundles of light into a room. While there is no hard and fast rule on how high café style should be (it is really a matter of personal preference) we always provide our customers with the following advice when trying to decide what height to settle on to transform their living spaces. Let’s take a look…
Natural divides
Natural pauses in windows are probably the most obvious choice for café style shutters to end. For example, if you have a double hung window, the most aesthetically pleasing option would be to measure to just above the natural divide in the window. This way you can hide the division of the glass and any locks or obstructions that stand out where the upper and lower panes overlap.
If you have a very tall window or large bay window, your natural divide may fall much higher than the centre. This may mean, that in order to cover the divide and all the associated locks etc, you decide to have the shutters measure past the natural divide resulting in the shutter panels covering a greater portion of the window than not. It really depends on how much light you want to let in, the style of your window and what you think looks the nicest.
Privacy
Plantation shutters are perfect for providing privacy without compromising on light. The Café style window is particularly good for safeguarding privacy on rooms at street level. For example, ample light is treasured in the living room where so much social activity takes place however, when you want to settle down and enjoy a movie with the family, you’ll want to avoid passers-by peering in as they walk down the street! The Café style shutter offers you both privacy and light when and where you need it the most.
If privacy is your priority, a good way to measure for café style shutters is to see how tall the shutters need to be to block visibility into the home. It might not need to be as tall as you think to provide you with the seclusion you need. If it is just to stop the glare of passers-by when you are sitting down on the sofa and watching tv, the shutters may only need to be very short.
What constitutes café style shutters?
Café shutters are one of those shutter styles that is not limited to any certain height. There’s no right or wrong height for café style so don’t eliminate this design simply because you have an unusual shaped window. As long as the upper portion of your window will be left open, then it will be considered café style. Whether half, three-quarters or two thirds of the lower half your window is covered with shutters – we refer to it as café style. Maybe you have an arch-shaped window and you would like the arch section left shutter free? That’s fine by us, you can choose the height for your café style shutters to measure up to just below the arch. We’ll make your shutters, exactly how you want them.
Whatever style shutters you prefer we can help, whether its tier-on-tier shutters coated with one of our wood stains or custom coloured full height shutters, we can help. Just give us a call on 020 8776 1484 and our friendly team will happily advise.
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