No, you most certainly do not need to have curtains with interior shutters. In fact, alongside their ability to retain heat and their flexibility to provide light and privacy simultaneously, many customers opt for window shutters rather than curtains for their low maintenance appeal. Curtains may discolour, fray or tear over time, can be tricky to take down and are often expensive to get dry cleaned. Our range of materials protects the shutters from water, sun damage, and colour fading and can be easily cleaned with a quick wipe with a damp cloth.
Whether you want to shield yourself from passers-by, reduce the amount of light filtering in on a sunny day, reduce the glare to keep your room cooler or allow as much warmth and light in to brighten a dark room, our range of styles and louvre options will help you to minimise and maximise light and privacy.
However, just because you do not need to have curtains when window shutters are installed, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have curtains fitted alongside shutters if you want them.
Is it possible to put curtains over shutters?
Absolutely, yes. If you want to, you can put curtains over shutters and in fact, they can make a lovely pairing.
Curtains can complement window shutters really well. Both the elegance and decorative elements of curtains can be a nice contrast to the practicality of shutters. Many customers still like the classic look of curtains on the interior of their room which can enhance or match their décor. Curtains also remain popular in very large rooms or period properties to highlight the grandeur of a window, and likewise, long curtains are often used in smaller rooms to create an illusion of height.
Pairing curtains and shutters together has functional advantages too. For example, if you wanted your view to be completely exposed, a sheer curtain would allow you to do so whilst filtering the light from entering a room, providing protection from the glare of passers-by and reducing bugs entering the room.
If it is the optimum blackout you require, you may consider adding a curtain to achieve a greater level of blackout in a room. Larger louvres on your shutters will mean fewer slats and fewer light gaps which will go a long way in achieving a good level of darkness.
For optimum room darkening, we can supply shutters with integrated blinds which will act as a secondary layer between your shutters and windows. The blind can be pulled down when the shutters are open and remain in place while the louvres are either closed or opened.
Pairing curtains with shutters also enables you to add a touch of creativity and flexibility with regard to the décor of a room. In a survey focused on shutter colour carried out with our customers, 99% of respondents told us that they would choose a neutral colour shutter for their living room over a bold colour. This was mainly because neutral colours allow greater flexibility when it comes to updating or changing the décor in their home.
Adding curtains with shutters to a window’s dressing allows you to experiment with colour combinations of curtains and change them easily when required. Customers often choose curtains which contrast the colour of the shutter to add depth to a window and make it stand out from the décor around it. You could even opt for bold prints and patterns if you wanted or add a vintage touch with some regal tiebacks for a more tailored look.
So, there you have it – the answer in short is that you don’t need to have curtains installed alongside window shutters but lots of people still choose to have both. Curtains are often added for aesthetic reasons, but either way, the focus of your room will be shifted towards your windows. Whether your choices are to achieve a simplistic, modern, or practical look of stand-alone shutters or a tasteful pairing of curtains and shutters to create a more classic-looking window dressing.
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