There aren't many places better suited to window shutters and their aesthetic than the South, and few cities are more representative of the Southern aesthetic than Atlanta. Whether you're looking for interior, exterior, functional, or decorative designs, shutters are an excellent addition to any Atlanta-area home.
Atlanta Window Shutter Styles: Interior Shutters
While shutters can be custom-built to suit any desire, they generally fall into four main categories: interior or exterior shutters, and shutters that are functional or decorative. Interior shutters are by far the most popular and practical, and come in two prominent styles.
Plantation Shutters—Plantation shutters are the style most often seen in homes in the Southern United States. They are easily identified by their wide slats, and if you're familiar with a home that has shutters in Atlanta, odds are these are the shutters you're thinking of. Despite the association between the South and plantation estates, plantation shutters were actually introduced by Spaniards colonizing the New World. The large slat design was the style most commonly used on large Spanish plantations throughout Mexico, and Southern and Central America, hence the name. History lessons aside, the plantation shutter has become a stalwart of Southern home design, and plantation-style shutters aren't just used to cover windows, but are also commonly installed in the South as decorative doors between interior rooms where an extra layer of privacy might be desired, such as between a dining room and the kitchen.
New England Style Shutters—The New England-style shutter, on the other hand, was brought over from England. The New England-style shutter is composed of much narrower slats, and consequently many more of them. If you're a Yankee living in Atlanta, then New England-style shutters are probably what you think of when window shutters in Atlanta are mentioned in casual conversation. New England-style shutters are used as an interior window treatment, though they're also popular as exterior shutters since they provide a more traditional exterior shutter look, and better protection against the elements if you opt for functional exterior shutters.
Atlanta Window Shutters: Exterior Shutters
Exterior shutters are far less common, though they do add a certain charm to any home they're installed on. When it comes to exterior shutters, you're usually deciding between the functional and the decorative variety, and between wood and vinyl shutters.
Functional Atlanta Window Shutters—While functional swinging shutters were a necessity before window glass gained widespread use, they're an endangered species in the ATL today. There just isn't a need to shutter your windows anymore since modern window glass is more than sufficient for weathering even the worst thunderstorms that hit the Atlanta area. If you're dead set on functional exterior shutters, you'll need to go with wood shutters in Atlanta. An exterior wood window shutter in Atlanta is almost always made from cedar, since the oils and tannins in the wood make cedar naturally resistant to damage caused by moisture and insects.
Decorative Exterior Atlanta Window Shutters—By far the most common exterior window shutters in Atlanta are installed for decorative purposes. These shutters are attached directly the house, and can be purchased in wood or vinyl varieties. Vinyl is quickly overtaking the decorative shutter market since they require no maintenance, unlike wood shutters that must painted to protect them from the elements. However, since they're not as structurally sound, and can warp in the hot Georgia sun, vinyl window shutters in Atlanta are unsuitable for anything but decorative use.
If you're interested in installing shutters inside or outside your Atlanta home, talk to a shutter manufacturer and supplier about sizing, style, and installation procedures so that you can get your shutter installation underway.
Matt Goering, formerly a carpenter and house painter, is a freelance writer for the home improvement industry who has published over 600 articles.
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