{"id":8593,"date":"2019-01-17T11:26:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T10:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sunbell.it\/?p=8593"},"modified":"2019-01-18T10:48:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T09:48:11","slug":"blinds-or-external-shutters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sunbell.it\/en\/blog-en\/blinds-or-external-shutters\/","title":{"rendered":"Blinds or External Shutters? The elements to consider"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are thinking to buy a new house or if you decided to embark on a renovation project, amongst the decisions you will have to take, you will also have to consider what kind of window fixtures and window treatments you will want to use<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In these cases, one of the questions to ask yourself is<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s the best solution? Darkening blinds or external shutters?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As well as for the aesthetic evaluation, this dilemma often arises for more complex and different conditions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For this reason, it\u2019s probably useful to clarify a few things<\/strong> first before getting into the specifics.<\/p>\n

Read on!<\/p>\n

Why are shutters not used in some parts Europe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In north European countries people generally don\u2019t use shutters or roller shutters<\/strong> on their windows for different reasons.<\/p>\n

One of these reasons is essentially the climate and the scarcity of sunlight during the day<\/strong>, which doesn’t justify the presence of purposely build protection for it.<\/p>\n

This essentially structural need, in turn generate a furnishing problem as, even if there isn\u2019t such big need to protect a house from sunlight, it is still necessary to provide its inhabitants with some privacy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, given the very cold winter in northern Europe, a shutter box installed on the windows fixture would definitely cause thermal dispersion and might allow cold drafts to come in the house<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, thick darkening curtains could be still used in this situation, as they would help the insulation of your window fixture and help the energy efficiency of the house.<\/p>\n

Given this much-needed premise, which offers us useful insight about some elements to take into account, let\u2019s move on and see the best way to make our choice.<\/p>\n

Window shutters: an architectural element to value<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The choice between darkening blinds and external shutters<\/strong> very much depends on the condition in which we find ourselves.<\/p>\n

If your house already has shutters<\/strong>, remove them or change them could mean having to do significant structural work with consequent high costs. In many cases, they also represent a charming architectural element<\/strong>\u00a0that can improve the aesthetics of your exteriors.<\/p>\n

More in the specific, in central and southern European countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain and France external shutters are a typical feature present in homes for centuries<\/strong>, and they are therefore an element to value and not necessarily to abandon.<\/p>\n

Obviously, if the external shutters are old, in bad conditions and need of repairs, their overall charm might be lost<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In this case, the advice is to attempt the refurbishing of them or change them for new models with high energy efficiency.<\/p>\n

Darkening blinds: a hybrid solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you are building your home from scratch or going through a massive restaurant work, you could consider to opt for a more north European solution<\/strong>, excluding external shutters and try darkening blinds.<\/p>\n

A few things to consider:<\/p>\n