Window shutters have taken many forms over the years, some of which have stuck around as popular styles.
Shutters, as we know them, are always placed outside of windows. It may surprise you to learn that they were originally designed for home interior purposes. Read on to learn more about the history of shutters.
Tudor And Elizabethan Shutters
On Tudor and Elizabethan homes, shutters were constructed of solid boards and only covered the lower half of window openings. As glass was expensive in those days, shutters covered what the glass did not. When the shutters were opened and fresh air came into the room, the shutters folded back to look like decorative wall panels. Even when closed across with abar, some light would filter through.
Victorian Shutters
During this era houses were more often built from wood, shutters moved outdoors. AS before this point homes were made of brick and stone, the walls were so thick that exterior shutters would have been hard to reach from the inside. Wood homes had thinner walls, which meant that exterior shutters could now be easily accessed from the inside.
Decorative Interior Plantation Shutters
By the end of the 19th century, shutters were used as much for a decorative look as for their practical uses of shelter and added protection for the glass. As mechanization entered Victorian millworks, shutters became more and more sophisticated. One common design was for them to be made of narrow horizontal slats which were angled to deflect the rain, allow the light of the sun to pass through, and offer a measure of ventilation.
The Modern Era
By the 1980s technological updates had basically rendered shutters obsolete, however a resurgence in interest in Victorian style housing and rehabbing old houses brought them back into focus as they were originally intended. Homes decorated in this style can still be found with decorative interior shutters. Shutters are still, to this day, often made from wood when they are used at all.
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Topper Construction has installed and maintained beautiful wood siding on countless homes without the Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Northern Virginia area. We have almost three decades of experience and it shows in the immense quality of our work. If you are interested in finding out more about our services, which include roofing repair and installation, siding installation, gutter installation, and foundation waterproofing, visit us online or give us a call at (301) 874-0220. For more tips and tricks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and LinkedIn.
