How you dress, your windows will affect more than your interior and exterior design. It will determine a room’s exposure to natural sunlight, atmosphere, security, and warmth.
Rather than picking the first curtain or shutter design that suits your taste, you must make a more informed choice to create a stylish, inviting, and comfortable home. So, are curtains better than shutters? Keep reading to find out.
Privacy and Light Control
The Winner: Shutters
The last thing you want is to be awoken early by daybreak or spot a stranger staring into your home while watching TV. For this reason, you’d be wise to learn about the best window dressings to enjoy a quiet, flexible, and private property.
When it comes to privacy and light control, which is best curtains or shutters? If you answered shutters, you’d be right. Many options are available to shield your home from prying eyes without affecting the flow of natural sunlight. For example, café-style shutters will cover the lower portion of a window for privacy, and sunlight will flow through a room from the top of the exposed windowpane.
Another option is tier-on-tier shutters that feature separate top and bottom sections that you can close or adjust to close off a room or increase natural light. It will improve privacy at eye level while maximizing sunlight and improving your property’s curb appeal.
Curtains can close off the world to your home, but you must choose between a dark or bright room. Sheer curtains are available to shut the curtains during the day without darkening a space, but the transparent material will not guarantee 100% privacy.
Price
The Winner: Curtains
Curtains are one of the cheapest window dressing options available. Also, you can often pick up a pair of curtains to suit the correct width and length of your window from a store, or they can be affordably altered to match your property’s needs.
Shutters are often made-to-measure and complement your windows’ exact dimensions, hence the higher price tag. Unlike curtains, you will not need to replace shutters often, and they can even add value to your home. For this reason, you might need to weigh the short-term and long-term benefits to make the correct choice.
Energy Efficiency
The Winner: Shutters
Curtains might feel like a no-brainer if you are looking for the most energy-efficient window dressings. Thermal-lined curtains can help your property retain some heat, but they aren’t necessarily the best option.
Custom-built shutters are fitted to match a window’s exact dimensions and feature a frame surrounding a pane. As a result, there are fewer gaps available to allow cold air to flow into a room, which can help you maintain a warm, cozy home.
Also, natural hardwood shutters will reflect heat, helping generate heat to remain inside a room. It could shave money off your energy bills while creating a more inviting space for you and your loved ones.
Durability
The Winner: Shutters
If you don’t want to replace your window dressing in a few years, you should look no further than shutters. As they are often made from premium hardwood, plastic, or aluminum, they are less likely to experience wear and tear or break.
If you choose curtains, don’t be surprised if you need to replace them in a couple of years, as they could experience discoloration from the sun and might bobble or fray.
Child-Friendly
The Winner: It is a tie
No parent wants to battle their children to go to sleep or wake up earlier than necessary. Yet, natural sunlight flowing into a room may stop your kids from drifting off or cause them to rise from their slumber at the crack of dawn.
As mentioned, shutters are the best options for privacy and light control, which will support a good night’s sleep. Yet, you can purchase blackout curtains, which are great to use at night. Also, you might feel they better complement your nursery’s décor and theme.
Cleanliness
The Winner: Shutters
Curtains aren’t the best option for maintaining a fresh, fragrant home. As beautiful as a design might be, the fabric will attract dust, germs, and unpleasant odors. While you can place curtains in a washing machine when dirty, they are hard to wash, and banishing creases and wrinkles can feel like a nightmare.
On the other hand, you can quickly and easily clean shutters. Close the shutters flat and work your way across each louver with a dry microfiber cloth or feather duster. Start at the top and work your way down to banish any dust, which will help your shutters look as good as new.
Home Security
The Winner: Shutters
As mentioned earlier, the window dressings you pick will determine your home’s privacy. Shielding your home off from passers-by will not only improve your comfort, but it can boost your home security.
For instance, café-style shutters will make it difficult for a person to peer inside your property. As they will serve as a deterrent, you will worry less about intruders entering your home.
Also, the shutters’ hardwearing design will lead potential trespassers to believe your windows are difficult to break into during the day and night. You’ll sleep peacefully in your bed each night, knowing a trespasser is less likely to enter your home.
The Overall Winner: Shutters
Curtains may have their benefits, but they cannot compare to the many advantages of shutters. Despite being more expensive, shutters will create a more visually appealing, secure property that will help you maintain a warm, clean, and private interior.
Also, you can choose from many designs to complement your taste, budget, and property needs, such as café-style, full-height, bay window, or room divider shutters, to name a few design options.
Think carefully about a room’s specific needs to choose the best window dressings to match your home. It will ensure you look back on your decision with zero regrets and fall even more in love with your interior and exterior design.
