Does your home have a small window? Are you struggling to think of a way to cover it? Is your window too small for shutters?
Small windows are really tricky to dress. Curtains tend to look like they belong to a doll’s house, and blinds simply don’t come small enough. Well, we’ve got the solution you’ve been looking for.
Shutters!
Don’t believe us? Read on.
How Small Is A Small Window?
Most houses have at least one window that’s smaller than the others. It’s really common to find this in the UK, especially in older houses that were built when glass was expensive.
Even larger homes with bigger windows usually have a small window somewhere. And small windows do serve some purposes, like minimising the view into your house from the outside or increasing the light flow in dark areas. You’ll usually find a small window:
- In your downstairs loo. In this environment, the small window has been put in to alleviate the gloom without putting you on show.
- In a small bedroom or box room. The small window placement here maximises the rest of the available wall space for furniture and furnishings.
- In long rooms. Small consecutive windows or long thing windows might be used in narrow rooms to allow natural light in.
The Problem With Small Windows
As you can see, small windows have a place, and they do their job well. That we’ve got no issue with. The problem with small windows comes with how you cover them up and make them look good.
Let’s apply standard-sized window suggestions to small windows and see how they measure up.
Curtains
You can definitely use curtains to dress small windows. (It’s your house, you can do whatever you want!).
One option is to cut a pair to size, though this has an Alice In Wonderland feel that, unless you are looking for quirky decor, doesn’t really work. Or you use curtains that are far too big for the window, which can look strange when they’re open.
Curtains up high also allow light to escape from underneath them, so they won’t help you to darken a room.
Blinds
Again – you do you. If you want to cover your small windows with blinds, go ahead. Like small curtains, however, tiny blinds also look a bit odd, especially with a long cord hanging down beside them emphasizing how miniature they are.
So what’s the solution? How exactly do you dress a small window to make it look stylish?
Shutters For Small Windows
Yep, shutters. That’s how.
Shutters are made to measure, so there’s no such thing as a ‘too small’ window, and you don’t need to faff around chopping and changing a pair of curtains to get something that’ll fit.
If you have ever shopped around for shutters, you’ll know that there are a variety of different styles to choose from, each with fantastic properties. And for tiny windows, there are a couple of shutter styles that simply will not work…
First up, cafe shutters. Cafe shutters only cover the bottom half of a window, and this aesthetic would be completely lost on a small window – especially windows that sit high up on the wall beyond eye level. Another type of shutter to avoid is tier-on-tier. A small window should let light in, and tier-on-tier shutters feature too large a portion of solid wood where the two tiers meet in the middle for this style to optimise your tiny window.
So what type of shutters do you want for your small windows?
The shutters that work best and can look fantastic adorning small windows are solid or full-height shutters. These styles of shutters…
- Can be customised with narrower louvres to help balance the look
- Improve privacy
- Block out plenty of sunlight if required
- Hold clean, uncomplicated lines to optimise the small window area
- Can feature hidden tilt rods to keep the whole window looking neat and tidy.
Why Shutters Are The Best Solution For Small Windows
Shutters are the number one choice for your small windows, and here’s why.
A Perfect Fit For Snazzy Shapes
Since shutters are custom-fitted, they work with any room they’re installed in and look like they were always meant to be there.
And, instead of hiding the unique features of your small windows like curtains and blinds, shutters celebrate the variety of incredible window shapes blessing the spaces of old houses UK-wide. Diamond, round and peculiar windows maintain their unique look, making for a very stylish room feature.
Transform Your Space
Shutters add style to any room. There’s just something about them. They’re robust and easy to look after, but they’re also timelessly impressive to look at, whatever your style. Maybe you’re after natural wooden tones to complement an earthy interior design job. Or you might opt for a classic white to help reflect the light around the room. You could even go for a bolder, more striking colour to really give your small window some character.
Impressively Energy Efficient
Preventing heat loss from your home with well-fitted and good-quality shutters saves you money on your energy bills.
Did you know that approximately 10% of the heat produced by your boiler gets lost through windows? It’s a huge amount, isn’t it? Installing shutters holds the heat of your home inside, where it should be, and when fitted correctly and fully closed, they can lower heat loss by up to 50%.
Increased Privacy Levels
Shutters are often the fashionable choice because they look good, but they offer many super practical benefits too.
Baggy curtains that waft in the breeze, and blinds that are either up or down, don’t offer much in the way of privacy for you or your belongings. Shutters, on the other hand, are your answer to expert light control alongside full privacy, meaning you can stay comfy in your haven of a home with no one looking in from the outside.
Maintenance Is A Breeze
Shutters are notoriously easy to look after. Sturdier than blinds, and less prone to discolouration and staining than curtains, blinds are easy to look after and even easier to clean – ideal if your small window is up high.
What About A Small Bathroom Window?
Many people looking at shutters as an option for their small bathroom window will worry about the humid conditions typical of a bathroom.
Wooden shutters? Regular exposure to water? Surely that’s a recipe for disaster.
Correct. Luxury wooden shutters do not belong in bathrooms and kitchens, where excessive moisture in the air is a daily occurrence. For windows in these areas of the house, there are plenty of waterproof shutter styles designed with humidity, and a great aesthetic, in mind.
100% water-resistant models in robust ABS offer a great window dressing option for small windows in bathrooms and kitchens.
Small Windows Perfectly Suit Stunning Shutters
Small windows might seem like they’re destined to be hidden by unsuitable window dressings. But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Shutters not only solve the small window problem, but they celebrate it. Shutters for small windows look great, are easy to look after AND help to reduce your energy bills.
Intrigued about shutters for your home? Want to find out more about the fitting process, or have a look at some samples in the flesh? Book a visit to our showroom or even a virtual appointment from the comfort of your sofa, and one of the team will be happy to answer all of your questions. As a BBSA member, you can be sure of the very best advice…
