Upgrading Windows with Plantation Shutters

*This post is a partnership with Blindster

I am beyond excited to write this blog post today about our new Plantation Shutters from Blindster. I have wanted to get shutters for the two big windows on the front of our home for as long as we have lived here, and now that I have them, I only wish that I had gotten them sooner. These new plantation shutters have upgraded our home in the biggest way.

In this next picture you’ll see that the window on the left is how the windows looked before, and the window on the right is how the window looks with the new plantation shutter installed. The windows before were just two big black squares that didn’t offer much privacy unless the curtains were drawn. And when the curtains were closed it made the view from outside even less attractive.

But now with the new plantation shutters our little cottage home looks cuter than ever before. The new plantation shutters add so much charm to our home and the extra privacy that they offer is exactly what we were needing.

Not only are the new plantation shutters a huge improvement on the outside of our home, but they also upgraded the inside of our home in a big way. Here is a before picture of how the windows looked from the inside of our home prior to the new plantation shutters.

And here is the After! This next pictures is how the windows look on the inside of our home now with the new plantation shutters installed. What a massive improvement, right?

My family and I are really enjoying these new shutters. They have made such a world of difference to our home and I couldn’t be more happy with them.

I had a wonderful experience ordering the plantation shutters from Blindster.com The Blindster website has a helpful step by step guide to make sure that you get all of the correct measurements and features to fit your windows. They also have explanatory videos if you are more of a visual person. I was also surprised by all of the other options of blinds and window treatments that Blindster has to offer, however I knew from the beginning that it was their plantation shutters that I was envisioning for our home.

The shutters were custom made to fit our windows perfectly. My order arrived quickly and in great condition. I was so excited for our new shutters that I started to install them as soon as they arrived. I pretty much installed these shutters all by myself, although my twelve year old son did pitch in to help because he could see how much fun I was having.

I followed the instructions and first put together the frame. Next, I laid out all of the shutter panels just to make sure that I had them all lined up and in the right order before I installed them.

I didn’t take any pictures of the installations because I was too excited to get them installed. But first I screwed the frame into the window opening and then I attached the shutter panels one by one. The installation of the shutters was quick and easy.

Perhaps the hardest part of the whole thing was removing all of the tape that I had stuck to our windows previously 🙂 A few years ago I was looking for a temporary fix to upgrade our windows and I came up with the idea of adding electrical tape to the windows to look like window panes. It turned out great and I would recommend this idea to anyone looking for an inexpensive way to add character to boring windows. Although, just keep in mind, that there is some work involved when removing the tape down the road. The top layer of the electrical tape comes off easily but it does leave a layer of residue behind that will need to be scraped off with razor blade. The residue comes off easily but just involves a lot of scrapping.

Again, I recommend this electrical tape idea to anyone looking for an easy, budget-friendly idea to upgrade your windows. If new blinds or shutters are not in your budget then this is just something else to think about. I had this tape up for a few years and it did the trick until I was able to get the shutters that I have always dreamed of.

So one of the options when picking out the shutters is if you want a center divider rail or not. What this means is that you can have your panels have one tilt rod or two. I chose two and I am so glad I did. This was something that I didn’t think too much about when making my order, but it really is a convenient feature. Let me show you why….

So with the center divider rail I have the option to close just the bottom shutters and leave the tops open….

Or vice versa and have the tops open and the bottoms closed. My boys get a kick out of just opening up one portion of the shutters here and there or making a checkered board pattern. Ha! 😊 These shutters have just been a lot of fun for the whole family. At night we keep the shutters closed and every morning I open them up.

And then we also have the option to open up the shutter doors completely. This makes it nice if it’s snowing out and we want to enjoy the view a bit more.

So after I had the shutters installed, I was debating if I wanted to hang my Curtains back up or not. With the new shutters I no longer have a need for the curtains and I like the clean stream line look of the shutters without curtains.

But then in the end I decided to just go ahead and rehang the curtains to give the room a more put together look. I like the added layer that the curtains give to the windows, although the curtains now are just purely decorative since they are no longer a necessity.

White Plantation Shutters just have that iconic Beach House feel to them and so I feel that they fit in perfectly with the rest of my coastal cottage home decor.

If you are interested in getting new shutters, blinds, or window coverings for your home then I would highly recommend Blindster. They have been amazing to work with. Some hinge pins were missing from my delivery, but once I reached out to Blindster to let them know about the missing pins they were quick to get some sent to me right away.

Also, something to keep in mind. Blindster is constantly having really amazing sales. Like 50% off kind of sales, So you may want to get signed up on their email list so that you can keep an eye out for their next upcoming sale.

If you have any questions about my new plantations shutters, let me know in a comment below and I’ll be happy to answer them. Or you can come chat with me on Instagram and/or Facebook.

Also, please feel free to pin any images from my blog for later. You can find a Pin It button by hovering over any of the pictures.

I hope that you found today’s blog post inspiring in one way or another and I thank you so much for stopping by today. Please come back again soon.

Emily