History, Design and Use of Plantation Shutters
For the uninitiated, Plantation shutters are a kind of interior blind generally made from broad slats of wood and mounted in a solid frame. Provided you don't have a glass partition, a plantation shutter allows unhindered movement of air - something that is especially essential in a warm climate. Even when open, Plantation shutters contractors due to their broad slats provide shade and keep the interior of the house cool. Plantation shutters come in a range of sizes and shapes and there's one to fit every window and door.
History of plantation shutters
Although they look cool, very few people are aware that Plantation shutters are not a new invention. In fact, plantation shutters were in use since the middle ages. Some scholars suggest that the design originated from a need to be able to fire arrows from inside the home / palace or fortification.
Back then, windows did not have glass. Instead Basswood Shutters were installed in place of glass. In the earliest design of plantation shutters, each slat had to be manually tilted to open or shut it. Subsequently, someone must have come up with the idea of the lever for later design plantation shutters had a lever usually on the right that could be raised or lowered. The lever in turn opened or shut all the slats.
The design and idea of the plantation shutters was carried by Europeans to various corners of the Earth. The English and Spaniards are especially credited with popularizing the use the plantation shutters. The colonists used Basswood plantation shutters even on doors. The heat and climatic conditions nearer the equator made the colonists want to keep the doors open. However, since it was not practical to do so, the plantation shutters began to be used in place of solid doors.
Plantation shutters today
Today, Plantation shutters have a come a long way from the simple middle age designs. You can now buy anything from a simple plantation shutter (one with a rod in the middle to open and close the blinds) to plantation shutters with varying degrees of sophistication and complexity. You can buy plantation shutters that are hinged. These can be pulled all the way open for unrestricted ventilation. There are Outdoor plantation shutters that come in sets of hinged panels which are folded across the window so you can open all or only parts of the entire shutter.
Then there are cafe-style plantation shutters. These only cover half the window – usually the lower half creating privacy without obscuring the entire window.
You can even order custom made Cedar plantation shutters that can be fitted into non-standard spaces (triangular or circular windows). These days, plantation shutters are fitted behind a glass. Although a bit rare, you may often come across older colonial style homes that have 100 year old plantation shutters fitted directly into a door with no glass.
Traditionally, plantation shutters were made from wood. Today, too wooden Sydney plantation shutters are popular. However, cost and environmental considerations often make people buy plantation shutters made from aluminium, fibre and other material.
