How to Improve the Look of a Home by Adding Shutters

Installing shutters on a home—especially traditional colonials and other older style homes—is a great way to add charm, sophistication, and curb appeal. It’s not for every home but when it’s done right, you’ll be making a great investment that can greatly enhance (and even finalize) the design aesthetic of your home. 

Thinking of getting shutters put on your home? Make sure you follow these design tips to get the best-looking exterior addition to your home. 

Know Your Shutter Styles

While shutters may not be the most design-heavy exterior feature (that honor belongs to custom garage doors), there’s a surprisingly large range of designs. Some of the most common styles of shutters include: 

• Board and Batten: constructed using individual boards that are joined together using horizontal boards (known as battens) 
• Louvrered: made from multiple wood slats that overlap each other within a single shutter frame 
• Raised panel: featuring raised (panel) sections and various inlays 
• Combination: custom shutters that combine features of many different styles (including Scandinavian, café, plantation, etc.) 

Learn more about the different types of shutters in this quick design guide. 

Use them to Mirror Other Exterior Features

Shutters are more of a complement to larger home features like garage and front entry doors. While shutters can have their own distinct style, it’s generally better to have them mirror the designs of your doors, especially if those doors are custom made. 

Matching shutters are the ideal way to create a cohesive façade that looks intentional, planned, and truly unique. 

Color Matching

As with the design of the shutters, the colors chosen are also important. While wooden shutters can be stained to bring out the natural look of the wood, they can also be painted any color you want, allowing them to fit in with the already established color palette of your home. 

There are two schools of thought when it comes to color matching shutters: 

1. Have them match the color of the garage and entry door 
2. Have their color complement the garage and entry door 

If you are choosing option two, make sure to keep in mind which colors complement one another, and which ones clash. See this guide for choosing colors on the exterior features of your home, including how to choose between paint and stain. 

Custom is Always Better

While you can get shutters from any number of retailers, truly custom shutters will help bring out the natural beauty of your home. You can choose a design that fits the time period your home was built in, its existing exterior features, and the design style that is unique to you. 

We specialize in creating authentic wood shutters for any home. Get in touch with CAMBEK for your next home project.

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