Outdoor living spaces have become increasingly popular as more homeowners seek to extend their living areas to the great outdoors. From lavish pools and patio kitchens to cozy firepits and dining areas, the possibilities of creating an outdoor oasis tailored to your lifestyle are endless. However, one often overlooked aspect that can significantly enhance your outdoor living experience is the addition of external shutters.
Enhanced Curb Appeal and Visual Interest
One of the most apparent benefits of external shutters is enhancing your home’s curb appeal. Whether modern, sleek, rustically charming, or stately and elegant, high-quality external shutters instantly add visual interest and Dimension to your home’s exterior. By driving by a home with shutters, you will likely do a double take and admire the architectural details.
Shutters come in various colours, sizes, shapes and materials – from natural wood to composite, aluminium, vinyl, and even PVC. This allows you to match your shutters to your home’s existing colour scheme or make a bold statement with a contrasting colour. Shutters give your outdoor living space immediate roadside allure no matter what material or design you prefer.
Protection from the Elements
In addition to aesthetics, one of the primary historical reasons homeowners added shutters in the first place still rings true today – shielding our outdoor living areas from the natural elements. External shutters provide an added barrier against things like:
Blazing Sun and UV Rays
Shutters can be angled at various positions to block out intense sunlight effectively. This creates ample shade so you can comfortably enjoy your outdoor living space during peak sun hours without roasting. The shade provided also minimizes harmful UV exposure – protecting you, your family, and your outdoor furniture.
Gusty Winds
Shutters on the windward side of your home protect against strong winds, preventing pesky dust and debris from blowing into your outdoor living area. Again, the ability to angle external shutters allows you to strategically deflect winds, while horizontal shutters provide an added anchor. This protection ensures you can relax outdoors, even on windy days, without being bombarded by winds.
Heavy Rain and Storms
Wood or aluminium shutters add a sturdy, protective layer over windows and doors during heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. This effectively reinforces against strong winds and prevents outdoor furniture or decor from becoming dangerous projectiles. Closed shutters also form a water barrier, keeping rain out of covered areas so you have a dry refuge.
Temperature Extremes
Open shutters positioned strategically over sunny exposures bring excellent relief by providing shade and airflow. Closed shutters during winter are an extra insulated layer trapping heat to make covered areas more comfortable year-round.
Privacy and Seclusion
Though many homeowners crave an inviting curb appeal, others prefer to leave their outdoor living areas off of full display. This is where the adjustability of external shutters once again provides significant benefits. You can control privacy and seclusion by customizing the angle or positioning of shutters.
Partially closed shutters near seating areas or overexposed doorways maintain visibility from the inside out while eliminating views from the street. Fully closed shutters convert Glass doors or windows into an opaque wall. This allows you to retreat into your private outdoor oasis without giving up natural light.
If enhanced privacy is your goal, shutters with adjustable louvres or cutouts are a great solution. These specialized shutters allow you to filter in sunlight and breeze while obscuring outward views – finding the perfect balance between an open, airy feel and total seclusion.
Added Dimension for design possibilities
The unique depth and architectural interest shutters contribute to a home’s exterior and open up broader possibilities for overall outdoor design. Once you introduce shutters into the equation, you can leverage their visual properties to create an intentionally designed outdoor living space that aligns with your style.
Consider using shutters to define separate functional zones like a shaded lounging corner or an intimate dining nook under the shutters’ dancing shadows. The repeating vertical lines and shadow patterns lead the eye and establish visual flow.
Mixing materials like shutters with other exterior elements such as potted plants, trellises, a stone fireplace, or water features compound design dimensions. Experimenting with colour by adding a bright pop of shutter colour introduces an eye-catching contrast.
However you incorporate them, external shutters instantly provide beautiful bones and architectural accents to build your design.
Added Value
An often overlooked bonus benefit of installing high-quality external shutters is that they can directly translate to increased property value. Not only do they considerably improve curb appeal, but functional shutters also provide practical protection for your home.
Shutters defend your most valuable investment against costly damage from weather extremes, debris, and potential break-ins. This prevents expensive repairs that directly hit your wallet. Further still, refined design details distinguish a home and make it more alluring to potential buyers in the real estate marketplace – resulting in profitable resale value.
The Complete Package
When shopping for external shutters, looking for quality craftsmanship is essential to get the full benefits. Contractors recommend composite shutters made of polyresin – an ultra-durable, dent-resistant material with integrated insulation that provides elegance and unmatched performance.
The innovative construction of composite shutters makes them easy to maintain while offering the ability to customize sizes, shapes, colours and louvre configurations to match your home’s architecture and handle local weather conditions.
In short, composite shutters are a premium product designed to elevate your outdoor living space in form and function. So, for your next home improvement project, look beyond aesthetics and consider how external shutters provide protection, privacy and added property value – giving you more to enjoy outdoors! For more information, visit here.
