Bedroom shutters

Tilt for daylight and privacy, close for sleep. Here’s how dark louvered shutters really get, and the one addition that makes a bedroom fully dark.

Design your shutters

Level 1 (flat) moulding, paint stage 1, 3½-inch louvers, tilting open and closed.

How dark do shutters get?

Closed louvers block direct light, but they aren’t blackout. Light finds its way along the edges of each panel, where the louvers overlap, and between panels in the middle of the window. Most people find the room dark enough to sleep; light sleepers often want more.

Getting it fully dark

Add a blackout blind behind the shutter. On an outside mount, a roller blind fits inside the opening behind the panels.
Choose wider louvers. Fewer louvers means fewer overlaps for light to pass. Louver sizes
Use a divider rail. Keep the bottom closed for privacy and tilt the top for morning light.

Full height with dividerA rail across the middle so the top and bottom louvers tilt separately.

Tier-on-tierUpper and lower panels that open independently.

No cords

Shutters open by hand and tilt with a rod or by the louvers themselves, so there are no cords or loops. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recorded 46 deaths of young children from window covering cords between 2014 and 2019 and advises buying cordless coverings (CPSC, 2021). In Canada, Health Canada’s Corded Window Covering Regulations have restricted cords since May 1, 2021 (Health Canada).

A typical bedroom window

A 36 × 48 in window with 4½ in louvers: $370 – $470 ($540 – $670 CAD).

Questions about bedroom shutters

Do plantation shutters block all light?

No louvered shutter is fully blackout. With the louvers closed, light still shows along the edges of the panels and where the louvers meet. They make a room much darker, not pitch black.

How do I make a bedroom with shutters completely dark?

Add a blackout roller blind or lined curtain between the shutter and the glass, or behind the shutter on an outside mount. The shutter handles privacy and daytime light; the blind handles the last of the light at night.

Which louver size is darkest?

Wider louvers mean fewer overlaps on the same window, so there are fewer lines for light to pass when they’re closed. Light around the panel edges is the same whatever the louver size.

Are shutters safe in a child’s room?

Shutters have no cords, which removes the strangulation hazard that corded blinds carry. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends cordless window coverings in homes with young children.

Design your bedroom shutters

Pick your look once, add every window, and see each one drawn and priced. Send it to us and we reply with your quote.

Design your shutters How to measure