If you follow me on Instagram you'll see that I've recently painted a very large rainbow mural in a nursery for a client of mine. While searching the internet for a window treatment to match the rainbow wall, I came across this image below by the shutter company Shutterly Fabulous. Isn't it brilliant?? I love how each different colour louvre creates a rainbow effect down the shutter. On a side note, shutters are also really great for a child's room as there are no hanging cords or reams of fabric for them to get themselves dangerously caught up in.

I absolutely love shutters as an alternative to blinds or curtains. When we moved into our current home one of the first things that I wanted to do was add shutters to every window (which I consequently did). However, with so many styles and ranges of shutter out there (you've got solid panel, plantation, cafe style, tier-on-tier and full height among others), I did get bogged down with what sort of shutters were the right ones for me and my home. I had to think about the age and style of the house, the structure and design of the window, the window height and if it was accessible (or if something was positioned in front of it, blocking easy access); as well as more basic considerations such as privacy and how much light I actually wanted to let in during the day! It was all a lot to consider, so if you are thinking of adding shutters in your own home, to help you decide on the right style I've listed the shutter types available and why they may (or may not) be the right sort of shutter for you.

Plantation shutters are full-length shutters that generally stay closed against the window and let in the light via louvre slats. Plantation blinds and shutters are perfect for windows that get full sun throughout the day as the slats can be opened, closed or tilted to let in your preferred amount of light. They are also great for windows directly facing a busy road or street as they always offer a level of privacy. Quality shutter company Shutterly Fabulous offer their customers a variety of louvre sizes on plantation shutters - go for smaller louvres if you need to lower the light levels on sunny days, and larger slats if you like to peep out at what the neighbours are up to regularly.

Wood panel shutters are shutters which are a solid pane of wood that fold over and back against the side of your window. These shutters are my personal favorite type of shutters as I love the traditional look of shutter panels. Wood panel shutters look great in Victorian townhouse properties and work well in bedrooms as they completely block out all light. Solid panels are great for kids bedrooms as they stop early-morning summer sun from waking children at an unreasonable hour! As solid panel shutters need to be opened and closed daily, make sure that there is enough space each side of your window for the shutters to be folded back neatly.

Cafe-style shutters provide shutter coverage only on the bottom half of the window, meaning the top part of the window remains bare. I have cafe-style shutters in my bathroom and they were the perfect choice as I did not want to block the light from the room completely due to it not being used for long periods at any one time. As our bathroom is at the top of the house and is not overlooked, we only needed privacy at the bottom half of the window. Also, as the bath is situated in front of the window, I would not be able to reach the top half of the window easily each day. By having cafe-style shutters, the bathroom is always light, but privacy is available without having to close the shutters each time the bathroom is in use. For shutters in the bathroom or near a sink, Shutterly Fabulous offer a Polyvinyl shutter range which is completely waterproof.

Full height shutters go from the bottom to the top of the window in one sleek style. For large windows, a mid-rail may be added. For those of whom aesthetic symmetry and sophistication is important, full height shutters would be for you.

Tier-on-tier shutters are two shutters placed one on top of the other, and are the perfect balance between full-length and cafe-style shutters. I have solid tier-on-tier shutters in my bedroom and they allow me to completely block out the light when I sleep. I then open up the top-tier when I want to let in the light, but keep the privacy for when I get dressed. Once dressed, I open the shutters up completely to let in all of the natural light available so that I can do my make-up.

Shutterly Fabulous are a colourful, dedicated shutter company who offer great value, quality hardwood shutters throughout the UK. They even make shutters for Velux or unusual-shaped windows! If you are considering shutters, get in touch with one of their helpful design consultants today to see what they can do for you!

* This post is a collaboration with Shutterly Fabulous. All images are courtesy of Shutterly Fabulous.