Shutters, when done right, add detail to exterior

Although glass and screens have eliminated the practical need for shutters, theyre still popular for decoration. They add another layer of thoughtful detailing to a house, says Ted Cleary, a landscape architect in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But to get the right look, you still have to consider function when choosing and hanging shutters, experts say.

Beauty in architecture, as with many objects, often stems from seeing a detail that illustrates its purpose, Cleary says.

A pair of shutters can cost anywhere from $100 to more than $1,000. Some tips on choosing the right ones for your home:

Size

Originally, shutters were used to keep out weather, noise and animals; when closed, they had to cover the whole window.

So shutter size is the most important thing to consider, says Lindsay Daniel, a Charlotte architect, who agrees with Cleary that homeowners must think function first, not decoration.

Make sure the shutters meet and completely cover the window opening. Otherwise, she says, the shutter looks like a stupid afterthought.

This means that shutters dont work on double-width or picture windows, says Richard Taylor, an architect and president of RTA Studio in Dublin, Ohio. To my eye anyway, it looks ridiculous, he says.

And take care about their shape when hanging shutters on arched windows, Cleary adds. Shutters are perfectly legitimate on arched windows as long as the (closed) shutter covers it, he says.

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Shutters, when done right, add detail to exterior