Plantation Shutters Made to Measure in Cornwall and Devon
Austin Hardwood
Sustainable Paulownia hardwood shutters — remarkably lightweight, five louvre sizes, and a 10-year warranty.
Newport Premium
Hardwood frames with durable painted louvres. Five louvre sizes and a 10-year warranty.
Mayfair HSPVC
Premium faux wood shutters that emulate real wood - with a 10-year warranty and total moisture resistance.
choosing plantation shutters
Plantation shutters are hinged or sliding panels of adjustable louvres, made to fit inside the window. Tilt the louvres and you control light and privacy without opening anything up. All four of our ranges come from Tropical Shutters, and each has its own page with the full specification. This guide covers the two decisions that matter most: which material suits the room, and which style suits the window.
Timber or PVC: start with the room
Austin and Newport are real hardwood. Dulwich and Mayfair are PVC made to look like painted wood: Dulwich is vinyl around an aluminium core that keeps it straight, and Mayfair is a high-strength PVC shutter made in the UK. For living rooms and bedrooms, go with timber. It is lighter, takes a finer finish and comes in more styles. In a bathroom, en suite, kitchen or utility room, steam will get into timber over time, and the manufacturer steers both PVC ranges at exactly those rooms. The same goes for a damp stone cottage where condensation sits on the glass all winter.
Paulownia or Poplar
Austin is made from Paulownia, a sustainable timber that is strong for how little it weighs. The manufacturer recommends it for larger windows, because lighter panels put less strain on the hinges. Newport is Poplar, chosen for its fine, even grain, which gives a smooth painted finish. Both are joined with mortice and tenon, and both come in the manufacturer's paint and stain colours. We can also match colours from Farrow & Ball, Little Greene or RAL Classic, or send a sample of your own for the factory to copy.
Choosing a style
Full height covers the whole window and gives the cleanest look. Café style covers the lower half, for privacy from the street with the top left clear. Tier-on-tier stacks two sets of panels, so you can fold the top back for light and keep the bottom closed. Tracked shutters slide along a track, for patio doors, bifolds and very wide windows.
Arches and angled tops can be made as speciality shaped shutters. Solid panels have no louvres, for rooms that need to be properly dark. Shutter & Shade adds a blackout or light-filtering blind in a frame behind the louvres, which you raise and lower separately. It suits bedrooms and nurseries.
What the material rules out
PVC is heavier than light hardwood, which limits how wide a PVC panel can be made. The manufacturer offers fewer styles in PVC too. Dulwich comes in full height, café, tier-on-tier and tracked, and Mayfair in full height, café and tier-on-tier. If you want a shaped window, solid panels or Shutter & Shade in a steamy room, we will talk through the compromise at the survey rather than let you find out on fitting day.
common questions
Are plantation shutters all right in a bathroom?
Yes, if they are PVC. Dulwich and Mayfair are made for bathrooms, en suites and kitchens, and wipe clean. Real wood can move and mark if it is steamed every morning, so we steer people away from timber in those rooms, even in a well-ventilated bathroom.
Will shutters make a bedroom completely dark?
Not on their own. Closed louvres block most of the light, but some still gets in around the edges and between the panels. If you need real darkness, for shift work or a baby's room, choose solid panels or Shutter & Shade, which adds a blackout blind behind the louvres.
Are shutters better than blinds?
They cost more, but they are rigid, with no cords or fabric to wear out, so they last well and give finer control of light and privacy than most blinds. The trade-off is that the frame takes up a little of the glass, and hinged panels need room to fold back.
Can I have shutters on patio doors or bifolds?
Yes, with tracked shutters. The panels slide and stack to one side on a track, so the doorway stays clear. It is also the usual answer for very wide windows where hinged panels would be too wide to open comfortably.