California Shutters vs. Window Treatments

While I'm a fan of California shutters for family rooms and bathrooms, I feel that there are so many other options available for bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms: beautiful fabrics provide colour and texture while blinds provide privacy and black-out when needed. Sheers are also a great way to ensure privacy while creating a romantic or elegant ambiance.

However, many of my clients install California shutters before they hire an interior designer and are reluctant to remove them. It's a leap of faith when they agree to my recommendation to add a window treatment to the shutters in order to bring warmth into a room. Once they're installed, though, they see the effect immediately. I have some before and after photos of the most recent example of this situation.

Here is the my client's office where we wanted to add some femininity as well as fabric to soften the dark built-in desk, leather chair and panelled walls.

Here is their bedroom with a lovely bay window. By adding the drapery panels as well as replacing the leather love seat with a fabric chaise lounge, the space is so much more warm and serene.