Mixing and matching shutter styles — yay or nay? Here’s the official answer: You can do whatever you want! (Of course, “can you” and “should you” are two entirely different questions!) Combining shutter styles does work in some instances. The choice ultimately depends on your personal style preferences, your home’s architecture and your aesthetic goals. Here’s what you should think about if combining shutter styles is on your “maybe” list:
Take cues from your home’s architecture.
Symmetry should be a top consideration when deciding if combining different shutter styles is right for you. For example, if you live in a traditional two-story house, it may work well for you to have louvered shutters on the top windows and single panels on the bottom floor windows.
On the other hand, a contemporary home with multiple angles may need a more simple, clean approach. Consider the impact on your curb appeal — does your home face the street head-on, or is it turned to one corner of the lot? Striking the right balance and number of shutters is crucial if you want to use more than one style.
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Consider the weather where you are located.
The original intent of a shutter style was largely based on function, not just looks — and that includes weather protection. Thinking through that functionality may help you decide if combining styles is the right call.
Going back to the example above, single-panel shutters would have initially been used to completely close off the bottom floor of a home for privacy and warmth, while louvered shutters were enjoyed for their airflow (and because heat rises!). Combining them in a way that is logical to the original intent of the design keeps an exterior looking intentional versus haphazard.
In the same vein, Bermuda shutters were first designed for hot, humid climates. It would probably look bizarre for a classic New England home to have Bermuda shutters, while a beach house in Florida would feel incomplete without them on the eastern windows.
Find what you love!
Mixing and matching shutter styles can be done tastefully, and may make sense for the shape of your home. Using both louvered shutters and single-panel style shutters is the most common combination, but incorporating board and batten shutters with single panels is not unheard of, either. The only true testament of what shutters are “right” are the ones that make you smile when you pull into your driveway at the end of a long day.
Ready to start exploring your options?
