Custom Shutters for Reno / Lake Tahoe
When people want custom shutters for their homes they often are surprised by some of the details that make big differences in the overall happiness with the window treatments they select. In this blog, we will discuss some of the factors that went into this job we did for a client that just moved to Reno NV. Please watch the video to get an idea of what we will talk about here.
There are 4 things that make these custom shutters. Keep this in mind though: Basically, all shutters are custom, but it is HOW we design them and install them that make them truly custom shutters. By the end of this blog, I hope you see the value of using a window fashions expert when you are purchasing any window coverings, but especially for shutters.
4 Factors For These Custom Shutters
- Sill Color- When you look at the pictures down below, you will see the before and after pictures of the sills. There were some factors that were relevant to our choice. The company we used to manufacture these shutters was Norman Window Fashions. They offer various choices for sills that we can purchase from them, but if we did, the other sills in the home wouldn’t match. The homeowner wanted their sills to all match in terms of shape, so we helped the owners to hire a great faux finisher in Reno NV to do the finishing work.
Sill Before Faux Finishing
2. Width of Panels- These windows were about 36” wide and we mounted the frames to the ends of the sills on the left and right side, so that means that the width of the shutter panel ended up being about 38”. Many designers end up putting multiple panels on a window this wide because they think they have to. We chose a product, in this case that can handle widths up to 42” wide per panel. If they had a need for a panel up to 48”, we could have helped with that too. There are even wider panels available from other companies, but that’s a topic for another blog.
Sill After Faux Finish
3. Custom Divider Rails- When you are doing custom shutters, you can change the word “Divider Rails” to almost any part of the shutter. Top or Bottom Rails, Stiles or a ton of other parts of the shutter. In this case, we made the divider rail custom to accommodate the split window. There was about a 5 foot tall window at the bottom and about a 2 foot tall window above it. After a good amount of conversation we worked together to determine which solution was best for the homeowners.
A. 2 separate window shutters or…
B. 1 Complete shutter covering both windows.
Window Break Left- Divider Rail Right
Their choice is based on their desires and this matched it. I’m not going to spend too much time on this decision, because yours may have been different, but the point is this. If you are looking for custom shutters, you need to consider more than just the obvious choices. And so you know, the design seems pretty simple, but it took a couple of hours with the factory for me to get this made exactly as I designed it. It made me happy to see it completed too.
4. Custom Shutter Hardware – People don’t often think of shutter hardware as anything to even think about, but clearly there are factors that are important to decide when ordering them. In this case we had to choose the hinge size and color and the door opening pull option as well. Hardware often is ignored, but it can make a big difference in the look and the functionality of the custom shutters.
Review
There is a ton of thought that goes into custom shutter design and installation. A good designer doesn’t tell you how to do it, they work with you to help you see the best way to accomplish your goals. One more thing to consider if you are doing custom window treatments like shutters is this. Who is installing your custom shutters? In our case, I do. This makes sure that things are done EXACTLY as they were designed. In the end, everyone ends up really happy. That is our goal when we work with our clientele. Thanks for reading our blog.
About Us
Kempler Design is located in Reno NV and serves the northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe regions with a mobile design showroom. Paul Kempler, its founder is considered a window fashions expert. Kempler Design has been featured in many prestigious projects, including the HGTV dream home in Lake Tahoe. Kempler Design works with homeowners as well as interior design firms looking for a local contact in the Reno/Tahoe area or is available for travel.