Beyond Good Looks: Add Value and Style to Your Home with This One Element

Plantation shutters are a hallmark of Southern style that are also a great choice for window coverings in homes of almost any style. The deep-louvered, swinging wooden shutters provide a sophisticated alternative to blinds and will give any home a little touch of the genteel. Another great thing about plantation shutters, besides their good looks, is that they can be financed along with the construction of your home, and can actually increase your home’s value, since they usually remain with the house when you move.

Above: Plantation shutters shade the porch of a South Carolina cottage spotted on Homedit.

Plantation shutters let in light while still protecting privacy in this bathroom spotted on Homebunch.

→ How Much Does It Cost to Install Plantation Shutters? Our Readers Weigh In

Another option, which allows for privacy while still letting in lots of light, is installing plantation shutters on only the lower half of a window, as seen in this living room from Kathryn Ivey Interiors.

Plantation shutters in a classy bedroom by designer Jillian Harris.

Plantation shutters in black add a bit of drama to a porch from Southern Living.

Here’s another half-window treatment, this one from Anna Morgan.

Bifold plantation shutters are a great choice for larger windows, as in this bathroom from House to Home.

Plantation shutters in a brilliant blue (and also proof that plantation shutters can serve as interior doors!), from The Shutter Store.

Plantation shutters in a bathroom from Room for Tuesday.

Plantation shutters aren’t just practical — they can be a design element too, like these natural wood ones in an all-white space spotted on Harding & Cox.

Folding plantation shutters cover the window above the sink in this kitchen from Soet Wonen.

Plantation shutters can shade French doors too, as seen in this kitchen from The Shutter Store.