I got mine at Penney's when they were on sale. They have really awesome sales often. I don't know the sq. ft price to compare for you but when we researched all the stores, the sales price was less than HD and Lowes and the local shop. We really love them. They are very well made by Norman Shutters.

I just looked up my invoice. The sale price was 40% off and I got another 10% off for doing the whole house with them. We did shutters on the front of the house and wood blinds on the back. The blinds were also on sale for 70% off (yep, you read that right)

Lindy

Kellyeng - your shutters are beautiful! I am so glad you have the wood stain because I really wanted to see both wood stain and white. Yuk, I never thought about dust but my mini blinds get dusty also and I LOVE the look of shutters from the outside! I told DH the only thing I want for Christmas is to put shutters in a room or two! LOL! I want to do DD's room first because I do not want her to not have anything on her windows. Even though we are out in the country you just never know! So we will slowly get them room by room. Thank you again so much for posting the pictures. I love the color of your office also!

WOW Lindy you got a great deal!!! That is awesome. I love your shutters. When I see the stained I want stained and then I see the white and I am back to wanting white! Now is that just how your window is with that separate window on top or this how you did the shutters because I LOVE it!? I wonder if I could do that with my full windows?!? Love it!

After seeing y'alls pictures I think I will go with the plantation shutters. I just love the look of them! Thanks for posting the pictures!
Kel

Kel, that's the way the windows were built. We only put window treatments on the bottom portions for the whole house. The only place that I don't like it is our Master Bedroom. I'm not a late sleeper though, so not a huge deal.

So you haven't decided on trim color yet? I love both looks for different reasons. Your home is sounding more rustic (with your Knotty Alder) and I think stained trim would look great.

Forgot to say that our neighbors across the street copied our cabinet stain, our floor and our trim. I don't mind. Maybe if it was my Sister though....hmmmmm?

Lindy

kelntx~

I don't have any photos to share, but just wanted to vote a two-thumbs-up for plantation shutters. They were hugely popular in S. CA when we were living there, and I've seen them white, wood with dark stain, and wood with whitewash (remember the 90's!). They all looked beautiful. My new neighbor at our build has white plantation shutters all across the windows on the front of her house, and then black shutters outside (on her brick home). It looks so good! Very clean and elegant. I can see darker stain (like kellyengs) in your house with your knotty alder. But if your daughter is young, you might want white in her girly bedroom. Whichever you choose, it will be nice.

kellyeng~ Did I miss your "unveiling" of your home. I was so excited to see "your office" with furniture and everything. Wow. It's just beautiful! Okay, I'm begging. Can I please see more photos of your home? The great room? Kitchen? Master? Anything you care to share. Oh I want to see your house!!!! The little sneak peek is just way too pretty.

Okay, I must admit I'm a copier. But not to the extent that your sisters are, kelntx. That sounds a bit excessive. But I suppose it is a huge compliment to you. Your sisters must think you have such exceptional taste (and it appears you do!) they don't need to hire a designer. You should start charging for your ideas. :o)

I posted some pics maybe a month ago. I'll see if I can find the thread and bring it back up to the top.

Lindy,
Did Penneys install your shutters? I looked online and the shutters did not look like yours and there was only one choice. The prices looked much better than I was quoted. ($5000 for 9 windows--ouch!)

Sorry for the hijack.

Yes, Penney's installed them and it's included in the price. There was only a choice of real wood or composite. Then you could pick your color (they had many colors including stained) You also pick your louver size. They are made my Norman Shutters. Scroll through their website and there are some beautiful pictures. I wonder if different Penney's use different brands???? I only did the front of my house but that included french doors and that sometimes raises the price a bit. So with my 40% off sale, my total for 14 windows and 2 french doors was $6100 and then I got another 10% off for doing the whole house with them. (wood blinds on the back) So that brought it down to $5490

The French doors have a cutout for the lever that I think looks pretty cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: Norman Shutters

Wow that is neat! I did and I guess I still do take it as a compliment, it is frustrating in a way though. It would be nice to not have to see what I have picked out in everyone else's house! LOL!

I love the white but I am not sure how that will look. Maybe once we get moved in and I post pictures y'all can help me make the decision!

Kel

Didn't even know Penney's did Plantation Shutters! Thanks!

I ordered top-down, bottom-up shutters from Rockwood Shutters out of Houston. I should have checked BBB. Right now they have an 'F' rating. Their saleswoman put down the wrong order numbers. Even though I told them these were not the shutters I told her I wanted, they have refused to correct their error. Their office in Houston refuses to help.

As far as the actual shutters are concerned, I have the top-down, bottom up shutters in other parts of my house and love them! That's why I wanted them in the rest of my house. The shutters are great! I just can't recommend Rockwood Shutters through Home Depot or otherwise.

Check out the Louvre Shop. They are custom sized shutters and are lovely! This is the second home I have used them in and my parents have used them at the beach and in Atlanta. Excellent service, quality and price!

I have wood plantation shutters in our home...I had them in our old house too. I really love them...they are almost architectural. They are very easy to clean with a dry microfiber cloth....so much easier than blinds. Here are some pics...

This is our master....we didn't have our custom mirror installed at that point!

For all you ps owners, is it recommended to put ps on 2nd floors windows also?

Kel--when we built our house, I used silhouette throughout.

I have since removed them from a few windows and replaced them with PS.

I put white in my boys room and bath and stained in the master to match my cabinetry. They are in a south window and I was concerned about the color fading. There is a warranty against fading. I didn't want to cover the Whole window because I wanted some fabric. Love the ease of cleaning of the PS.

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Plantation shutters are obviously the more contemporary style. Larger louvers and panels allow for more light and visibility. The smaller traditional shutters are usually used to match the decor of the home, usually a smaller, quaint, comfy atmosphere.

Here is a link that might be useful: plantation shutters