Welcome to the 852nd Metamorphosis Monday! There have been so many updates at the Dollhouse over the past two weeks, both small and large. I often wish things moved at a faster pace. It’s easy for me to focus on the things I still desperately wish to get done, forgetting just how much I have accomplished over the past year. Sometimes, to calm my always-plotting-the-next-update-brain, I will walk from room to room, making a mental note of all that I have accomplished in this adorable 1938 home.
One update that I knew and planned for from day one was adding plantation shutters throughout. Interior shutters are one of my favorite decor/window treatments. Truth be told, they are my favorite window treatment. I love how they transform the appearance of a home from the outside, and I love how they look and function on the inside. I made another change to the house recently that I think dramatically transformed its curb appeal, and it didn’t cost a single penny. More on that in just a sec, but first let’s check out those shutters!
Here’s how the Dollhouse looked last summer. Notice the windows, how dark they appear.
Here’s how the Dollhouse windows look now, so much brighter!
You may remember with my first shutter order, I added shutters to the six windows in the office and the two windows in the kitchen. Those were urgent needs for privacy (in the kitchen) and for being able to view my computer monitors in the sunniest room in the house, which is my office.
This last order of interior shutters, the ones I’m sharing in today’s post, finished out the windows in the downstairs, including the living room, dining room, and Butler’s pantry. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the shutters for the guest bath, so those panels are being remade. They should be installed soon.
Here’s how the windows in the dining room looked before the plantation shutters were installed a few days ago. Notice the gray haziness of the lower window—keep that in mind for something I’ll share toward the end of this post.
Here’s how the windows look now in the dining room from the outside.
The gray haze is gone, along with the heavy, brown woven blind.
How about the living room? A previous owner left behind curtain panels that were not in the best of shape. I usually kept them closed for privacy since that room is empty without furniture at this point.
Here’s how the windows looked from inside before the shutters were installed. The heavy woven blinds you see on the two smaller windows are the same type of blinds that used to hang in the dining room. I’m not a fan of shades because they are either down or they are up; you either have a view out of the window, or you don’t. There’s not much in between.
I really don’t like how blinds block out so much of the window when they are down. A surprising thing I learned about these woven blinds (at least the ones that hung in the Dollhouse dining room and living room) is that they don’t offer any privacy. I was walking home from my son’s home a few months back, and though the woven blinds were all the way down, I could see every single detail in the dining room and kitchen, almost as if the shades were not there. What?! I thought about all the evenings over the past year that I had been running around in the kitchen in my PJs under the false illusion that I was not visible to the outside world.
I love the versatility of plantation shutters—how the louvers can be fully open or just slightly tilted for privacy.
The company that I used for shutters here in Ohio doesn’t offer the divider rail option like you see in the windows of the Georgia house.
But they do offer a split tilt rod, which allows the same option of closing the bottom louvers while keeping the top louvers open.
Here’s how the shutters look with just the lower section closed. If/when I ever move or buy living room furniture for this room, it would be nice to sit in this room and have privacy without blocking all the view/light from outside.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the split tilt rod since I’ve always loved the look of shutters with a center divider rail. I’ve decided that I like both, and not having a divider rail does offer a bit more view through the window when both the bottom and top louvers are wide open.
A closer view of the split tilt rod…
Here’s how the panels look in the dining room with the split tilt rod feature. I went with this feature in both of the windows in this room. Sorry about the lighting, it’s so hard to photograph windows!
I’m sure I’ll eventually add decorative drapery or curtains to frame the windows in some of the rooms, as I’ve done in the Georgia house…
…but for right now, I’m just glad to have the shutters in place.
I very much like how the shutters look here in the Butler’s pantry. When I first moved in, this room had long, sheer-like curtains that were forever getting caught in the drawers on either side of the window. The shutters solved that issue!
I know this post is getting kinda long, but there’s one more important change that I made to the windows that needs to be shared. It’s something I did many, many years ago in a previous home, and in my current home in Georgia. I removed all the screens from the windows. Many years ago, I was having the exterior of my home painted. The painter recommended removing all the screens from the windows, pointing out that they trapped dirt on the windowsills. In Georgia, there are very few days when the weather is perfect for having the windows raised. Raising the windows was not something I ever did, so I knew that I would not miss them—and I haven’t.
Literally, every single windowsill in the entire house looked like this. I made a list of every room in the house, including how many windows were in each room. Then I set about systematically cleaning all the windowsills. Each day, I would clean one or two more rooms, marking the room off the list as I went. The time I spent cleaning the windowsills averaged around 15-20 minutes per window sill. It took a lot of cleaning and scrubbing to get them clean again, and it was tedious work.
Two days before the shutters in the living room, dining room, Butler’s pantry, and half bath were due to be installed, I went around the house removing the curtains and woven shades from the windows. During that process, I was sooo dismayed to see how dirty the windowsills were again! It had only been around 6 months since the windowsills were last cleaned! How could they be this dirty again so soon?!
That’s when I remembered what the painter had said to me so many years ago. I was kicking myself for not having removed all the screens back when I cleaned the windowsills the first time. I guess I thought I’d open the windows here more, but that has not happened. Ohio is just like Georgia in that the winters are very cold and the summers are very hot. There are so few days when the outside temperature is just right for opening windows. I’m usually too busy to even think of doing that, anyway.
So all the screens have now been removed, and I have once again started the task of cleaning all the window sills. Right now, the screens are stored in my garage, awaiting a sunny day when I can hose them all down, let them dry, and store them away in the basement in case a future owner of this home wishes to add them back. It won’t be this homeowner, though! I love how bright and light the windows look without the gray screens! Also, the rooms inside are much brighter without the screens!
And I especially love that the window sills will never get this dirty ever again!
Between finishing out the plantation shutters on the lower level and removing all the screens, I think it has improved the curb appeal of the Dollhouse. I’ve ordered shutters for the nine upstairs windows, so in about 6 weeks, the front of the home will change yet again as the upstairs windows receive shutters. I’ll share how they look once those are installed in a couple of months. Only one upstairs window will get the split tilt rods. I’ll share more about that when those are installed.
Have you kept the screens on your windows? Do you find that you open your windows a lot throughout the year? If so, do you have any trouble remembering to close them before leaving the house, just in case it rains? Did you find this post helpful regarding different options for plantation shutters? Are you as big a fan of shutters as I am, or do you prefer blinds or some other window treatment for your windows?
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Whew!!! Transformations never seem to happen “overnite.” Luv these updates…”she” has taken on an entirely better persona…”Viva the Doll House!” franki
Thanks so much, Franki! It’s definitely a journey! lol
Everything is coming along nicely. You are so industrious! Ah, the never ending places to clean. I removed nearly all of the screens in our home when we moved in. It made all the nice views much clearer and adds brightness.
Thanks, Jillian! I had forgotten how much brighter the rooms are without screens. That was such a nice surprise when I removed the first screen! I couldn’t wait to do the entire house and had them all off within an hour or so. Thankfully, they came off very easily. You’re right, the view through the window is so much clearer!
I’m in NC and often open my windows. But, there are 4 windows that are never opened and it never occurred to me to remove those screens. I’m going to try that and see how it goes. Thanks for the tip!
Let me know what you think, Winnie? I love how it looks from both inside and out.
I love plantation shutters and have them throughout my house, except in a few spots where I specifically wanted the softness of curtains. Yours look great, Susan! I have never seen that split rod option, but it does the job. As long as you have the freedom to keep some open and some closed, that’s the main thing. And yes, the windows look great without the screens.
I do open my windows, but it’s generally only in Spring and Autumn. I open them as much as possible though, so I don’t know that I could live without the screens. That’s so interesting about trapping the dirt, though! I never thought about that.
This was another big project to get down. Congrats on that. I hope you’ve been enjoying the Memorial Day weekend.
Pam, have you noticed any issues with your screens trapping dirt behind them? I wonder if all screens have a tendency to do that. I’m amazed at how much dirt was being trapped behind the ones here.
I looked and it actually looks good. Nothing like yours did. I wonder what the difference is. Maybe my screen openings are a little smaller. I checked on the first floor, where I assumed it would be worse from lawn mower spray and so forth and it was better than I expected.
That’s great! I have a feeling they had not been cleaned in many years, but it still bothered me how dirty they had gotten again after just six months. We have been getting so much rain/storms, so I’m sure that contributed to it.
Your planing is really coming together. Everything is beautiful. The plantation shutter really set the room off. I love them but it takes so long to dust. I have gone to shades in every room in my house. Have a great Memorial Day.
Thanks, M! The way I typically dust mine is to close the panel and wipe the entire panel down as one whole unit. Then I open them the other way and find that I can easily reach the section/lip that I couldn’t reach in the beginning.
I hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day. We’ve had the most beautiful weather the last three days.
I Live in Canton, Ohio and with the crazy weather, I never open my windows. I do not put the screens in the windows. I thought maybe I was the only one who did this. I know what you mean about the dirty windowsills. Love your beautiful dollhouse.
Thanks so much, Karen! Yeah, that sounds just my situation. I just prefer to keep them closed and avoid the dirty windowsills.
Love the shutters with the split rod. I remember when they placed a horizontal strip of wood between upper and lower shutters and it would cut so much light. Love your version. How do you determine the size of the louvres? Is it just personal preference or something else?
Thanks
Hetty
Thanks, Hetty! Really, it’s just personal preference. Back in the day when I used to work for a shutter company, 2.5-inch louvers were the most popular for traditional homes, and 3.5-inch was often seen in more modern homes, homes with really large rooms and high ceilings, or homes in Florida/beach locations. Now, the 3.5-inch is the most popular, even in traditional homes. I went with the 3.5 size this time since I wanted it to be as open as possible.
Your new shutters look great – I know you enjoy having them! I do open my windows every chance I get. As often as I can, I sleep with a bedroom (2nd floor) window open. So far (fingers crossed), I’ve never forgotten to close one. I live in central NC, so there is a long period during the summer when, of course, the windows are not opened at all. But, every year, I look forward to being able to open them again once the summer inferno heat is finally over.
Thanks, Ann! That sounds wonderful! I am a fairly light sleeper so any noise outside would wake me up. That’s why I sleep with a fan running, to drown out everything. If I lived in a more rural area, I think it would be nice to sleep with the window open. Love that idea!
I live in SC and removed my screens a few years ago. Never miss them. Stored them in the attic for future owners.
Makes cleaning the windows so much eaiser.
Love your Shutters!
It sure does, and they don’t get dirty so quickly. Thanks so much, Rose!
Great choice to get plantation shutters again. I really like the option of closing the bottom only. When you close them completely at night (esp bedroom) does any light get through between the slats? And I recently “enjoyed” the task of cleaning the sills but I open the windows enough to need the screens. Tradeoffs!
Only around the edges, but not between the slats. These close really snuggly. The small amount of light that gets through about the edges isn’t enough to wake you up, or at least not for me. Yeah, I’m sure it’s worth the cleaning process if you love having the windows open.
Susan, your shutters look wonderful. Very neat and tidy. I have wooden blinds in all the windows of my colonial home and it is a pain keeping the dust off of them. If you have an easy way to clean them please share. As far as screens go, I live in Missouri and open my windows whenever I can just to let the fresh air in but when we replaced our windows 3 years ago we had retractable screens installed. It’s the best of both worlds. No screens visible when windows are shut but when you open the window the screens automatically pull up.
Thanks so much, Lisa! For shutters, I just close all the louvers and wipe down the surface as a whole with a dry cloth. If that isn’t enough, I’ll use a barely damp cloth. Then I flip the louvers back the other direction and wipe down the whole length of the panel, hitting the edges that were hidden the first time. That’s usually all that they need. It should be even easier for the Dollhouse shutters since I went with 3.5-inch louvers this time, so there are fewer louvers to clean. I love the sound of the retractable screens…that’s genius!
Susan,
I love those shutters…
Happy Memorial Day!!
Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful party!! I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into it along with visiting all the links!! I hope you are having a great week!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Thanks so much, Debbie! Hope you have an awesome week!
Love plantation shutters. I’ve always took screens off of every we owned. They are ugly on windows.
I don’t like the look of them either. I wish I had taken these off the first week I moved in. Thanks, Nancy!
Susan, your plantation shutters are beautiful. I am enamored of your outdoor shutter color. The difference is refreshing! What is the wonderful blue color name. That shade would be so pretty with my brick.
Thanks so much, Lalia! I texted the lovely owner who lived here back when they were painted, and she doesn’t remember the color. She thinks there’s an app that you can to your phone that will help identify it. It’s raining today, but when it stops over the next day or two, I will try to find an app that will identiy it. I would like to know, as well. They need repainting, and I do like the color, so I will probably stay with that color. I’ll let you know if I can figure it out.
I put shutters on every window in my home in Texas. Since we are prone to hurricanes, I close all the shutters just in case the window shatters from a fallen tree or strong winds. I do have screens on, so I am going to get them removed as the windows always look dusty & dirty from the outside. That was a great tip!!
That’s a great idea! I always feel a bit safer with mine closed during bad storms in Georgia. Hope it helps, Caroline!
We open our window all the time in the summer and have to have screens to keep mosquitoes and biting gnats out. Taking the screens off wouldn’t work for us.
Yeah, if you regularly open your windows, you for sure need those screens.
I just love your new house! New shutters and doing away with the screens made a huge difference! Much better. I never raise my windows so I plan to remove the screens too. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks so much, Linda! Let me know how you like the change. I bet it will look great!
We open our windows whenever we get the chance! Screens are very much needed to keep out the bugs however ours are full window so you don’t have the half and half look like you did.
I do like your shutters.
Yeah, this is the first time I’ve seen half-window screens. The ones I removed in GA were full screen. They were in terrible condition, so not even worth saving.
Thanks so much, Celeste!
Your new shutters look terrific! I like the split rod; I’m a fan of options.
We had our home’s windows replaced a few years ago. The new windows had black screens. It darkened the view for sure. We removed all the screens except the one in our tiny master bathroom. On occasion, I do open that window, so we kept it. It is on the back of the house, which faces the woods, so not an eyesore.
Thanks so much, Peggy! I think a lot of the screens start out silver and then darken with age, at least that’s how I’ve seen them on screened porches. I imagine black screens would really darken a window. So nice that your back faces a woodland area…love that!
Your new plantation shutters look fantastic and so appropriate for your home Susan. I have them in my guest bedroom. Here in Southern California, I enjoy having the windows open as often as possible, especially in the evening. During the summer, some windows are left open all night long except on the hottest nights.
Thanks so much, Ranger! I bet with your nice weather, you’re able to do that a lot. I think the weather may be one of the reasons the windowsills get dirty so fast here—all the rain! Ugh. I was actually thinking about that the other day regarding patio/deck furniture and cushions, wondering if those things hold up a lot better in states where it doesn’t rain as much.
The shutters made a beautiful change; much more tidy and brighter. I’ve always hated screens in our windows, but I do keep a couple in that get the best cross wind because we love fresh air and, fortunately, we are able to open our windows quite a bit here. I’m too OCD to forget closing them if it rains or I leave the house lol. I find my habits have saved me a good bit of stress rather than add to it. I hate cleaning all the nooks & crannies of windows, but I love clean windows. When I looked into getting future replacements, I saw that they now have an upgraded screen material that you can barely detect on the window or you can get the retractable ones that only pop up when you open the window–such nice improvements! You have done so much in a short period of time and it looks fabulous. I forgot to answer your question of when we’ll be moving. That will be when we find the right house or land. The search continues. Hugs!
Wow, I love the idea of screens that only appear when you open the window…that’s awesome! I know that search, Bobbi! 🙂
I’m close to the DH and I agree that most of the time it is too hot, too cold or too rainy. However these last few days we’ve had the windows open. I have half screens – and I love a bit of fresh air if one makes strong smelling food and I usually open my window a crack when I am sleeping. I have a lot of windows open now. I never worry about it. But I spend hours cleaning my sills and it is a terribly long awful process, but if it means fresh air and oxygen, it’s worth it to me.
LOVE your plantation shutters. They look FABULOUS!!!!
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were a dream, especially after the spring we’ve had! I wish every day here was like that! lol Yeah, some things are worth the trouble, especially if it’s something you really enjoy. Thanks, Michele!
Like the plantation shutters and enjoyed your post! I was surprised you didn’t share where you bought them in the post. I do clean window sils myself using a pitcher of hot water, spray bottle of Simple Green and a tool for their washing I bought on Amazon. I have half screens and I don’t use them often but I do use them and like another comment, enjoy the fresh air when I can. It’s fun to watch your home’s transformation and the reasons you do things.
Thanks, Karen! I think I shared who made them in my first post when I added them to the office and the kitchen. I’m happy to share that. They were built by Signature Shutters in Moraine, Ohio.
Hi Susan! Hope you had a nice Memorial day weekend. I have a question that is a little off topic can you tell me how deep the wall is in your butlers pantry that has the shelves? I have wanted to have built in desk, shelves made here in my office but not sure if there is enough room. Thanks if you get back to me.
Hi Pinky,
On the left side that has glass front cabinets above and a countertop with cabinets below, the cabinets above stick out 13 inches and the counter below is 25 inches out from the wall. On the right side of that room is a desk with cabinets above. On that side, the desk sticks out 22-1/2 inches and the cabinets above are again around 13 inches in depth out from the wall. Hope that helps and is what you need. If that’s not what you need, just let me know. Or, if you need to know the full width/length of the room, I can measure that for you.
The plantation shutters look great. I’m a huge fan, we have them on all our windows. We do have screens, but they’re not all in use. I rarely open windows and leave them open for any length of time, so I should probably remove the ones I have. We even have screens for our French patio doors, but they’ve been in the basement ever since we moved in 4 yrs ago.
I love my plantation shutters. We never open our windows so in our new home we did not order screens for the windows. We also so repainted all of the outside trim with the new dirt resistant paint by Sherwin Williams. It’s great!
The shutters look so nice! I added them to my bedroom windows and think they look so nice. I got the 4″ shutter to let in more light when they are open. I wondered the size of your shutters. I am now considering putting them in the living room which is at the back of the house. Yes….we have most of the screens off of the windows. Thanks!
The ones here in the Dollhouse are 3.5 inch louver size. In Georgia, I have the 2.5 inch louver.
Thanks, Rosemary!