KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

Every choice you make for your home exterior helps to define character

and style. You can have shingles, stucco, siding, brick or stone for the

walls; tile, shake, shingle or composite for the roof; and cut-lights,

solid panes or a combination of both for the windows. The combination of

decisions gives your home its look.

Your individual touches give a home your signature. One of the ways to

add interest to the outside of your home is to add a shutter treatment to

your windows. Decorative shutters frame your windows and can add another

color to your home exterior. The style of shutter can enhance the overall

look of your house.

Historically, shutters were mounted on either side of a window as an

added protection from the weather. The shutters could be closed and

latched to keep out rain, snow and other winter nasties.

Windows have improved greatly, and the need for shutters to help keep

out the cold and wet weather has waned. This has moved shutters from the

necessity category into being a decorative accessory.

There has been an explosion of choices in the shutter world.

Traditional shutters have louvered slats inserted in a wide wood frame.

Many of the cottage styles have cutouts at the top. Take a drive up and

down the streets of Balboa Island or the Peninsula to see shutters with

stars, moons, cats, pineapples, sailboats and palm tree figures. These

shutters are charming and traditional. They are the best of beach house

style.

Some shutters are simple vertical slats with horizontal supports.

These shutters give a house an Old World look. They look a little rustic

and worn, especially if they are given a special paint treatment.

A more formal choice is a raised panel or double raised panel shutter.

These shutters are a good choice on a larger home that can’t get away

with the cuteness of the other version. They look dressy and well

mannered.

A combination of a raised panel and a louvered shutter is a popular

choice for the plantation look. A raised panel bottom with a louvered top

gives the shutter an island feel: a little dressy, a little laid back.

A set of shutters with an arch detail gives a home a European feeling.

If they are sized correctly to fit a window with an arch detail,

semi-arched shutters provide a lot of visual interest.

Shutters are not relegated to windows. A shutter on either side of

French doors enhances the importance of a doorway and breaks up a wall.

By flanking a door with long narrow shutters you can draw attention to a

passageway.

Shutters add an extra dimension to your home exterior. They provide an

easy boost of style, color and character. Whether your choice is a quick

trip to the lumberyard or a careful plan from a carpenter, there is a

shutter style to match your mood.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.