I so agree that I think the many bright colors are striking when open, but I also dislike closed volets making it look like an entire block is abandoned. I think sometimes they can be really pretty but those are usually the manual ones you have to open and close yourself letting in the cold air in the winter because you have to open your window to do it. Not attractive at all. Volets are used to keep rooms dark — not only for children — but also because the French know the importance of a sound sleep.
Complete darkness helps this. They do not fall asleep with the tv on or with lights on in rooms. Shutters like this are a rare in Amsterdam, hamburg, and Berlin. They are unknown in the British Isles and Scandinavia. There is a mix across southern Netherlands, northern Belgium, and the Rhineland of Germany where shutters and their use is mixed. Like protestants have nothing to hide, but catholics do! I have come to just accept the volets at this point and people do whatever they want in their own homes, but in mine?
The only volets I close are the ones right in front of our family room that look out to the street. But really, some good blinds and double or triple pane glass in most climates should suffice.
Because so many important functions occur in the brain during sleep, I say we should start using them in the USA, too! Yup, I feel like darkness is really beneficial for some people. But others, like me, sleep just fine with some light from outside peeking in and helping me to wake up naturally in the morning. Many people have blackout curtains in the US for that exact purpose! I just returned home to US from a day trip to Lyon and am interested in adding this type of shutter on my house.
Found your page while googling for info. We like the idea of real shutters rather than the stupid fake things on so many houses in US, at least in our area. Nice for security, protection from storms or debris when we mow, lowered noise, keeping the house dark at night, etc. I think the fake ones are annoying! Good to see a perspective from an American living in France. Thanks for sharing! Hi Andy, I think 2 areas of the US where you might be able to find specialists for shutters of this type would be South Florida or Alaska.
Anywhere with hurricane windows and protection should have volet-style fittings. And Alaska for the near all-day daylight in some parts during the summer. Maybe a distributor there can find you someone local.
The volets in France do serve a purpose but I wish I had automatic ones on a timer. Andy, You are so right! Fake shutters are so ridiculous. But they show at least one thing : Shutters are considered as a beautiful enhancement to a facade….
With home automation set accordingly, you don t care anymore of the shutters and take a full advantage of it. I do have automatic shutters, and I love them. They protect from robberies, and I also have an alarm, they protect from the weather, rain, snow, wind, warm, they give privacy!
I remember during our stay in UK sleeping in a bedroom with just yellow light curtains, waking up because of the light and thinking that I had a long night. Error, it was 6am! However history would have us believe a somewhat more bizarre reason as to how French shutters were invented. He loved to watch beautiful women as they bathed in the gardens many ponds, however this sight also caused a distraction to his guards. He supposedly introduced solid garden walls with louvred shutters in convenient places, which only he could open.
This way his voyeurism could be satisfied, while the guards could see nothing — truth or fiction who knows!
It would be hard to imagine a traditional French house without shutters and it does not matter whether they are brand new or old and faded. Here are a few reasons why they are perfect for your windows and doors:. They can prescribe what type of shutters you can have and what colour they should be painted.
Some people I know in a plus beaux village said they could choose only between three regulation colours. I understand that the local maire also has the power to prescribe shutter colours in some cases. Some other friends had to apply for permission when they wanted to paint theirs a different colour. Finally, on a practical note, your insurer is likely to specify that you must close the shutters if you are away for longer than 2 hours. Otherwise your insurance might be invalidated.
He said we needed to close only those that could be accessed without a ladder. Your small print might be different. If in doubt, consult the expert. I live in the high desert of southern Californiia where stuccoed houses are common. Ours is a pale peach-light gold color and we plan to add shutters in the blue-grey color shown as a regulation color in one of your photos.
They will be strictly decorative though. Our climate is similar to Provence; we even have hard winds like the mistral. Like Liked by 1 person. That sounds like a lovely colour combination. Like Like. In fact my house in Streatley-on-Thames — Georgian and beautifully unscathed had internal shutters which may have ignited this feeling on reflection. It was my favourit home. Yes, I love them too, in whatever condition. The house I was brought up in also had internal shutters and I always felt unaccountably attached to them.
I love my shutters! I close and open mine daily in the winter. Normally painted white they were called contravents or persiennes. They led to the decline of the balcony the existence of which would make the opening of shutters too difficult and shutters are not just for windows! Supposedly he introduced louvered shutters into his garden walls at his magnificent Palace of Versailles. Similarly in England, the story goes that when Lady Godiva road naked through the streets of Coventry, Tom would watch her unseen through his louvered shutters.
Today only a few houses in England have shutters. In France however they are a distinguishing feature of French houses, an integral part of their charm. As attractive as we might think shutters are, they have little to do with adornment but more with practicality. Restricting the amount of heat and light, shutters help keep rooms cool and prevent furniture from fading. During hot summer nights shutters make it possible for the inward opening windows to stay open keeping houses secure and minimizing unwanted insect visitors.
When outside temperatures soar it really does make a difference if you keep the shutters closed. Similarly on a hostile winters days especially when the Mistral is renting its wrath, closing the shutters helps keep the biting chill at bay. There are a myriad of different shutter styles. Like many shutters on village houses and farm properties ours are quite plain.
Some shutters are louvered and some are hinged so that only the lower half opens, our downstairs shutter is like this. Shutters on listed building can prove to be a real headache for property owners. It is often a requirement to seek the permission of the local Maire if you want to change your shutters especially if your property is in a plus beaux village.
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