We often get asked the question of how much light shutters block out, and that is a question that we are asked regularly. We refer to blackout as 'room darkening' as shutters alone do not provide complete blackout, however, there are a variety of room darkening solutions that are available.
The one advantage of plantation shutters is that they allow light to pass through between the louvres and also between the panel and the shutter frame. Even though this is often less light than other conventional window dressings, most clients will be pleasantly surprised when they see the increase in darkness which can often be quite dramatic. As a rule of thumb, the wider the slat/louvre, the fewer there are (thus reducing light bleed) therefore providing a greater solid surface area.
Furthermore, shutters are the only practical solution for a wide variety of unusually shaped windows, such as bay windows for example.