Shutter Trivia

The origin of shutters dates back to ancient Greece. There, shutters were used chiefly for the purpose of:

1. Signaling one another of incoming troops.
2. As convenient, functional shelving for food preparation and drying.
3. Shielding people from strong sunlight.

Shutters were also protected from animals, pests, storms, and intruders - and far more effectively than simple windows.

The first shutters were made of:

1. Dried Clay
2. Thatched Grass
3. Marble

As shutters became more popular throughout Europe, they were increasingly made of wood - a much more flexible and user friendly material.

Around the 1500’s, at the advent of the invention of glass, shutters again got a face-lift. Because glass was so expensive, Only the upper half of the window was glazed. Therefore, only the lower half of the window opening needed to be covered with shutters. These mid-height shutters were called:

1. Pane Doors
2. Cafe Shutters
3. Flapjacks

As glass windows became more and more common, shutters began to be considered not only for their functional purposes, but also for their decorative value. These decorative shutters were placed on the outside of the home to add aesthetic appeal, a style which was especially favored in these kinds of homes:

1. Victorian
2. Mongolian
3. Yurts

As history progressed, we saw the invention of many new styles of window treatments, including that caused shutters’ popularity to wane, particularly:

1. Window Panes
2. Window Scarves
3. Blinds and Shades

Today, shutters have made a beautiful comeback. Among the many sought after styles of shutters available, plantation shutters and soft fabric shutters are two of the hottest. For a wide selection of these styles and others, contact Just Add Shutters. Need updated window installations by a trusted Nashville company? We specialize in shutters, shades, and custom blind sales and installation. Call Just Add Shutters today at (615) 296-0661. We look forward to hearing from you!

For information about special offers from Just Add Shutters, click below: http://www.justaddshuttersnashville.com/

5 Reasons Exterior Shutters Rock!

Most new homes come with a stock set of blinds on the inside of a window to block out the light, but Just Add Shutters of Goodlettsville, Tn. thought we’d provide you with this list of the 5 Reasons Exterior Shutters ROCK!

1.     Protection.  We know exposed windows are in vogue at the moment, but with exterior shutters, if you want your windows to show, all you have to do is flip the shutters back and let the sunshine in!  The benefit of having exterior shutters is the provide a buffer between your window and the elements in the event of a storm

2.     Light Control.  Shutters are an easy and efficient way of controlling the amount of natural light (and heat) coming into your home.  Scrap the drawstrings that snag, tangle and break and opt for solid wood sliding exterior panels!

3.     Security.  Like windows, most exterior shutters come with a lock to keep them from flying open in foul weather.  If you’re looking for an added layer of home security, exterior shutters are a great first barrier between your home and any intruders.

4.     Privacy.  Shutters are welcoming in appearance, but still provide a layer of privacy to your home.  Wanted guests feel welcomed by the shutters, while people looking to snoop will be turned off by the covering home shutters offer.

5.     Aesthetics.  Exterior shutters have been around for hundreds of years and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.  If you’re looking for a way to make your home more welcoming and classic, exterior shutters are a great outside home dressing!

Just Add Shutters in Goodlettsville, TN also services Nashville and the surrounding areas.  We specialize in shutters, shades, and custom blind sales and installation.  We also do interior window design and treatments, unusual window treatments, bedroom window treatments, commercial window treatments.  Our shutter selection includes plantation shutters, interior shutters, wooden shutters, faux wood shutters, composite shutters, vinyl shutters, and interior as well as exterior shutters.

Benefits of Wood Blinds

You moved into your home 10 years ago when the kids started kindergarten.  The apartment you were living in downtown was beautiful, but the school district just outside of downtown had better public schools.   

The home was definitely a fixer upper.  You started with the carpets, which were 30 years old, tore them up and had hardwood floors installed.  Next you moved onto the kitchen, granite counter tops and disguised dishwashers and refrigerators that look like cabinetry.  Then you moved on to the bathroom, re tiled, re grouted, installed new shower heads and water conservation flush toilets.  And now you’ve moved on to the blinds.

Like the old carpet, the blinds, mostly aluminum and no longer fitting the finer aesthetic of your home, are in dire need of a makeover.  You want to go with wood shutters, but you’re not totally convinced of the benefits of wood shutters in your home and wonder if maybe you should just upgrade the aluminum.  At Just Add Shutters, we specialize in selling and intalling all types of blinds, shutters, and drapes.  But today we thought we’d provide you with a list of benefits to classic wood shutters.

1.     Interior shutters can be a permanent replacement in in-home decoration.  In many homes throughout Europe, especially from the Georgian era, wood shutters were once prominent and are still a fixture on the windows of antique homes to this day.

2.     Wood shutters block out light better than other window coverings such as metal blinds or drapes. 

3.     Like granite counter tops or hardwood floors, having high quality wooden shutters increases a home’s value exponentially.

4.     Now that we're in the summer months, wood shutters keep homes cooler by deflecting excess sunlight.

5.     Because of deflecting sunlight, wood shuttersreduce cooling costs.

6.     Unlike drapes, shades and curtains, wood shuttersdon’t fade.

7.     Wood shutters are timeless and won’t change in style a year or two after you have them installed.

Just Add Shutters in Goodlettsville, TN also servicesNashville and the surrounding areas.  We specialize in shutters, shades, and custom blind sales and installation.  We also do interior window design and treatments, unusual window treatments, bedroom window treatments, commercialwindow treatments.  Our shutter selection includes plantation shutters, interior shutters, wooden shutters, faux woodshutters, composite shutters, vinyl shutters, and interior as well as exteriorshutters.

Tips for Picking the Right Window Treatment

Most homes nowadays come with stock venetian blinds, made with cheap flimsy material, and drawstrings that snag and tangle after just a few uses.

To save you the headache of searching for something new to add to your home windows, Just Add Shutters compiled a list of common things to consider before adding shutter replacements to your home.

1.     Light Control.  If your main concern, like most people when purchasing shades or blinds, is to control the amount of sunlight coming into your apartment, make sure you know your choices.  Do you want blackout shades, or light filtering shades, operable slats, or cellular shades that only offer an “open view” when fully up?

2.     Insulation.  Adding the right blinds or shades can cut off up to 25% of your home energy bill by lowering heating and cooling costs.  Honeycomb cellular shades are the best choice for keeping heat or cold inside, but draperies work great for interior heating and cooling as well, and exterior shades work well for cooling outsie.

3.     Aesthetics.  At Just Add Shutters, we know shutters, blinds, shades, and  draperies can make a huge impact on the aesthetic value a home has on its guests or prospective buyers.  Always make sure you consider the aesthetics of the shades your buying in relation to the style of the rest of your home.

4.     Cost.  We know high end wood blinds or upper end cell shades can get pricey, that’s why at Just Add Shutters, we also recommend faux wood blinds, pleated shades, and honeycomb shades if you’re interested in doing your shutter replacement on a budget.

Just Add Shutters is located in Goodlettsville, TN.  We specialize in all types of window treatments including shutters, shades, and blinds, custom blinds, cost friendly shutters, plantation shutters, interior shutters, wooden shutters, vinyl shutters and interior and exterior shutters.

And right now take 20% off any interior plantation shutter!  

New Shutters- Now's the Time

You’re going out of town.  Hawaii.  Two weeks.  The dogs are all set, the neighbor kid from down the street is going to walk them twice a day for money to help pay for a trip to band camp this summer.  The fridge was emptied of everything that might go bad and you set lights to go on every night between 5:30 and 6pm, so any unwanted visitors don’t come snooping around while you’re away. 

You’re just about to leave in peace when you attempt to drop the blinds and are caught.  Snagged.  Tangled.  “Not again!” you think to yourself.  You’ve been meaning to have the blinds replaced for years and just haven’t gotten around to it.  At parties people notice and right now, while trying to make it out the door to sunny Honolulu you’re definitely noticing. 

In desperation, you yank, and yank, when… whoops!  The blinds come flying off from above the window.  You rush out to your husband in the car to avoid missing your flight and the first thing that comes out of your mouth, “Sweetie, we need new shutters.”

Just Add Shutters Nashville, is the number one local shutter shop for shutter blinds and shutter shades in Nashville, Tn.  With a number of top-of-the-line shutter brands, we also offer discount shutters and custom blinds to get any windows looking fashionable and functional.  Just add shutters sells, assembles, and installs, shutters, shades, and blinds.

Just Add Shutters has plantation shutters, interior shutters, wooden shutters, faux wood shutters, and composite shutters.  We also feature vinyl shutters and exterior shutters.

If you’re in need of some privacy or are looking to replace the drab shutters that came with the house when you bought it, visit Just Add Shutters today Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm at:

1229 Dickerson Road- Suite B.

Goodlettsville, TN 37072

Call us at: 615-296-0661

Or visit our website at: justaddshuttersnashville.com

Just Add Shutters & Pretty Beach Colors

It’s your favorite time of the month again. All the money that you’ve been working so hard to accumulate gets to go towards precious bills. Yes!

As you work your way through payments, you get to electric. You realize it’s higher than usual for this month, and it’s taking away funds from your “Bahama’s Trip” jar. 

That’s the last thing you need on this super cold snow day. You look out the window into the winter wonderland and dream of blue oceans and beach air. 

That’s when you notice the crack in your window. Of course your electric is higher this month! All that expensive warm air is slipping through the crack, just like your dreams of a beach getaway. 

Adequately treated windows can lower the costs of your electric bills during the cold months. When temperature drops, and the wind chill is bone crushing cold window treatments can make all the difference in the heating of your home. 

Perhaps all this beach dreaming is getting you carried away, and you’re ready for an entire home makeover to flip your house into the beach home of your dreams. 

There’s help for that too! 

Located in Nashville, Just Add Shutters can fit and install shutters (interior and exterior) for any shape, size, and number of unusual (super beachy) or traditional windows! 

It’s time you call and make an appointment with Just Add Shutters at 615.296.0661. They offer the highest level of professionalism to exceed any expectations you have for your home. You can also visit their website atwww.justaddshuttersnashville.com.

Visit this link for all current special offerings!

Impossible Pinterest Shutters

Ever been searching around Pinterest for some fun and easy ways to decorate or change up things around your house? It’s a great website for DYI projects and stylish ideas. Most of the time the website even provides step-by-step directions, so that your final piece perfectly resembles the one in the picture. But let’s be honest, how often does that happen? Obviously the person that came up with this creative, crafty idea is pretty artistic, but that doesn’t mean you possess that same artistic gene! Okay, so maybe it’s not that hard when you’re making a wreath out of cranberries for the holidays, or turning an old window seal into a picture frame. But what if you’re looking for ways to make your own chandelier out of a broken mirror, or create your own shutters from some rustic pieces of barn wood? Hm, not as easy peasy as those 1,2, 3 steps make it sound is it?

Not to mention when it comes to a handy man project like this there is no doubt there will be many more than three easy steps. First you’ll have to measure your windows, and make sure you saw the pieces of wood to perfectly fit each one. Then you’ll have to strip the old, chipping paint and sand down those splintering pieces of barn wood before you can even begin your actual project. Painting is the fun part, but you’ll have to find the exact color, order it, pick it up, and buy the right brushes. Gosh, it seems like that was a lot of work for what Pinterest made seem like such a simple project, and you aren’t even half way done yet! Just because you’re homemade shutters somewhat resemble that pretty Pinterest picture doesn’t mean they’ll just jump onto the house themselves!

I guess you could spend hours watching YouTube videos, pausing the demonstration every 30 seconds trying to follow along with this probably very experienced instructor. It will be ten minutes into the video before you realize you have the wrong size screws and/or screw driver. Even a five-minute video could have your head spinning after you’ve watched it 12 times!  If you’re really lucky your husband may be able to figure it out, but that doesn’t mean the installation will withstand even the first sizable thunderstorm that comes your way.

Why not avoid all this wasted time, money and stress? Just Add Shutters specializes in interior and exterior shutter installation and window treatments. Just Add Shutters has been in business for over 25 years and has a fully trained staff equipped to create any custom shutter you could ever dream of! Just Add Shutters is completely committed to the satisfaction of their customers and will stop at nothing to exceed any of your shutter, window treatment, and restoration expectations. Visit their website for pictures of Just Add Shutter’s completed quality work. Or call today to make an appointment. (615) 296-0661

Visit this link to view all available special offers!