Compare full height, cafe style, tier on tier, bifold, tracked, bay, solid panel and shaped shutters.
Full height is the usual starting point; the right alternative depends on privacy, window shape, door access and how often panels need to open.
Style comparison
Choose a tab to compare coverage, privacy, panel movement and the windows or doors each configuration suits.
Full-height panels cover the complete window, with one or more panels planned around the width, handles and opening clearance. This is the usual starting point for privacy and adjustable light control.
View Full HeightKey features
Panels on the lower part of the window only, with the top left clear. The survey sets the panel height from the outside sight line so the layout balances privacy and daylight.
View Cafe StyleKey features
Separate upper and lower panels on the same window, each working on its own. Open the top for light while the bottom stays closed for privacy, or set both wherever you want them.
View Tier on TierKey features
Connected shutter panels fold together. Narrower openings can use a simpler folding arrangement; our tracked option for wide bifold doors runs on top and bottom tracks with measured stacking clearance.
View Bifold ShuttersKey features
A bay describes the window shape rather than one coverage style. Full height, tier on tier or cafe shutters are designed around the measured faces and angles of square, angled or curved bays.
View Bay Window ShuttersKey features
Hardwood panels with a flat, unbroken face instead of adjustable louvres. Choose them when strong room darkening, privacy or a traditional panelled appearance matters more than fine daytime light control.
View Solid Panel ShuttersKey features
Shutters mounted on top and bottom tracks for patio doors, sliding doors and other wide non-bifold glazing. Depending on the opening, panels can fold and stack or slide past one another.
View Tracked ShuttersKey features
Made to fit arched, circular, triangular and other non-rectangular windows. The survey confirms the frame shape, material, panel divisions and which louvres can operate within the measured opening.
View Shaped and Arched ShuttersKey features
By window type
Start with the shape of the opening and how it operates. These are the combinations we consider before the home survey confirms the panel layout.
Casement, fixed and other standard rectangular windows
Full Height is the default. Tier on Tier suits taller windows or rooms needing separate upper and lower panels. Cafe Style is mainly for ground-floor rooms where lower-level privacy matters.
Traditional vertical sliding sash windows
Full Height and Tier on Tier are the main choices. Many customers prefer Tier on Tier because the upper and lower panels can work independently. Cafe Style is normally limited to ground-floor sash windows.
Canted or angled bays, square or box bays, and curved bow bays
Full Height is the normal starting point. Tier on Tier is mainly used where the bay itself contains sash windows. A wide centre pane can be split into two shutter panels, while the side sections follow the measured faces. Cafe Style is uncommon and is often set around three-quarters height when chosen.
Arched, circular, triangular and other non-rectangular openings
Shaped windows use a Full Height shutter made to the outline of the opening. Tier on Tier and Cafe Style are not used because the frame and panel geometry must follow the complete window shape.
Bifold doors, sliding patio doors and very wide glazed openings
The external doors normally move independently from the shutters. Bifold or tracked shutters are the usual internal choices across wide glazing. Sliding or bypass shutters can be made for very wide openings, but they are rarely selected.
Free Home Survey
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We work in the 50 towns and areas on our coverage list. See every area we cover.
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Sunday:Closed
Customer reviews
Verified reviews covering new-shutter work and aftercare by our family team.
Inspiration
Browse real installations by room, shutter style and area to see how made-to-measure shutters improve privacy, proportions and the finish around each window.
Richmond
Full height shutters fitted to a wide bay. Louvres set to diffuse afternoon light while keeping the room private from the street.
Service Areas
We measure and fit plantation shutters in the towns we cover. These are some of the locations listed on our full coverage page.
View all areasFAQs
Full height is the most widely fitted coverage style across the homes we work in. It suits most rectangular windows and gives a clean finish across the full frame. Our guide to the most popular plantation shutter choices compares it with tier-on-tier, cafe style, bi-fold and tracked options, then explains the leading material, louvre and tilt combinations.
Cafe style covers the lower half of the window only, with the upper glass left open permanently. Tier on tier covers the full window with separate upper and lower panels that each operate independently, giving you full coverage when needed and flexible partial coverage when not.
Yes. It is common to use full height in living rooms and bedrooms, cafe style in a street-facing kitchen, and tier on tier on a tall sash window. We specify each room individually based on what suits the window and how the room is used.
The shutter panels keep the same louvred appearance when closed. The difference is in how they open: our tracked shutters use top and bottom tracks so panels can fold and stack or slide past one another. Bifold shutters have connected folding panels and can use tracks on wider openings, including layouts around exterior bifold doors.
Yes. Bay window shutters require careful planning at each face of the bay. We measure the real angles, frame position and panel clearances during the home survey before confirming the configuration.
No. Closed solid panels provide strong room darkening, but light can still pass around panel and frame edges. A blackout honeycomb blind provides complete darkness when fitted with a compatible shutter layout. Solid panel shutters are available only in Hardwood.
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