The rise of open plan living in the 21st century has totally transformed the way we live. The ability to dine, cook, rest and socialise in one room can be convenient, but on the flip side, you may sometimes wish you could just pull across a wall for some privacy or peace and quiet. But a folding, adjustable wall? That’s not possible, right?
Wrong! That’s where plantation shutters come in. Here are 8 ways you can use shutters to divide and transform your living space…
Separate your lounge and dining areas
If you have one large living space for both dining and lounging, consider using plantation shutters to divide the room. Instead of putting up a wall, which is expensive and time-consuming, installing shutters is quick and easy. This method also means you can open up your living space when needed – for example, when entertaining. Tracked shutters are an ideal choice for this as you can open and close them with ease.
Using plantation shutters to separate your lounge and dining areas creates a multifunctional space, keeping food smells out of your lounge when you dine, or allowing someone to relax in the living room whilst others sit at the table. The sleek, stylish look of the shutters also enhances your space as a seamless divide in the middle of the room.
Create a dedicated study space
A large, open plan living space can be beautiful, but when multiple people use the space for different activities, it can become difficult. If your desk is in the living room, it can be hard to concentrate when your family members are watching television. At the same time, it can be nice to keep the space open at times – for example when you’re finishing up some work on a sunny Friday afternoon and there’s already a game of football on…
The solution of this would be to use shutters to divide the room, creating a dedicated study space, as opposed to building a wall. Shutters will also take up less space than an entire wall with a door, ideal in smaller living spaces. Using plantation shutters in this way can improve your productivity, whether you’re working or studying.
Save space when adding an ensuite
Having a private ensuite attached to your bedroom is a luxury, especially if you’re living with multiple family members who use one family bathroom. If you’re adding an ensuite to your room, you’ll likely be taking space from the existing bedroom, rather than building an extension.
Using shutters to divide the ensuite area from your bedroom provides privacy without taking up as much space as an entire wall. It also means that light from the main room can still flood into your bathroom – ideal when you’re building the ensuite against an internal wall or a wall with no windows.
Hide your utility area
A downside of open plan living is that there’s often nowhere to hide the more unsightly parts of the room, such as washing machines and cleaning storage. If you have a corner of the room dedicated to utility, consider using plantation shutters to divide it from the rest of the room. This will allow you to hide any clutter – think ironing boards, vacuums, laundry baskets – behind the shutters, keeping the rest of your living space clean and clutter-free.
Close off an open plan kitchen
Smells wafting across the room from the kitchen as you cook can be delicious, getting your stomach rumbling before you eat. However, these smells linger, and no one wants the smell of a roast dinner to stick around in the lounge until Monday morning. Using adjustable, tracked shutters to close off the kitchen from the rest of your open plan living area not only creates privacy when you’re cooking but stops these smells from drifting to the rest of the house. You can then open the shutters fully the rest of the time, so you can still enjoy the benefits of open plan living.
This is also useful for those times when you accidentally burn the bacon… no more smoke billowing into the lounge!
Create an adjustable balcony or patio divide
Plantation shutters are the perfect way to create a living space which is seamlessly connected to the outside. If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful, big patio adjoining your living area, it can feel like a shame to have it permanently cut off by a wall. At the same time, installing huge sliding doors means you only have two options: open and closed.
Installing plantation shutters along your doors or windows here provides you with control over how much light and air you have flowing into your room. On sunny days where it’s not too hot, you can open them fully and completely expand your living space. When it’s scorching out, you can open the doors but close the shutters and keep the louvres tilted so your room is still shaded. And when you’re inevitably hit by a wet, British winter, the shutters and doors can be closed entirely, with the louvres titled to allow as much light in as possible.
Divide a bedroom in two
A large bedroom can be divided into two smaller bedrooms with plantation shutters, providing the occupants with their own private space. This is particularly ideal for children’s bedrooms, where they may have always shared a room but need privacy as they grow up. The adjustable nature of the shutters means they can then open them up to one big room when they like. This can also work well for a guest room, especially when combined with a zip and link bed, which can be used as two twins or one large bed.
This way of dividing a room is much more cost-efficient and simple than building a wall.
Segment a studio flat
Space is precious in a studio flat, so putting up walls to create dedicated rooms is often not an option. Using shutters to divide your space can be a much more space-efficient solution, providing areas for dining, living, and sleeping without losing too much space.
You can either use the shutters to create an entirely separate bedroom, or you can place them strategically to provide as much privacy and comfort as possible, such as between the bed and the front door or kitchen. Creating a comfortable place to sleep in this way can massively improve your sleep quality.
Transform Your Living Space with Plantation Shutters at Just Shutters
At Just Shutters, we have the widest range of shutter styles in the UK – including some exclusive ranges! You can trust us to create the perfect solution for dividing your living space.
To get started, browse our range of high-quality plantation shutters, or get in touch with us for more information. We’re always happy to hear from you, whether it’s to answer your questions about our shutters and their office-friendly features, or to start you on your shutter journey!
