Plantation shutters provide privacy and a snug feeling for your home whilst creating a light spacious feeling. Stylish and distinctive internal shutters are becoming the window covering of choice across Manchester and the Northwest.

The louvers can be adjusted while the shutters are closed and are totally flexible in providing varying levels of privacy or light to accommodate individual circumstances. When fully open the louvers allow full light into the room whilst maintaining a high level of privacy. Interior shutters also provide enhanced security and can help to reduce external noise levels.

For over 15 years Dress my windows have been supplying interior shutters across the UK. They are renowned for their longevity; the first shutters we supplied are still going strong! We choose to use basswood which is perfect for this product as it is stable, is very strong but is light enough to suit most window openings in the UK.

Whether it is wooden window shutters, curtains or blinds, each and every solution is tailor made to fit your window. All our consultants are trained interior designers and advisors in measuring and fitting bespoke window coverings. You can guarantee that not only will they look fantastic they will operate like a dream, as they should do, every day. This together with our excellent customer service is why much of our work now comes from previous customers and recommendations.

Whitespace consultants are based in Bolton and provide commercial office refurbishment services across the UK. With over 20 years experience in the office design arena, we offer a blend of, office refurbishment, space planning, design skills, office furniture supply, and practical experience to provide the ultimate in office refurbishment.

Working across a number of market sectors including education, commercial, manufacturing, healthcare, and professional services we have worked along side Dress my windows on a large number of occasions.

Offices today are the life blood of a business. We cannot do tomorrow’s work in yesterday’s office. We have to work smarter to be effective. Offices have changed dramatically over recent years with developments in technology being the primary cause. The demands made on office furniture suppliers have increased. Our suppliers are providing products that work with the technology not against it. With many businesses moving over to flat screen computers the need for a large workstation is becoming a thing of the past. Offices are becoming streamlined with new and innovative cable management systems enabling us to provide virtually a clear desk top for working.

For key areas of the business the right office furniture choice is crucial. Office reception areas for instance. First impressions count – and last! We can provide the latest business office furniture to ensure your organisation benefits both practically and visually.

So whether you are updating your office space with the addition of new business office furniture or undertaking a complete structural office refurbishment, we offer a full office design and refurbishment service.

All building, electrical, heating and data cabling completed from a single source. We will also co-ordinate all required building work, office partitioning, flooring, decoration, signage, even plants and pictures. As a result you have one point of contact and detailed project management to ensure a seamless transformation.

We understand the pressures of running a business; our team are friendly, patient and helpful and will always assist where they can. If you’d like to know more about what we do, please visit our website at www.whitespace.org.uk and please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

With the summer holidays over and the children safely back at school, this time of year is an ideal time to concentrate on the interior of your property and put refurbishment plans into operation.

If it’s not a complete overhaul why not freshen up a room simple by changing the curtains or adding  roman blinds?

Have you always fancied interior shutters? These will certainly create a light spacious feel,  ideal for the winter months.

Many people have created a blank canvas opting for paint on the walls as apposed to wallpaper, enabling them to leaving the accent designs down to the soft furnishings.

There are so many fabulous colour combinations on the market at the moment to either contrast or blend with existing window treatments. We have experience in working within budget constraints and can adapt your ideas to keep within these.

What ever your style, traditional or contemporary we have the solution for you. We have many years of experience and are able to supply ideas and advice to ensure you are thrilled with the end result!

Contact us today and lets make your ideas a reality.

Unlike traditional curtains or blinds internal shutters allow you to control the amount of light you allow into a room while still maintaining privacy. In addition to being totally flexible in terms of levels of privacy or light, interior shutters also provide enhanced security and can help to reduce external noise levels.

Stylish and distinctive interior shutters are available in a range of colours and styles and can be fashioned to blend with existing home environment and décor.

We use predominately basswood which we believe is perfect for this product as it is very strong, stable and light enough to suit most window openings. We are proud to say the first shutters we installed over 15 years ago are still going strong!

If your window does not suit a shutter installation, we will advise you accordingly. We always give a free and honest appraisal even if this means losing a sale. Our philosophy is to imagine it were our own home – we want you to be totally happy. This approach has resulted in much of our work being from word of mouth or returning customers.

Contact us today for a free no obligation visit

The trend now is definitely moving away from that. The key now is to achieve the correct look for each individual room, regardless of how this looks from the exterior.

So for example, the most recent consultation I had with a client took the following direction:

Front Lounge, through to the dining room;

Shutters were a perfect solution to the front bay window. The house had a modern feel, so the client chose a silk white finish. Plantation shutters were perfect, because the front of the house had a southerly aspect, so this gave great light control and also afforded the level of privacy they required. We put a split in the shutters which enabled the client to tilt the lower louvers for privacy, leaving the upper louvers open to give that all important natural light.
The rear dining room window looked out into a rear yard where the bane of all our lives, the “wheely bins”, were stored (all four of them!). Shutters again proved ideal because the louvers could be tilted just slightly, obscuring this view, but also giving maximum light.

Kitchen;

A roller blind was used here were a shutter would not work because of limited opening space. The house was not overlooked particularly and this was at the rear, north facing part of the house. This room was a little more shaded therefore, so we didn’t want to take too much more light out of the room. The client wanted to dress the window and also achieve some privacy and security, mostly in the evenings. A roller blind was ideal, offering a stylish solution with some colour, and satisfying the practical needs perfectly. The fabric chosen was moisture resistant, had a stay fresh coating and could be sponge cleaned, perfect for a kitchen.

Bedroom Two;

The guest bedroom was only used occasionally so the client didn’t want to pay so much for a solution to this window, so again we went for a roller blind. In this room, we went for a blackout blind and the client chose a neutral colour, which tied in with the room well, dressed the window and also provided a suitable environment when guests were staying.

Main Bedroom;

The client wanted to create a warmer, more luxurious feel in this room. This was again at the front of the house so south facing, presenting a problem with the early morning sun, particularly on summer mornings. Here we decided to use curtains. There were no real privacy issues and the room was quite neutral so we could be quite bold with fabric and colour choices. We chose a modern design with subtle elements of raspberry and created an eyelet heading with a simple brushed silver pole. These beautiful made to measure curtains were blackout lined, so were ideal for a bedroom.

All in all, the client was thrilled with the results, which worked perfectly within each room. There was no concern with whether we had created a uniform look from the outside of the house, more with the fact that we had found the perfect look to suit each room inside the house.

For curtain lovers the issue is always with the rail or pole. To get the best results, these need to be fitted by a professional, as the results can be otherwise unsightly, apart from giving problems with the opening and closing of the curtains.

Clients who prefer blinds strive to find a balanced look across the bay, which looks stylish and is without compromise. Again, if not professionally fitted, the results can look poor and there can also be a problem with gaps, which can give privacy issues.

One solution for a curved bay is a vertical blind. The rail can be curved to the same shape as the window, thus allowing the window to be covered with a single blind, rather than three, four or even five blinds which may have to be used dependent on the shape and size of the window. The beauty of this curved vertical blind is that it gives a perfectly made to measure look, is stylish, and gives terrific light control into the room with a single set of controls. What’s more, it is actually relatively inexpensive compared to using a number of blinds instead.

So call us today and we can discuss the options in more detail.

Whilst chatting with her, I asked what it was she liked about having shutters. It was interesting to hear from an existing customer the things that attracted her and the benefits of having shutters.

The main points she raised were:

• Nice clean lines, a fresh look to the room.

• Gives a bright airy feel to the room.

• Do not date, almost timeless.

• Future decorating is so easy, no need to match to curtains or blinds.

• Good for insulation, great in the bathroom.

It is always interesting to get feedback from customers. This lady is planning to work right through the house with shutters, she loves them so much. She has fallen out of love with curtains, she finds them expensive, and they date so quickly and tend to take natural light out of the rom.

It seems we have another convert!

The big difference with these blinds is the way the cording works; instead of the cords running through the blinds, they run on the outside. This means the blinds close much more fully, keeping out the light. It also means they are so much easier to clean and look a lot more stylish.

With over 40 different colour options, including a custom colour match range, there is an unbelievable level of choice. Customers could have them in pink if they wanted!

The blinds also have a choice of 4 louvre widths, including the new 64mm size which matches with our plantation shutter range, giving a totally new look to our wooden venetian range.

Other features include child safety cord options, a range of stylish pelmets and toggles, different coloured head rails and a high quality control system.

This new range of basswood blinds really is the business!

It has been interesting to get this feedback, particularly in relation to plantation shutters, which are perceived as an expensive product.

• Generally, because shutters are a long term investment, almost like a piece of furniture, and will last for 20-25 years, customers have felt they will work out considerably cheaper than blinds or curtains.

• Many of our customers feel that plantation shutters are timeless, therefore because they will not date, will take away the need to update the window dressings for a generation.

• Dress My Windows have a range of 5 different materials now and can generally find a plantation shutter solution to suit most budgets.

• We will always work with the client to find the best solution and wont charge extra for special additions, like tier on tier, stained finishes, alternative hinges etc.

• Plantation shutters provide another layer of insulation within the window space, saving money on heating costs during their lifespan.

Generally our clients feel plantation shutters are a worthwhile investment as they will reap the benefits of the outlay in so many ways. We do still have a large number of clients who still choose blinds as their window treatments however, sometimes due to the initial outlay of shutters, sometimes due to  the fact they will not be staying in that house for any length of time and sometimes just down to personal choice!

The most common resolution by far that we at Dress My Windows have heard this year has been: save money. I have also heard some great ways of achieving this goal over the past few weeks as everyone’s attention turns to the VAT rise. What’s more is that there are some very useful resources out there at the moment to help in achieving this goal.

I found the tips from the experts at moneysupermarket.com very interesting, and well worth looking into. From changing energy supplier – and you might want to seriously look into this with the help of my friend and colleague Ella Worthington who is a representative of Utility Warehouse – to switching mortgage from variable to fixed rate (I can also recommend my mortgage broker Christian Coventry , a colleague whom I trust.

These are both great ideas and I find that the more you talk to friends and family, the more money-saving ideas you can come up with between you.

We have also noticed that many of our customers have decided that rather than move home, they are choosing to modernise their current home. That’s where we can help you directly. We can find a simple, cost-effective solution that will give your home the lift it needs to keep you happy. You don’t have to throw lots of money into re-decorating; it’s the small things like curtains, blinds and accessories that make the difference.