Choose blinds when you want the lowest cost, a blackout bedroom, a quick turnaround or the freedom to change fabrics; choose shutters when the window is on show from the street, you want the best privacy and insulation, and you plan to stay long enough to get the value from a fitting that lasts decades. Most homes end up with both: shutters on the front, blinds everywhere else.
The comparison
| Blinds | Shutters | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From £99 fitted for three plain verticals; most windows quoted on the visit | Per window on a free survey; the most expensive window dressing |
| Light control | Roller: up or down. Venetian, wooden and vertical: tilt. Day and night: striped bands | Louvres tilt in degrees; panels fold open for the full window |
| Blackout | Yes, with a blackout fabric or a cassette | No. Closed louvres leave light at the edges and between slats |
| Privacy | Good; sheer and day-and-night fabrics give privacy with daylight | Best: café-style and tier-on-tier give privacy below and light above |
| Insulation | Thermal, cellular and Perfect Fit blinds trap air against the glass | Hardwood shutters are the best insulator we fit |
| Bathrooms and kitchens | Moisture-resistant roller, aluminium Venetian or fauxwood | Waterproof PVC shutters with a 10-year warranty |
| Bay windows | One blind per face; vertical and Perfect Fit work well | One frame per face, joined at the angles; the classic bay treatment |
| Lead time | Usually fitted within a week | 8 to 10 weeks, made to order |
| Lifespan | Years; fabrics fade and mechanisms wear eventually | Decades; no fabric, no cords |
| Changing your mind | Easy and cheap to swap a fabric later | A long-term fixture |
| Warranty | 12 months on the blind and fitting | 10-year manufacturer warranty on PVC; manufacturer warranty on hardwood |
Room by room
- Living room or front bay: shutters if the window faces the street and you will stay a while; otherwise Roman or wooden blinds for warmth, verticals for patio doors.
- Bedroom: a blind. Blackout roller or Roman fabrics give true darkness; shutters cannot.
- Nursery and children’s rooms: blackout roller or Perfect Fit blinds with no hanging cords. Everything we fit meets BS EN 13120 and the Make It Safe scheme.
- Bathroom: waterproof PVC shutters or a moisture-resistant roller, aluminium Venetian or fauxwood blind. Never a fabric Roman.
- Kitchen: wipe-clean roller or fauxwood Venetian; PVC shutters if the window is on show.
- Conservatory: pleated, cellular or Perfect Fit blinds for the roof and sides; shutters rarely suit the roof.
- Home office: day and night or Venetian blinds for screen glare; tier-on-tier shutters if the desk faces the street.
- Bifold and patio doors: vertical, panel or Perfect Fit blinds; shutters only as tracked panels, which we will advise on.
Can you mix them?
Yes, and it is the most common outcome of a home visit. Shutters go on the windows seen from the road and the rooms you use most; blinds go on the bedrooms, bathrooms and the back of the house. The sample books for both come on the same visit, and the quote lists each window separately so you can decide window by window.
See both at home on one free visit, with a fixed quote for each window.
Questions people ask
01Are shutters better than blinds for insulation?
02Can shutters black out a bedroom?
03Which is better for a bay window?
04Do shutters add value to a house?
Facts checked 3 November 2026. Prices and lead times are those published on this site at that date; the quote you receive on your visit is the one that counts.
