Don’t you love old wood shutters?
You know – the ones with simple pine planks
old chipping paint and lots of character
The ones that look like they are 100 years old
and are full of old chipping paint and charm?
What about shutters that aren’t really old
but just have that charming look?
I adore them and I look for them all the time when I am out shopping the fleas
I saw lots of them on the Hidden Treasure Adventure yard sale trip last week
but they were a little too big to put into my suitcase to bring home.
😉
😉
The Lowes Creative Ideas challenge for August was energy efficiency.
With the hot Summer days with blazing sun coming through the windows and heating the house up
I thought that building a couple sets of vintage inspired wood shutters for my office windows
would be perfect.
FCC Random fact:
Did you know that our 1940’s cottage does not have AC?
Zero, zilch, nada in the air conditioning department
It was never put in and frankly, we don’t usually need it even during the hot California Summers
A bonus of older homes in our area is that they usually have extra thick walls
(and ours are wood planked as well) and a basement
We do have a basement that is always cool-it’s actually a perfect temperature wine cellar year round
but sometimes- when it’s super super hot for more than a couple of days in a row
even that cool basement doesn’t do much for the house
even that cool basement doesn’t do much for the house
So being able to close off that California Sumer sun and heat coming through the windows
really helps.
really helps.
These shutters are so simple to build with just a few pine planks and about a half an hour of time.
Since I wanted a vintage look, I applied several coats of paint
with layers of green, white and pale pink paint
and then distressed it accordingly.
and then distressed it accordingly.
I have closed them several times when we have had that 100 degree weather
and they definitely make a huge difference in keeping my office a little cooler
and more manageable to work in
and
I love that they bring such sweet vintage charm at the same time
even when they are wide open
I love that they bring such sweet vintage charm at the same time
even when they are wide open
Tutorial coming your way next week
Find more inspiration by signing up for the Lowes Creative Ideas Magazine~ it’s FREE and filled with
tons of great ideas. They even have an app for it in the app store now too
where you will find some of the Creative Ideas Bloggers projects featured from time to time.
I am thrilled to be a member of the Lowes Creative Ideas Creators and Influencers Network
and am provided with gift cards for my projects & for my work.
All ideas, opinions and designs are my own of course!
sharing at wow
Courtney, you are so clever. I think this is an EXCELLENT craft project and looks so perfect in your gorgeous vintage world!
What a great idea and they look so good. No air?? Oh, not here.
Oh, they look so beautiful! I love this idea… and I live in a 1940s cottage too. :)) Hope you have a great weekend!
♥Heather
Absolutely LOVE them and can't wait for the tutorial so I can make some for my own little cottage 🙂 Thanks for always inspiring us!
Cindy
Beautiful idea!! Love it
Very pretty! We built some exterior shutters to add cottage charm to our old house and I miss them! I never thought about adding them to the interior!
They are so pretty… luv the soft colours you applied. Such luvly cottage charm.
NO air??!! Whew, I cannot imagine. Here in Florida, air is a must.
Hugs, Gee
LOVE your shutters, Courtney! They DO help greatly in keeping out the summer heat, don't they? Plus they add so much additional shabby texture to a room. My husband built some for me this past summer. I painted them with my own recipe of "Prairie Girl Pink". Check them out here….
http://heavens-walk.blogspot.com/2013/04/pink-inspiration.html
and here!
http://heavens-walk.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-pink-chorus.html
Now I want him to build another set for me for the living room next to my chaise. I think I'm obsessed with them. lol Looking forward to your tutorial next week, girlie! 🙂
xoxo laurie
Those old/new shutters are to die for!!
I have a perfect place for these! Can't wait for the tutorial!
I love the old plank style shutters! Actually, I love pretty much all shutters and have quite a few in my garden. Sometime in the next few weeks, I'll be getting plantation style shutters in my update living room. Can't wait. It will be interesting to see what you'll do over the next few months with your shutters.
Love this idea Courtney! I'd love to make a pair for a certain place in my house.
My husband is going to ban me from the computer. I am sooooo putting this on our to do list. Somehow, we will have these somewhere on our house! Great job!
You made those? Wow, you're handy too!! Can't wait to see the tutorial. I'd love to make some!
Hugs
Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com
I don't have central air, but do have 2 window air conditioners that get used a total of about 4 days each year. It's hardly worth the effort of putting them in each summer. Managing the sun or cold coming in the windows is the best way for me to keep the house comfortable. I'll be eagerly waiting for your tutorial! You make a great spokesperson.
These photos are charming, very pretty.
Jeannie
Love the shutters you built Courtney~great job as usual!
Love the shutters- pretty & practical! Just lovely 🙂
LOOOOOOOVE!!!
Oh yes,those shutters are beautiful,But so is the styling and picture too.It certainly has that wow-factor,I love everything!!!
Tove 🙂
They're adorable… and what's so cool is that they are totally functional! I made shutters once for my house and painted them pink, and i liked them so much more than the awful vinyl shutters. Plus what could be better than pink shutters!
Cindy
Beautiful compliment to your lovely home!
xx
Anne
From my mom's point of view, old windows are to be thrown,. Well, not anymore. After reading your post, she decided to replace the old windows and allowed me to transform the vintage shutter and frames into something we can use as decoration. I guess your photos here are great samples. I'll let her see all of them. 🙂
Mason Mcnulty @ RenewalOfMaine.com