What are Rear Tilt or Hidden Tilt Shutters?
If you have been shopping for interior shutters, while doing your research you might have seen Rear Tilt or Hidden Tilt shutters and learned that they have advantages over regular tilt shutters. Perhaps you’ve noticed that this new operational feature provides a clean and unobstructed look, as well as enhanced visibility. Rear tilt and Hidden Tilt shutters can have become fashionable in estate homes and modern offices, and yet can be surprisingly affordable. This new feature not only modernizes the look of conventional shutters, they are applicable to any style of design and architecture.
How Rear Tilt and Hidden Tilt Shutters Differ from Conventional Tilt Shutters
Rear tilt and Hidden Tilt shutters are different from conventional shutters because their tilt bars are either behind the shutter louvers and pushed over to one side rather than in front of the louvers; or completely hidden within the panel frame so that you cant see them at all. Since the tilt bar is hidden from view, it presents a cleaner lines and your view is unobstructed by the non-existing tilt bar. You only see the horizontal louvers – no tilt bar! Operating the louvers is simple, you just move one of the louvers and the tilt bar that is hidden from sight, operates the other lovers. This feature also provides the added benefit of being easier to clean because the tilt bar is not blocking you from wiping each louver from one side to the other.
As we have pointed out in previous blogs about window covering designs for health & safety, shutters offer excellent room darkening capabilities and Rear Tilt and Hidden Tilt shutters do too; therefore they are excellent for people who have difficulty sleeping and those who work at night and sleep during the day. Shutters can darken bedrooms under sunny daylight conditions and block unwanted nighttime light like street lamps, a full moon, or local ambient light coming from a neighbors home. Regarding safety, because rear tilt shutters do not have drawstrings, cords, they make good sense for people with children and pets, as there is no mechanism to get tangled up into. Arjay’s Window Fashions follows strict child safety guidelines as recommended by the window covering industry and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Shutters are one of the products that Arjay’s recommends when considering child and pet safety.
We have written in the past when addressing energy concerns and window coverings, that shutters not only do an excellent job in controlling light, they also control heat loss and heat gain. When selecting white colored shutters, the reflective properties of a light colored shutter send solar energy back out through your windows before they are converted to heat inside the building; and the exceptional thermal properties of wood (high “R” Values) help keep warm temperatures from migrating outside in the winter. When closed, shutters act like a thermal shield on your windows and can reduce heating and air conditioning expenses. When desirable winter sun is striking windows in your home, we suggest leaving the shutters open to invite solar radiation in to offset heating expenditures. Sunlight reflecting off of horizontal planes like open shutter louvers, can also bring in more light and reduce the need for mechanical lighting, thus reducing lighting electricity usage. Shutters are not only a design feature in your home, they are also an effective conservation measure.
Since we are talking about the benefits of shutters beyond just the Rear Tilt and Hidden Tilt features in this blog, we should also discuss motorization. Shutters, like drapery and shades, can be motorized and integrated into modern home and building automation systems so that you can either push a button and control them, or they can operate automatically. Examples would be to time the shutters to close or open based on the position of the sun, open automatically in the morning to wake you and bring in morning sunlight or replicate occupancy when on vacation. Just like a thermostat turns your heater and air conditioner on and off for you, so can your automation system control your shutters. Ask your Arjay’s Designer for more information about motorized shutters.
Rear Tilt & Hidden Tilt and Other Shutter Benefits
- Modern look — the shutters are more streamlined and look cleaner than conventional wood shutters
- Easier to clean — you don’t have to worry about cleaning around the tilt bar like you do with conventional shutters
- Lets more light in — without the standard tilt mechanism in place, rear tilt shutters lets more light in than conventional shutters when they are fully opened
- Goes with any decor — because of the timeless look, rear tilt shutters never look out of place in any room or with any window treatment
- Can be motorized — you don’t even have to touch the louvers to move them with motors via remote control
- Excellent Light Control – Keeps out distracting light while you sleep
- Energy efficient — can save money on your heating and air conditioning bills as it provides an insulating layer between your home’s interior and the glass in your home which readily conducts heat and cold
Applications for Rear Tilt Shutters
Rear tilt shutters have a variety of uses throughout the home. You can install rear tilt shutters on windows, French doors, patio doors, sliding glass doors, skylights, or even install them as room dividers. They can be paired with any number of window treatments such as curtains, sheers, and exterior shades. Talk to our Arjay’s Designers who will help you design the look you want for each of the windows in your home. Your personal designer can help you with choosing the rear tilt shutters for the look you’ve always wanted.
Options for Rear Tilt Shutters
You can purchase Rear Tilt and Hidden Tilt shutters from Arjay’s as either faux wood shutters or real wood shutters. You also have several choices of finishing your shutters that include many paint and stain colors, louver sizes and frame styles. You may have a custom louver size, or you can go with factory standard sizes; the factory standard sizes are 2 1/2 inches, 3 1/2 inches, and 4 1/2 inches. You may be able to get Rear Tilt and Hidden Tilt shutters in the following designs: angled shutters, arched shutters, radius shutters, vertical shutters, Café shutters, and sliding panels. We can also help you design a custom shape for your shutter.
Contact Us at Arjay’s for Your Choice in Shutters
We highly recommend rear tilt shutters to our clients here at Arjay’s, however, those are not the only type of shutters we offer. We specialize in helping you find just the right look for your office or home. We want your shutters to match your existing decor and architecture. That’s why you will have your very own personal designer to help guide you through all the various selections we have available. We can help you with style selections, color selections, and even the panel layout of your wood shutters. We can help you select your shutters’ material, the louver size, the style of frame, the color of stain or paint, and any operational features you wish your new shutters to have.
