With the stagnant housing market showing no signs of revival, 2012 is all about home improvement.

Installing shutters is a great way to invest in your property and they not only look great, they are great insulators so can help you save on those energy bills.

Sam Tamlyn, from the California Shutter Company, has these handy tips on choosing and installing shutters:

1. Choose a Style that Works for your Room
The most popular style is the plantation shutter, which have slats that rotate open and closed to control the light levels in the room. You can also buy solid shutters for a more traditional look. Tier-on-tier gives you greater flexibility with light control and for a Continental feel go for a solid lower half and moveable slats on top.

2. Choose the Right Material
Wood remains the most popular material for shutters, but you can now choose from a whole host of other options such as MDF and plastic.

3. Design – Keep it Simple!
Look at the window frame and try to get this to match the shutter. Less is definitely more in shutter design.

4. Go Complementary
Look at the colour scheme in your room (floor, skirting board, furniture and doors). Choosing a colour that complements and accentuates these existing elements is important.
Generally lighter coloured shutters pull in more light, while darker coloured ones absorb more. So, if your room is filled with heavy furniture or a dark wood floor, a lighter coloured shutter would be more suitable for your room.

5. But Don’t Shy Away From Colour!
White shutters are extremely popular, but don’t be afraid to add a dash of colour to your room if white isn’t your thing. Neutral colours such as greys, blacks or browns also work well and have a timeless appeal. However, introducing bold and bright colours is very now, so if you’re a fashion fiend then go for a custom colour and get the WOW factor for your room.

6. Maximising Light
Shutters are a great way to control the light levels in the room, and the larger the slat, the more light will be drawn in. The contemporary 89mm slat is very popular at the moment for this very reason.

7. Opening your Shutters
When designing your shutters, think about how often you will open and close them, and how often you will tilt the slats. Generally fewer panels are more effective if you’re planning on leaving the shutters closed during the day with the slats tilted open.

8. Size
One of the best things about shutters is their flexibility, not just in terms of the design but in their size too. Shutters can be fitted to very tall windows (up to about three metres) and generally there is no maximum width. The largest shutters we have ever supplied at The California Company were a massive eight metres in width.

9. Awkward Spaces

Shutters can be made to fit any awkward spaces; from ovals to triangles to hexagons, so you can really get creative and make a feature out of that unusual window.

10. Installing your Shutters
Installing your shutters is a very simple process; you’ll only need a screwdriver and a drill. For a neat finish, we recommend applying decorators caulk.

www.thecaliforniashuttercompany.co.uk