The louvers sometimes called ‘slats’, are a big part of the design of modern plantation shutters, they come in a range of sizes from more traditional 2 1/2″ louvers to the most popular 3 1/2″ louvers and even in larger ‘view’ sizes of 4 1/2″ louvers.

Choosing a plantation shutter louver size starts with knowing two main things:

Smaller = more traditional look
Larger = more contemporary look

Smaller = the focus is on the shutters themselves
Larger = the focus is more on the view through the window

Style of the Home
Plantation shutters are a fixed widow treatment that will affect the final look of the room so it is important to take into consideration the style of the room and how it fits in with the rest of the house. So an important question to ask is do you want a more traditional style feel with smaller louvers or a more contemporary look with wider louvers?

Tilt Rod or Hidden Control
This is also the point to discuss the tilt rod and its contribution to the look of the finished plantation shutters. A common feature today in all plantation shutters is the ability of the louvers to tilt, allowing light control. There are also choices in the tilt control of the shutter louvers, with the traditional tilt rod running down the middle of the face of the louvers to the more modern style of a hidden tilt rod located on the back of the louvers.

On the other hand, removing the center-mounted tilt rod on the face of the shutters and opting for a ‘hidden’ or rear-mounted tilt bar definitely contributes to a cleaner more contemporary look and goes well with the larger sizes of louvers.

Depth of Window
Smaller sized louvers can also be a practical choice. Smaller slats take up less depth in a window, so for windows with limited recess depth, a smaller louver may solve the problem.

The view
Do you have a gorgeous view outside the window that you want to preserve? The answer is pretty simple, the larger the louvers, the larger the space between them, so this would weigh heavily in favor of going with a larger 4 1/2″ ‘view’ sized louver.