In many cases we are able to come up with a design that lets the customer fold the shutters out of the way. This can either be flat against the wall or in the case of a track system the shutters stack into the room. In some cases though this is just not possible. Maybe because furniture is in the way or the location of the window compared to the location of the wall prohibits this and sometimes its just because the design of the shutters does not allow for that. If you look at the picture here you can see that two of the windows allow for shutters to be folded flat against the wall. The shallow angled bay does not because we have had multiple bespoke bay posts made to follow the curve of the window. This means each panel is hinged to a post and not to another panel.
Is this an issue? In most cases it isn’t for the customer as we will have suggested a large louvre size that allows the customer to still have a fantastic view through the shutters. Also in most cases the reason the shutters are there is because heat levels are excessively high or the large windows/bifold doors cause issues with privacy.
If your windows are very wide and very tall and you are looking for panels to hinge together and fold flat you really want wood shutters such as our Winchester Range of FSC certified white teak shutters. Wood is so much lighter than MDF (this is why our specification only allows 2 MDF panels to be hinged together to stay within warranty) and you ideally want your panels as lightweight as possible. MDF also has far more flex in it than wood and so when your shutters are hanging from their frames a wood frame will be far sturdier than an MDF frame. Having said all of this in extreme cases you may still need to give your shutters a little lift into the frame if you have a big span and tall shutters.
Where we have large door runs or large windows a track solution is often better. As you can see in these images the shutters fold back (you can split which way you want the panels to go and the number in each direction – keep your panels in pairs) and have a low profile guide on the floor. We have done amazing pool shutters on tracks in our waterproof range.
If you want an expert opinion please just get in touch.