63 
YOUR SHUTTERS AND YOUR HOME 
These Decorative Adjuncts Have A Great Deal To Do 
With The Appearance And Style Of A House 
AMELIA LEAVITT HILL 
I T is an axiom so old as to be hardly worth 
the repeating that the home reflects the 
personality of its owner. But this saying, 
as generally considered, applies to the in¬ 
terior of the home rather than to its external 
appearance. Nor is there any reason why 
this should be the case, for even the dweller 
in one of the uniform types of houses which 
usually compose a city street may, if he 
will, impose his own taste and originality 
upon as much of his house as is within the 
ken of the passerby to an extent which may 
seem at first glance hardly believable. 
Conventional hangings of scrim with insets 
of filet or Renaissance lace, striking batik, a 
gleam of bright silk, snowy or gay chintz 
shades, window boxes with a touch of green, 
all tell their own story. To be sure, in the 
summer, or in the country home, it may be 
told more openly; but even the city house, 
or the country or suburban house in winter, 
may give a hint as to the taste and person¬ 
ality of the presiding genius within. 
One of the most decorative adjuncts to 
the house, of recent days, has become the 
shutter. To be sure, this has not yet become 
as universally recognized as it should be, as 
is evident by the number of “blinds” very 
evidently constructed with use alone, and 
beauty not at all, in mind. Yet these aids 
to decoration are coming into their own, 
and a certain street which is famed for its 
In Colonial houses full length shutters were often 
used on the entrance. A 1753 example is found 
in the II 'alcot House, Litchfield , Ct. 
artistic atmosphere, owes its quaint and 
delightful appearance largely to the thought 
which has there been expended upon these 
useful and decorative appliances. 
What a variety of shutters is to be seen 
of recent years! The choice of them is 
legion for him who seeks more than a mere 
protection from weather or mischance. 
Here, indeed, originality may run riot with¬ 
out fear of being conspicuous or in bad taste. 
The old-time shutters, consisting of a mass 
of slats, though less popular than they were 
—owing, perhaps, to their lack of decorative 
quality—are still preferred by some house¬ 
holders, because of the free passage of the 
air, grateful in the heat of summer, which 
the slats permit. A room may be shadowed 
by the closing of such “blinds” without the 
shutting off of outside air, which at certain 
seasons is an advantage not to be despised. 
Also, shutters of this kind are sometimes 
divided and hinged horizontally, so that 
while the upper part remains close to the 
window, the low T er projects after the man¬ 
ner of an awning, thus making further pro¬ 
vision against the sun unnecessary. 
A variant of this form of shutter is that 
which has the old-fashioned slats at either 
top or bottom, with the solid portion, in¬ 
versely, above or below. They are made in 
both w r avs, but the more satisfactory 
{Continued on page 86) 
The Georgian pa¬ 
neled shutter gave 
a dignified finish 
to the old-time 
window. This 
type is found on 
the Morris House 
in Philadelphia, 
dating from 1790 
Inside shutters are found in-two types of houses—the Colonial, where they 
were folded hack into the window casing, and in old English houses where 
they were used, as here, to cover a range of casement windows. This is from 
the home of Alan Lehman, Tarrytown, N. Y. John Russell Pope, architect 
Shutters pierced 
with amusing de¬ 
signs can be used 
effectively on Co¬ 
lonial and English 
cottage types of 
houses. This de¬ 
sign is by Dwight 
James Baum 
