Quite often in life we come across situations were we know something but not the 'real thing'. We seem to be ignorant about certain common place things. May be not ignorant, confused though. Difference between window blinds and shutters is one such case. Often we fail in differentiating them.

Many a novel gives you the perfect description of a room with the following line,' the blinds were raised'. Here what the novelist is referring to is the window blinds, a sort of covering of the window. The term window blind is seldom used synonymous to all sorts of window covering which includes roman and roller blinds and shutters even. Essentially blinds and shutters are different.

You will be interested to know that a wide variety of window blinds exist. The different materials and systems used make the difference here. Want an ethnic look? Wooden window blinds add on to the ethnic look of the room. Venetian bind is the popular name of wooden blinds. Or go for the latest looks that are currently in, do it the way you like best with metal, plastic or fabric slats. Vertical window blinds and horizontal window blinds are another way of categorizing window blinds. Slat blinds which are popular have horizontal slats.

Now we will talk about window shutters. The main feature that differentiates them from window blinds is that, window shutters are usually stable and firm. It is comprised of a frame. The frame has stiles (which are vertical) and rails which are horizontal. What differentiates various shutters is the material inside these frames. It can be fabric, louvers, glass or any solid material.

Sometimes shutters are preferred to window blinds. Here are reasons for that. There will b variations in the amount of sunlight entering a room. Sometimes situation arise when we want to regulate the amount. Window shutters can be employed for this purpose. Window shutters can be exterior or interior shutters.

That was an overview about window shutters and window blinds, what differentiate them. Essentially both are different and suit different purposes. Hope the next time you see them you will know for sure which a shutter is and which is a blind.