Black Shutters: When & Why They Work
By: Rachel
Black shutters have been around for centuries. In the mid-1800s, dark paint colors on shutters were common for both Gothic Revival and Italianate-style homes. Dark shutters matched the color of the sash creating a cohesive look for open windows. By the 20th century, many homes displayed black shutters against brick facades to provide contrast. Today, these shutters continue to work with various design styles, colors, and textures.
There are both traditional and unexpected ways to incorporate shutters. Often used as a key design element, shutters come in a variety of styles and colors. Plus, dark shades for shutters span a broad spectrum. Even black offers several different levels of saturation with plenty of options to choose from. Below, we’ve outlined some of our favorite ways to use black shutters to help get you inspired.
With so many different ways to redesign your home’s exterior, design choices can get pretty overwhelming. That’s where we come in! At brick&batten, our expert designers focus on helping clients accomplish their ideal exterior design. Let us help you get started today.
Dark Siding
When thinking about contrast, we often consider using a light and dark color together. Our designers know better. Dark siding looks bold and striking with black shutters. In the examples shown above, our designers chose to transform the light colored exteriors to darker shades. Incorporating a little bit of white trim helps accentuate the darker tones and makes them pop.
Natural Stone
Next, this light gray brick home’s exterior was a bit tired and underwhelming with little contrast. It was something of a blank canvas, with a base of beautiful Texas limestone for us to build on. Our designers made some bold revisions to the exterior, resulting in a dramatic, interesting home. We love the color palette of Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams siding, wood accents, the aforementioned limestone, and Black by Benjamin Moore shutters. The textures and layers combine to create a dynamic design. And, to us, the unsung hero has to be the shutters.
One of our favorite things about black shutters is how versatile they are. Using them on this Spanish-inspired home was a surprising design choice that works so well. The curved shutters contour to the home’s windows. Painting the shutters with Benjamin Moore’s Black brings in depth and contrast. Shutters are notoriously used on homes with siding, but this redesign proves that they pair beautifully with stone and stucco, too.
Brick
Gray brick is one of our favorite pairings to use with black shutters. Both of the examples above make use of Benjamin Moore’s Black for the shutters. Against the gray brick, the color and texture of the shutters stand out and add layers and dimension to the exterior design.
It doesn’t get much more traditional than red brick with white trim. The home pictured above had an outdated design with too-narrow shutters, white siding accents, and white trim. The homeowners wanted to maintain the integrity of the red brick but make some changes to drive a more unique, bold aesthetic. The new properly sized black shutters modernize the façade. The shutters and siding around the main-level picture window are rendered in Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty, one of our absolute favorite deep blacks to use. We love this before-and-after because it demonstrates how our designers are able to take what works well on a home and breathe new life into those elements!
Light Siding
There are so many different shades of black paint that work well for shutters, especially when light siding comes into play. For this redesign, our designers went with Benjamin Moore’s Regent Green, an almost-black hue, for the shutters. The wooden accents and landscaping are an ode to elements of nature, so the deep green works particularly well. While it’s technically green, Regent Green’s deep saturation allows it to bring contrast the same way black does.
Black Satin by Benjamin Moore is also deeply saturated, so it’s the perfect shade to bring the different shades of gray on the transitional ranch together. With a gray roof, brick, and siding, using black shutters on this home helps bring in more dimension with the color scheme.
White Exterior with Black Shutters
We can’t talk about the best ways to incorporate black shutters without mentioning the classic, timeless black and white color combination. Black and white are polar opposites in term of LRV, so they are the perfect pair to provide contrast. White paint looks great on all textures, including siding, stucco, and brick. In each of the examples above, the shutters work against and in tandem with the white to create a fresh aesthetic that we will never grow tired of.
Takeaways
Black shutters transcend design styles and work well with different types of exteriors. Whether it’s light or dark siding, brick, or stone, black accents help bring in contrast and add dimension. Our designers have taken daring approaches with black shutters. The traditional black and white combination is also one of our favorites. This universal design element is clearly adaptable and absolutely timeless!
Note: If you still aren’t settled on black, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite shutter color options for you to consider.
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