What is the Origin of Plantation Shutters?

The phrase ‘plantation shutters’ was derived in America during colonial times, initially introduced to the American colonists by the Spanish. However, the design of plantation shutters has a history that goes back over 2,500 years ago, invented by the Greeks in 800BC.

The Greeks made the original shutters out of a high-quality marble stone, which provided a superior cover for windows due to increased airflow control and light. After the ancient Greek empire began to recede, many different designs of these shutters became popular in parts of Europe, spreading first to the Mediterranean region where their form changed from marble to wood. Wood helped make the shutters more customizable, provided more insulation, and protected the home from bugs and rain.

From the Mediterranean, window shutters spread to France and Spain. It is popularly believed that window shutters were an important accessory to King Louis XIV of France who added them to his palace. Designed with movable louvers, they improved airflow and light control into the room.
Window shutters also made their way to England during the medieval period, though these were solid in design and used primarily for security reasons. Over the centuries, the style of window shutters would change as glass became more popularly used in windows and shutters even became more decorative than functional around the 18th century.

As France, Spain and England became more powerful and their influence spread across the globe, so to did window shutters, which is how they were introduced to the Americas. The design changed once again to suit the American, specifically Southern, climate and architectural style preferences of the cotton farmers, and plantation shutters (as they are now known) became a popular feature of plantation homes.