In-Home Consultations Only
PowerView® Automation
Program your window treatments so that they adjust themselves automatically, creating the perfect room ambiance morning, noon and night.
Sheer Shades
Learn more about Hunter Douglas custom window sheers, including our shadings and privacy sheers. Innovative, light-diffusing sheers. Your trusted source for window treatments.
Cellular Shades
Cellular honeycomb shades from Hunter Douglas. An energy-efficient design that traps air in distinct pockets to help keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Roman Shades
Custom-made fabric Roman Shades by Hunter Douglas, combining the look of soft folds with the ease and convenience of a shade. Custom-crafted.
Roller Shades
The Hunter Douglas roller shades & solar screen shades collections offer excellent light control and a clean, stylish look in a range of fabrics and materials.
Woven Shades
For a warm, natural look our Hunter Douglas Woven Wood Shades collection of window treatments transforms sunlight into captivating design statements. Choose yours today.
Vertical Shades
Find the right custom vertical shades for any room in your home. Search our most popular window shades.
Wood Blinds
From controlling light to their stylish, sleek look, wood blinds have been a favorite among homeowners for decades.
Metal Blinds
Find the perfect metal blinds for any room in your home. From controlling light to their stylish, sleek look, metal blinds have been a favorite among homeowners.
Vertical Blinds
Discover Hunter Douglas customized vertical blinds featuring elegant styling and translucency in a large selection of colors, treatments, and textures. Lifetime guarantee.
Shutters
Hunter Douglas custom window shutters provide superior light control and privacy with classic styles, long-lasting finishes, and exceptional craftsmanship.
Drapery
Choose from timeless and on-trend fabrics, including lofty textures and alluring jacquards, artisanal embroideries and luminous sheers.
Light Enhancing
Enjoy the beauty of natural light and make any space more captivating, with the following light-enhancing shades.
Room Darkening
Want a darker room for better sleep or optimal movie binging? These shades and drapes help block light at the window.
Energy Efficient
Live comfortably and save energy with these shades. Designer to keep a room warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Door Coverings
Manage natural light and add privacy with these window treatments that work well for sliding-glass and patio doors.
Sound Absorption
Create a quieter, more relaxing room with these window treatments, which help absorb sound, reducing exterior noise.
Top-Down Bottom-Up
For privacy and natural light, position shades from the top, bottom or both. These shades have this feature available.
Products
Motorized Window CoveringsMotorized Window Coverings
Enjoy the convenience of motorized window coverings.
Window Covering Measuring & Installations
Our measuring and installation service will ensure an exact fit for your window coverings.
About Us
Benchmark Shutters & Shades is a family owned, locally operated business specializing in interior window coverings for your home or business.
Raleigh, NC
For almost two decades, Benchmark Shutters & Shades has brought exceptional window treatments to homes across Raleigh, NC, and the surrounding communities.
Durham, NC
We all come to a point with our homes when we decide that the window treatments need to be updated.
Chapel Hill, NC
At Benchmark Shutters & Shades, we can’t wait to help you transform your home by upgrading your window treatments.
Apex, NC
Since 2005, Benchmark Shutters & Shades has brought superior window treatments to homes and businesses throughout central North Carolina.
Blinds & Shades by Room
Bathroom Bedroom Home Office Kitchen Living Room Media Room Nursery & Kids RoomBlinds & Shades by Window Shape
Angled Windows Arched Windows Bay, Bow, Corner Windows French Doors Sidelights Sliding Glass Doors Skylights Large Windows Panel-Track Blinds Picture WindowsBlinds & Shades by Function
Automated Blackout Energy Efficient Light Filtering Child and Pet-Friendly Cordless Energy-Efficient ShadesAll Design Ideas
See current and past decorating ideas from our 'Fresh Ideas' Newsletter.
Bathroom
See window covering solutions for privacy and moisture-resistance.
Bedroom
See window covering solutions for privacy and room darkening.
Home Office
See window covering solutions for light filtering and glare control.
Kitchen
See window covering solutions for a variety of needs and kitchen styles.
Living Room
See window covering solutions for light filtering and UV protection.
Media Room
See room darkening window treatments for your media room.
Nursery & Kids Room
See child-safe window coverings for baby nurseries and kids rooms
Angled Windows
See blinds and shades for angled, sloped, and triangle-shaped windows.
Arched Windows
See blinds and shades for arched, half-circle or half-moon windows.
Bay, Bow, Corner Windows
See blinds and shades for bay, bow and corner windows.
French Doors
See shutters, blinds and shades for French Doors.
Sidelights
See blinds and shades for sidelight windows.
Sliding Glass Doors
See blinds and shades for patio and sliding-glass doors.
Skylights
See blinds and shades specifically suited for skylights.
Automated
See all options for automated blinds and shades.
Blackout
See our options for blinds and shades that best control light.
Energy Efficient
See blinds and shades that help save energy at the window.
Light Filtering
See blinds and shades for light filtering and UV protection.
Child and Pet-Friendly
See blinds and shades that are safer for children and pets.
Hunter Douglas Products
More Products & Services
Products
Inspiration & Solutions
Interior Design Ideas
Blinds & Shades by Room
Blinds & Shades by Window Shape
Blinds & Shades by Function
Interior Shutters for Privacy and Style
Interior shutters are some of the most popular window treatments in America. They earned their common nickname, plantation shutters, because of their popularity and prevalence among southern plantation-style homes in the 18th and 19th centuries. And they've stayed popular over the years thanks to the ingenious way they balance privacy and style, which we're looking at today with our exploration of Hunter Douglas plantation shutters.
Types of Plantation Shutters
In the Hunter Douglas window treatments collection, North Carolina homeowners will find three types of plantation shutters categorized by their building material: wood shutters, composite shutters, and vinyl shutters.
Interior Shutters for Privacy & Protection
All three types of Hunter Douglas plantation shutters can offer North Carolina households protection and security in several ways, including safeguarding household items, personal privacy, and home security, regardless of whether residents are home or away.
- UV Protection: Prolonged UV exposure can cause irreversible damage to many household items. Hunter Douglas window treatments act as a layer of protection blocking, deflecting, or absorbing UV before it causes damage. For plantation shutters, the impenetrable louvers excel at blocking light, plus Hunter Douglas Palm Beach™ Polysatin™ Vinyl Shutters are themselves UV resistant for lasting protection.
- Privacy: The tilting louvers on plantation shutters uniquely protect privacy without making the space feel closed off or gloomy. The hard louvers can completely block the line of sight for trustworthy privacy, yet sunlight can still bounce in through the adjusted gaps for natural illumination.
- Home Security: Palm Beach™ Polysatin™ Vinyl Shutters can upgrade to PowerView® Automation. You can program motorized plantation shutters using this advanced system to open and close on an automated schedule. That way, residents benefit from the easy control automatic shades provide at home. When they are away, the automated shades create the illusion of occupation to safeguard the home against intruders.
Customizable Shutter Style
While all plantation shutters share a common construction design and look similar, there are custom elements in the window treatment that we can tailor to suit a range of style tastes or match different interior design aesthetics.
- Color: As a predominant element of the shutter's visual aesthetics, color holds significant sway over the final style. Hunter Douglas plantation shutters come in various color choices, from traditional wood to modern neutrals to bold white hues.
- Louver Size: The width of the louvers on a shutter can be customized to modify the style of plantation shutters. Wider louvers have a more modern aesthetic, and the correspondingly larger gaps between louvers allow in more natural light and provide a better view for an open, spacious feel. On the other hand, smaller louver sizes carry the treatment's classic style with their corresponding smaller gaps better at providing privacy and creating room-darkening effects. Hunter Douglas plantation shutters come in three louver sizes – 2 ½", 3 ½", or 4 ½".
Composite Shutters near Apex, North Carolina
Whether you're interested in composite, vinyl, or natural wood shutters, our team stands ready to help at Benchmark Shutters & Shades. With the full line of Hunter Douglas window treatments, we can show you all your options for modern plantation shutters and then help you customize your choice for a tailored lighting solution. Request a consultation now. Benchmark Shutters & Shades serves Raleigh-Durham, Chapel Hill, and Apex, North Carolina.