Arched Window Shutters

Arched window shutters, built to the curve.

An arch is a window that most blinds cannot touch, which is why it is usually the one still uncovered ten years after the house was finished. Norman® shutters are made to the template of the curve; Portrait™ honeycomb shades come in arch shapes; faux wood blinds cover the rectangle below a palladian shelf. Measured and installed by PAPABLINDS across the Greater Seattle Area.

Three ways to cover an arch.

The choice is whether the arch itself needs to open, or just needs to be covered while the rectangle below does the work.

Full arch shutter

One shaped panel with louvers running up into the curve, built to a template of the window. The whole opening reads as shutter.

Arch top over panels

Rectangular hinged panels below and a shaped arch piece above. The panels open for cleaning and the view; the arch stays fixed.

Palladian shelf

Ultimate™ faux wood blinds on the rectangle, stopping at a shelf where the arch begins. The arch above is left open or takes a honeycomb arch shade.

Shapes and the products that fit them.

Norman® builds shutters to mirror the curve of the window; honeycomb shades come in a narrower set of shapes.

Shape	Shutters	Honeycomb shades	Blinds
Half-round arch	Woodlore® Plus, Brightwood™, Normandy®	Portrait™ arch	Rectangle below a palladian shelf
Eyebrow or segment arch	Shaped to template	Portrait™ arch	Rectangle below
Quarter arch and angled tops	Shaped to template	Ask at the visit	Rectangle below
Circle and oval	Shaped to template	No	No
Triangle and trapezoid	Shaped to template	Ask at the visit	No

Arch shutters are priced in the same range as regular shutters of the same size, according to Norman®. The template is taken at the visit.

Craftsman, Tudor, and the 1990s arch.

Seattle has two kinds of arched windows. The old ones are in Tudor and Mediterranean revival houses in Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, and Mount Baker: true half-rounds and segment arches over a rectangular sash, often with divided lights. The newer ones are the transom arches over great-room windows in Eastside houses from the 1990s and 2000s, usually high and west-facing, and usually the reason the room is hot at four in the afternoon.

For the old houses, a full arch shutter in Normandy® hardwood keeps the woodwork honest. For the newer ones, an arch top over panels or a honeycomb arch shade above a regular shade handles the heat without losing the shape.

Templates taken at the visit, not from a drawing.
Full arch or arch top over panels, chosen by whether the arch needs to open.
Same line and color as the shutters on the square windows.
Honeycomb arch shades for insulation where an arch faces the weather.

What we check on a shaped window.

A template of the curve: arches are rarely true half-circles, and the shutter is built to the template.
Frame depth for an inside mount, or a wall surface for an outside mount.
Whether the arch needs to open (louvers that tilt) or only needs covering (a fixed arch).
How the arch meets the rectangular window below, and where the shelf or the panel line should fall.
Sun exposure: a west-facing arch may want a honeycomb arch shade for insulation instead of, or above, a shutter.

Arched window questions.

Do the louvers in the arch move?

It depends on the shape and the size of the arch; the rectangular panels below it always tilt. On an arch top over panels the arch piece is fixed by design. We confirm which build fits your window when we take the template.

Can an arch be motorized?

Motorized tilt is available on the rectangular panels of Woodlore® Plus and Normandy® shutters. Ask us about the arch piece for your window.

Do arch shutters cost a lot more?

Norman® puts arched shutters in a similar price range to regular shutters. The template and the fitting take longer, and we quote the exact number after measuring.

What about a round window?

Shutters are made to circles and ovals as well. Honeycomb shades are not, so a round window in a bedroom usually gets a shutter with the louvers closed.

Arched window shutters and shades in the Seattle area

PAPABLINDS templates, orders, and installs shutters and shades for arched and shaped windows in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and the surrounding communities. Norman® shutters in Woodlore® Plus, Brightwood™, and Normandy® are built to mirror the curve of the window: arches, ovals, circles, triangles, and angled tops. Portrait™ honeycomb shades come in arch shapes, and Ultimate™ faux wood blinds cover the rectangle below a palladian shelf.

Full arch, arch top, or shelf

A full arch shutter is one shaped panel with louvers that tilt up into the curve. An arch top over hinged panels keeps the curve fixed and lets the panels below open. A palladian shelf stops a blind where the arch begins and leaves the curve open or covers it with a honeycomb arch shade. The right one depends on whether the arch needs to open and how the window below it is used.

What to have ready for the visit

A photo of the window from inside, so we know the shape before we arrive with templates.
Whether the square windows in the room already have shutters, so the line and color match.
Which way the arch faces, in case insulation or glare is the real reason to cover it.

Request a free in-home visit and we will take the template and show a sample panel against the arch.