Brightshine Shutters is one of three Brightshine ranges at Residium, alongside Brightshine Blinds and Brightshine Drapery. Brightshine calls the classic plantation shutter a real show stopper, and describes it as a piece of carpentry that adds value to a house rather than simply covering a window.

Shutters are made from basswood and paulownia, light but durable hardwoods that suit New Zealand conditions and are easy to move on a large panel. They are finished in paint or a natural stain, from a large colour range, with a colour matching service if you want them to disappear into your architraves or walls. Brightshine imports its shutters from a factory it hand selected, visited and continues to audit every year, and warrants them for three years. Where a product is made is a fair question to put to the consultant, and Brightshine answers it plainly.

The options are broader than most people realise. Five configurations: full height, tier on tier, cafe style, special shape and solid panels. Five louvre sizes: 50mm, 64mm, 76mm, 89mm and 114mm. Four installation methods: hinged, bi-folding, sliding on a track system, and fixed panels. And four frame types: hang strip, cambar deco, bull nose Z and L-frame. Which combination suits your window depends on its size, its shape and how you need to use the space. Nobody expects that to be worked out from a list, and it is exactly what the free in-home consultation is for.

Angled and special shape shutters are a stated Brightshine specialty, and the same options are available on them as on standard shutters. If you’ve a raked window, a triangular gable or a stairwell that’s defeated every other window treatment, that’s the conversation to have.

In Showroom 160 | Section B at Residium, easiest reached through the ABI Interiors showroom, four mounting systems sit on the wall, each labelled: a Z Frame with a custom light-blocking frame that absorbs window imbalances, useful in older houses where nothing is square; Hangstrips, an inside fit with narrow 35mm side stiles; Bi-Fold, with free-floating panels on a track and a top pelmet hiding the hardware; and Bi-Pass, with panels that slide past each other. The two most popular louvre sizes sit side by side, which will settle that decision for you in about ten seconds. One display pairs a lined curtain over a timber shutter and is labelled for its superior thermal qualities, which is the one to look at if you’re trying to make a cold room warmer rather than simply cover a window.

At a glance

• Basswood and paulownia plantation shutters, made to measure
• Five configurations, from full height and tier on tier to cafe style and special shapes
• Five louvre sizes from 50mm to 114mm
• Four installation methods and four frame types
• Painted or natural stain from a large colour range, with colour matching to your architraves or walls
• Angled and special shape shutters a stated specialty
• Imported from a factory Brightshine audits annually, warranted three years
• Four mounting systems on display in Showroom 160 | Section B at Residium