How to Create a 1960s House Window Panel Design With Shutters

Create a 1960s window look with wood or vinyl shutters on both sides of windows, usually only on the street side of the house. Place them along the outside of the window frame, with the edge of the shutter an inch or so away from the frame. Fasten them with screws and a screw gun through the solid sides of the shutter frame into the studs in the house framing.

Install "plantation" or "Cape Cod" style shutters, with a bottom panel that is deeper than the top and with fixed louvers or slats in between. Have the fixed louvers pointed down, for decorative effect; real shutters would have louvers facing up, so they would face down when the shutters were closed. Place them flush against the wall.

Paint shutters in a contrasting color, usually white on houses sided with bricks, cedar shakes or clapboard -- or a dark color on white siding. Make them look authentic by sizing each shutter to about half the width of the window, but be more concerned about looks than authenticity; many 1960s houses had 12-inch-wide shutters on 3-foot picture windows or alongside bay windows with multiple elements.

Pay more attention to appearance and effect than functionality on your project; even expensive 1960s-era houses rarely had operable shutters unless they were in hurricane regions where the protection was needed. Use these fake shutters on any style house, from bungalows to split-levels or two-stories. Install vinyl shutters for a real 1960s effect; houses in that era often used these instead of wooden shutters.