Bahama shutters cleared the historic review board on the first try

Our 1924 Mediterranean home in the Palm Beach historic district came with a non-negotiable constraint: no visible modern shutter housings. After a long conversation with the historic review board, we landed on impact-rated Bahama shutters from a Boca-based installer who'd worked the district before. They cleared review on the first submission — a small miracle. The shutters function as awnings the rest of the year, which has measurably reduced afternoon heat gain on the west elevation. The trade-off is deployment: closing nine Bahamas before a storm takes about 40 minutes and requires going outside, which is not where you want to be when bands start hitting. For us, the aesthetic and approval path were worth it.