Traditionally plantation shutters were made from hard woods found on plantations; hence their name. However, these days shutters are made from wood or PVC, as well as a type of faux wood that uses some wood chips in the manufacture.  Modern shutters are not only wood grained.

Many people like to choose neutral colors for their shutters. This is great when you want the shutters to fit into your existing décor and fortunately there are plenty of shutters available in neutral colors. Even wood, at least the light grains, could be considered somewhat neutral. Cream and beige are neutral, as is white depending on the surroundings.

White shutters give a very clean, fresh air to a room. They look neat and clean and will blend nicely with almost any color scheme you have in a room. They are not intrusive, and they give the appearance of space and brightness. White shutters matched with a whitewashed floor look great.

Black shutters can also be used to great effect; however you do need to be a little more discerning with your use of black. For example, if you have a black or dark wood floor, dark shutters will be a perfect match. This is better, of course, in larger rooms as the dark shutters and dark flooring will make the overall room appear darker.

Usually, when deciding on the plantation shutter color, it is best to match it to the flooring. This gives continuity to the room. It is not always essential, however.  The main thing is that the color of your plantation shutters matches or relates to something else in the room, whether it is the floor, the furnishings or the color of the ceiling.

If you are thinking of going with a very bold color, make sure that you are not going to be changing your furniture, flooring or wall colors soon; otherwise you may find that the shutters no longer match. This is a good argument in favor of choosing neutral colored shutters or wood plantation shutters; they match with almost everything.