Have any of to guys looked at the toxic properies of poly shutters . They have to use something as a bonding agent and most times it is formaldahide ! Timber is organic and most companies that bring them in have to make sure that the companies that manufacture have the forestry stewardship cerificate which means that the timber used is renewable . Timber is far lighter and can span wider . Remember one thing , houses are made from timber and rubbish bins are made from poly . To the doubters and not sure shutter buyers make sure that you choose a timber product that is 100% that species of timber , not blended timbers and to the ones that are contemplating using poly shutters beware as i truly beleive that they will be the next asbestos scare . They are not good for your health . Always try and go organic guys , even with your food .

there are companies who will spray paint your shutters with a 2 pac finish that will bring them up like new again however it is costly, about half the cost of buying new shutters. If you are interested in this, send me an email and I will give you the name of my contact. Otherwise, consider adding drapes in front of the shutters in a colour that complements your new room colours or in white. Finally, depending on the location and functionality, maybe replace some of the shutters ( if in more than one room) to simpler blinds and only have some of the shutters professionally treated.

Yes you can and in your case I'd go for a bi-fold plantation shutter that folds to the left and still gives you access to the cabinet on the right... e.g. it will look like the "left half" (if that makes sense) of this... with the top or bottom (or both) 'bi-folding to the left, e.g. like the top of this (slightly wider in your case)...

I installed plantation shutters from UBlinds about 6 years ago and the shutters have been great; they still look brand new. I installed 2 more plantation shutters this year, after completing a Reno. I used UBlinds again as I was happy with my previous dealings with them.