Shutters are replacing curtains as the go to choice for well-heeled homeowners

Might it be curtains for curtains? Plantation shutters continue to be the window dressing of choice in well-heeled UK postcodes, because they’re as practical as they are pretty.

Most commonly, shutters are a set of adjustable slats — louvres — which fill a frame that’s custom-made to fit over a window.

It’s easy to see their growing appeal; with one flick of those louvres, homeowners can control airflow, temper heat, lessen noise and also easily nudge from black-out to partial shade to full exposure. 

Discreet magnets attached to both frame and panel ensure they stay in place once closed.

Wherever in the world the mercury soars, you’ll find them pinned inside and out — in dark woods on Moroccan riads, painted shades of cornflower blue on Ibizan villas and as bright white panels in America’s Deep South, where the name ‘plantation shutters’ was born.

The lion’s share of shutters sold in the UK — by brands including Hillarys, California Shutters and Shutterly Fabulous — are fitted inside the home though. 

Abigail Clewley, product manager with Hillarys, says: ‘Over the past 15 years, shutters have been one of our fastest growing products, thanks to the benefits in terms of light control, privacy and aesthetics.’

There’s myriad styles to choose from including full-height, tier-on-tier (shorter panels stacked), cafe-style (half-height) and tracked, which concertina like a bi-fold door. European-style solid shutters, without louvres, are a hit with those seeking to repose in absolute darkness.

While hardwood versions are still popular, panels fashioned from durable MDF are more cost-effective but still not cheap. Checkatrade estimates that the average MDF installation costs about £250 per square metre. 

Put them across the front of a four-bedroom family home, and it will amount to about £6,000. The same job with top-of-the-range Venetian blinds would cost less than £1,000.

But such outlay is likely still to prove good value; they’ll ‘last for decades’, says Clewley, and can help a home to be more energy-efficient — research found shutters can reduce heat loss by up to 62 per cent on single-glazed windows.

For confident DIYers, brands such as The Shutter Store and Shutter Plus are selling self-install products. You’re likely to cut the price in half and there are videos galore offering tips on how to fit them.

When deciding on colours, most shutter companies can deliver them sprayed in any RAL chart shade but Hillarys say 95 per cent sold are in ‘classic white’, although the company predicts ‘earthy’ wood-effect shutters in natural tones is the next trend.

Why don’t Britons pick cheerier hues?

‘When you have to spend a lot of money on something, people tend to be more vanilla on colour’, says interior designer Mathew Freeman, president of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).

If you do want to go bold, then using the same colour on walls is one way to ‘tie in the language of a room’, he says.

Finally, how to clean them? Reach for the feather duster and swoosh between the louvres, or for a deeper clean, warm water and a mild detergent will keep them gleaming.

A work of art

For centuries, full shutters have been painted with ornate designs, and it’s a concept that translates just as well for modern interiors. 

‘A scenic artist could create an integrated piece of artwork to make a white shutter look much more creative,’ says Freeman. 

Shutters partially filled with stained glass are another way to be playful with light, he adds.

Get the look: a bespoke pair of ash window shutters with stained glass costs from £1,500, langleyfurnitureworks.co.uk

Antique finds

If it’s the romanticism of how shutters look rather than the functionality, then it’s an affordable look to recreate.

Sites such as Etsy, eBay and Vinterior are awash with antique and reclaimed shutters prised from French chateaux or old churches. 

With a little creativity, you can transform them into elegant screens, room-dividing doors and cabinets or wardrobes. Get the look: a tri-fold upholstered room divider, £698, anthropologie.com.

In the garden

Cleverly placed louvres can work just as well in the garden as they do indoors.

Mirrors framed with shutters are perfect for reflecting greenery — they create a trompe-l’oeil, making compact outdoor spaces feel bigger.

Find them in garden and interior stores, or pick up a pair of antique shutters and ask a glazier to add in the mirror. 

Try an arched shuttered garden mirror in antique white, priced £49.99, rhsplants.co.uk.

Savings of the week champagne glasses 

Dartington coupe crystal glasses have been reduced from £56 to £39.20 (dartington. co.uk)

Do you wish to raise a toast on Coronation day? Will this be a summer of celebrations in your household? Then consider investing in some champagne glasses.

Snapping up a bargain should add to the enjoyment whether you want broad coupes or tall flutes.

If you are having a romantic dinner, an elegant pair of coupe crystal glasses from Dartington has been reduced from £56 to £39.20 (dartington. co.uk). 

Anthropologie’s Waterfall coupe glass, with a pale green tint was £14 and is now £8 (anthropologie. com). 

Oliver Bonas has a set of four coupe glasses with gold tinted rims for £23.50, down from £34.50 (oliverbonas.com).

If you fear breaking such delicate glassware, Robert Dyas offers six flutes for £8.99; the cost was £11.24 (robert dyas.co.uk). 

At Ocado, you will find four Marks & Spencer flutes down from £15 to £11.25 (ocado.com). May your party go with a splash.

Anne Ashworth