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

Would it be curtains for curtains? Plantation shutters are still the preferred choice in well-to-do UK postcodes as they are as practical as they are beautiful.

Typically, shutters are a set of adjustable slats — slats — that fill a frame custom-made to fit over a window.

It’s easy to see their growing appeal; with one movement of those louvers, homeowners can control airflow, dampen heat, reduce noise, and also easily go from blackout to partial shade to full light.

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

Wherever the mercury rises in the world, you’ll find them pinned inside and out – in dark woods on Moroccan riads, painted cornflower blue tones on Ibizan villas, and as bright white panels in America’s Deep South, where the name used to be “plantation shutters.” born.

However, the lion’s share of shutters sold in the UK – from brands such as Hillarys, California Shutters and Shutterly Fabulous – are fitted in the home.

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

There are numerous styles to choose from, including full-height, tier-on-tier (shorter panels stacked), cafe-style (half-height), and track, which have harmonica as a bifold door. Solid European-style shutters, without slats, are a hit with people who want to rest in absolute darkness.

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

Put them at the front of a four bedroom family home and it will be around £6,000. The same job with high quality blinds would cost less than £1,000.

But such an expense will likely still prove to be good value; they last “decades,” says Clewley, and can help a home become more energy efficient — studies have shown that shutters can reduce heat loss on single-pane windows by up to 62 percent.

For confident DIYers, brands like The Shutter Store and Shutter Plus sell self-install products. You’ll probably cut the price in half and videos abound with tips on how to fit them.

When deciding on the colours, most shutter companies can supply them painted in any RAL card shade, but Hillarys says 95 percent of shutters sold are in ‘classic white’, though the company predicts ‘earthy’ wood effect shutters in natural tones be the next trend.

Why don’t Brits opt for more cheerful shades?

“If you have to spend a lot of money on something, people tend to be more vanilla on color,” says interior designer Mathew Freeman, president of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).

If you want to be bold, using the same color on walls is one way to “tie in the language of a room,” he says.

Finally, how do you clean them? Reach for the feather duster and swoosh between the slats, or a deeper clean, warm water and mild detergent will keep them shining.

A piece of art

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

“A scenic artist could do an integrated piece of art to make a white shutter look much more creative,” says Freeman.

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

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

Antique finds

If it’s the romance of what shutters look like rather than the functionality then it’s an affordable look to recreate.

Sites like Etsy, eBay, and Vinterior are flooded with antique and reclaimed shutters prized from French chateaux or old churches.

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

In the garden

Smartly placed slats work just as well in the garden as they do indoors.

Shutter-framed mirrors are perfect for reflecting green – they create a trompe-l’oeil, making compact outdoor spaces appear larger.

Find them in garden and interior design stores, or buy some antique shutters and ask a glazier to put a mirror in them.

Try a curved shuttered garden mirror in antique white, priced £49.99, rhsplants.co.uk.

Save of the week champagne glasses

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

Would you like to make a toast on Coronation Day? Will this be a party summer in your household? Then consider investing in some champagne glasses.

Picking up a bargain should add to the fun, whether you want wide cuts or high flutes.

If you’re having a romantic dinner, elegant coupe crystal glasses from Dartington have been reduced from £56 to £39.20 (dartington.co.uk).

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

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

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

At Ocado you can find four Marks & Spencer flutes from £15 to £11.25 (ocado.com). May your party run smoothly.

Anne Asworth