Are shutters outdated? Here’s what interior designers say, and how they're decorating for 2023 and beyond

Living room with grey walls, white shutters and curtains, white glazed cabinets and grey corner sofa with wood coffee table and rattan pendant lights overhead

Often reserved for older homes with more traditional schemes, shutters might not be your first port of call when you’re deciding on a new window treatment. After all, with so many other options on offer – including some, like slubby linen curtains, that are dominating interior design trends at the moment – these classic finishes are getting less of a look-in than they used to.

So does that mean shutters are outdated? Well, no, not necessarily. They can still be an incredibly practical way to increase privacy and regulate light and even temperature – and although some styles of shutters are definitely on their way out, many of them actually look good, too. In fact, some interior designers think they offer a certain architectural charm that you can’t find in other modern window treatments.