“Consider it sun screen for your windows,” says Kathy Miyashiro, as she pressed a button on a remote control to lower a 10-foot wide solar shade in Design 5’s showroom in Kaimuki. “It blocks out harmful rays but still allows you to see outside. And they also help reduce the glare on TVs and computer monitors.”

Once exclusively used in commercial buildings, solar shades have become particularly popular among upscale condominium owners, who are looking to take advantage of their panoramic ocean and mountain views while still maintaining their privacy.

“They (solar shades) are the number-one seller,” asserts Draperies by Design owner Gerry Bogert. “They make a lot of sense for Hawaii’s climate since they reflect heat, block out harmful UVBs and UVAs, and protect your furniture and carpet from fading and discoloration.”

Design 5’s Kathy Miyashiro recommends shutters if homeowners want to establish a gracious, rich look, while still allowing tradewinds to blow through the home. Randy T. Fujimori photo

Slats of this bank of “Timeless” Heritance natural hardwood shutters from Hunter Douglas can be angled to admit natural light, as well as direct the flow of natural breezes. Hunter Douglas

The use of mutliple shutters in different colors and sizes can add a distinctive architectural flair to virtually any room. Hunter Douglas

Available in multiple patterns and colors, solar shades can be had with a neutral color from the outside, but a brighter one on the inside. They’re clean, neat and offer some degree of privacy.

But for total seclusion, curb appeal and pure aesthetics, most homeowners are clamoring for indoor shutters.

“They have a ‘wow’ factor but they’ll cost you,” notes Miyashiro, who recommends that people with picturesque vistas stay away from shutters because their framing will cut off some of that mauka or makai view. “They’re rich looking, durable; and they insulate the room, as well as add value to your home.”

In agreement is Yon Hee “Yoni” Johnson of House of Rik Jon in the Interstate Building on South King St.

“They’re beautiful, solid and different,” said Johnson of hardwood shutters. “Depending on the number of windows you have, it can cost you anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000. But you can recoup and salvage this cost if you ever plan to sell the home.”

Interior shutters — which look similar to their exterior counterpart, with the exception that they feature fully operable hinges, slats and clasps — have quickly gained in popularity over the past several years. Citing Hawaii’s vigorous economy, continued strength in the residential housing market and no-end-in-sight growth in home remodeling, Miyashiro, Bogert and Johnson agree that this trend isn’t about to cool anytime soon.

“Right now I’m working on two units in the Hokua,” Bogert said. “And I just finished a new Kahala home, which now has shutters, wood blinds, solar shades, decorative rod draperies, and Roman and pleated shades. It has it all.”

While hardwood shutters have many intangible qualities — among them eye-pleasing aesthetics and the ability to add character, serenity and warmth to a room — they also satisfy the more pragmatic need for privacy.

“We all walk around naked in our bedrooms at some time,” Bogert chuckles. “Shutters provide total privacy so no one can see in.”

Beyond the appearance factor, many other benefits are drawing consumers to shutters, notes Miyashiro.

“People who hate cords will love shutters,” she says. “You can pull them back, open the window and let in the natural tradewinds. You can’t do this with blinds unless you want to hear that fluttering, rat-a-tat-tat noise. You can’t do it with drapes because they’ll be flapping in the wind.”

Slightly slanting the slats to a Hunter Douglas wood composite shutter, Miyashiro cites the ability to control the angle of slats as another plus.

“At home, I’ve got a shutter over my bed and I can point the slats down and have the breeze blow on my face,“ she says. “If you don’t have A/C, shutters are the best way to go.”

Because shutters are custom ordered, homeowners can also request that different sections of the same shutter panel operate differently, which allows for maximum privacy.

Available in a variety of materials — from wood composites to natural hardwood — shutters can be custom-designed to match a window’s specific shape. Hunter Douglas

“This is ideal for a room like a bedroom where a homeowner may want to allow light and have a view on the upper part of the shutter, but restrict the view on the lower portion of the panel for privacy,” Miyashiro says. “A divider rail is installed so the top slats operate separately from the lower ones.”

Function aside, the irresistible draw to shutters is in the design. Well-designed shutters can turn drab into fab, adding style, architectural interest and a finished touch to otherwise empty windows.

“There’s a real curb-appeal factor associated with shutters,” Miyashiro asserts. “And Hunter Douglas (one of the nation’s leading shutter manufacturers) is really innovative in the types of designs they come up with every year.”

Traditionally, shutters are made from real wood like basswood, alder, cedar and pine. But in recent years, companies, like Hunter Douglas, have developed a range of simulated wood and wood composites like polyfoam, vinyl and polywood.

“They’re faux wood,” Bogert says. “They’re very practical because they’re warranted against chipping, fading, warping and termites.”

The same type of composite material is also used when making vertical or horizontal blinds, which are at least half the cost of shutters, making them an affordable and viable alternative.

“Like shutters, they come in all types of styles and shades,” says Bogert, while flipping through a swatch of wood blinds. “But unlike shutters, wood blinds can run the entire width of the window for maximum exposure to the outside.”

Drapes are another option, says Johnson, who, with husband Rick Johnson has owned and operated House of Rik Jon for more than two decades.

“Right now, people are choosing browns, dark browns and yellow and gold tones for their custom drapery,” she says. “These are the hottest colors in fashion and you can’t deny fashion, even when it comes to drapes.”

Available in different hues, solar shades block out the sun and help reduce glare. Draperies by Design

Because drapes can come in different fabrics and patterns — from tropical to classic jacquard — many Hawaii condominium and townhome owners opt for this type of window treatment, Johnson says.

“They can be simple or they can be very fancy,” she says. “And they can change the look of any room.”

They can also absorb and dampen the noise level from outside, Bogert adds.

“Polyester drapes are also colorfast,” he says. “So they won’t fade over time.”

And drapes, says Miyashiro, are making a comeback.