Hawaii shutters
Shutters that become part of the house
Hardwood and composite interior shutters, fitted into the opening and finished to your trim. Templated on site for arches and angles, and professionally installed.
Plantation Shutters
Kiln-dried basswood, stained or painted. The choice for stained finishes, very wide panels, and any window that is not a rectangle: arches, eyebrows, angled rakes and circles are all templated on site.
Composite Shutters
Engineered wood core in a UV-stable polymer skin. Impervious to bathroom steam, will not warp on a west-facing window, and typically 15–25% less than hardwood in the same configuration.
Why shutters suit Big Island homes
The Kona and Kohala coasts get sun almost every day of the year, at a latitude where it sits close to overhead. That, plus the glare coming back off the water, means the light coming through your south and west windows is meaningfully harsher than the same light at sea level.
A shutter has no fabric to fade and no cords to fray. The louvers are solid, and when closed they form a physical barrier that blocks light rather than filtering it. That is why shutters are what we most often recommend for west-facing great rooms, where afternoon sun comes in low and hot from spring through October.
The second local factor is the specialty glass that came with two decades of Kailua-Kona building: arch tops over entries, eyebrow windows, angled rakes following a vaulted ceiling. These are exactly the openings where a shutter is correct and a blind is a compromise, because a shutter is built to the shape of the opening rather than hung square to a headrail.
Full detail on materials, louver sizes and tilt options is on our shutters page.
Hawaii shutters questions
- Which shutter material is best for Hawaii?
- Composite for bathrooms, kitchens and any window facing west or south. It will not warp under tropical UV, swell in steam or take up moisture out of humid island air. Hardwood for stained finishes, very wide panels and specialty shapes like arches and angled rake tops. Roughly half our installations are each.
- Can you fit shutters to arched and angled windows?
- Yes. Arches, eyebrows, octagons, angled rakes and circles are all possible in hardwood. We template specialty shapes on site with a physical pattern rather than working from a stated dimension, because a half-degree of error on an arch is visible from across the room.
- How long do shutters take to make?
- Typically four to six weeks from approved measurement to installation. Specialty shapes and stained hardwood run longer. You get a real date at the point of order rather than an optimistic one.
- Do shutters satisfy HOA requirements?
- In most Hawaii developments, yes. Covenants typically require white, off-white or neutral coverings as viewed from the street, which is exactly what composite shutters ship in, and the finish holds its colour rather than yellowing. We can supply samples and a written specification for architectural review committees.
Where we install
Ready to beautify your world?
Free in-home consultation, careful measurement of every opening, and professional installation.
“I love my shades!! The company was professional from the free home design consultation to the install! Great product selection and knowledgeable designers and installers!”
Lisa Storrs