Louvers serve as a way to place an aperture, a slot in a solid wall or ceiling. Louvers can add character to a gateway or doorway. Louvers provide a way to create a crack in a solid surface. In that way, louvers can break the monotony of a solid surface. Louvers also have the ability to help with the regulation of the temperature inside a room.

When a louver has been placed over or under a window then it can be considered a wall louver. Wall louvers provide a way for windows or doors to extend into a part of the wall. Because the extension is louvered, i.e. because it can be opened or closed, the wall louvers have the potential to provide an extra measure of ventilation.

Sometimes a wall louver has been designed expressly for the removal of exhaust fumes. It then provides a pathway by which unwanted gas or smoke can be channeled out of a room. This type of louver is called a vent louver. Vent louvers do not need to be strictly utilitarian. A vent louver can also be a decorative addition to any room.

At times, an architect has chosen to use louvers to provide a given area with a distinct quality. The architectural louvers at the University of Colorado's Cancer Center are an excellent example of the benefits derived from using architectural louvers. Here the architect has put louvers in the ceiling over an outdoor terrace. The louvers let in the sunshine, adding greater warmth and cheeriness to the area. They serve as an added way to cheer-up the cancer patients.

On occasion, when one decides to add a louver to a door or window, one finds it wisest to use a custom louver. Custom louvers have the ability to compliment the qualities that the architect has already included in the door or window. If existing blinds are going to be covering the custom louvers, then the customization should strive to match the louvers with the existing blinds.

The use of louvers can serve to make a statement. A room with one or more louvers could represent an inclination for the room's inhabitants to be more open-minded, more openhearted, or more open-handed. They therefore help to invite someone into a house or room. In addition, louvers work to create temperature control and to decrease the chance of a lingering smell in a given area. Louvers are both functional and decorative.