Architect's Toolbox: Partner a Window With Its View
Vistas meet their match with windows that consider the scenery and the overall feel of a home
What type of view do you have, and how do you want to capture this view to make it part of your home? Should the window help create a larger room or should it frame a view? Should the window be a simple punched opening in the wall, or should it take over the wall and even the roof? Should the window act alone or be organized with other windows?
These and other questions are fundamental to ask when designing the type, style and location of your windows. And how you answer will have a significant impact on the nature of your home space.
So let's look at some basic approaches to designing a window and see how each affects the interior of a home.
These and other questions are fundamental to ask when designing the type, style and location of your windows. And how you answer will have a significant impact on the nature of your home space.
So let's look at some basic approaches to designing a window and see how each affects the interior of a home.
Made of glass that stretches from floor to ceiling and corner to corner, a window wall encourages an indoor-outdoor relationship in which boundaries disappear. Ideally suited for a room that commands an expansive view, this type of window design helps in creating a space that isn't quite part of the interior nor the exterior, but a place in between the two.
A punched window is perfect for framing a special view. Whether oriented horizontally or vertically, with thin or thicker casing, this type of window treats the view as a framed object ...
... such as a photo or a painting of the landscape. But a framed view created by this type of window is better than a static photo or painting, as the view is constantly changing with the time of day and the season.
A conservatory or a greenhouse, whether in a modern or traditional idiom, is a great way to extend the indoor space outward. Not limited to just horizontal or vertical sight lines, these glass enclosures truly make indoor rooms into outdoor spaces.
A horizontal band of transom windows set high up in the wall provides privacy while forcing the view upward. This is an great way to capture light and a view when what's directly outside isn't something you really want to look at.
A corner window really opens a space up, especially when there is no corner post, as it directs the view out on a diagonal. It's perfect for smaller rooms and spaces, like a home office or ...
... a small bedroom. No matter the style, from traditional to contemporary, a corner window is an effective way to make a smaller room seem much larger than it actually is.
A series of tall and thin vertical windows splits the view into ribbons of light and greenery. Though mostly associated with a contemporary aesthetic, vertical windows ...
... can be used by ganging a series of traditional double-hung windows together. Ganging windows in rows like this allows for a room to capture the light and the view while still providing an ample amount of wall space for other needs.