Tag Archives: window designs

Transom Window – Designs And Benefits Of Transom Windows

The window found above a doorway is the transom window. As it sits above the transom over a door it is called transom window. Transom is the solid header beam found above doors. These windows can be either fixed or opened. It is advantageous to have a transom window above your doorways to get natural light during daytime.

Transom Windows That Can Be Opened

The hinges can be placed at the top or bottom allowing the windows to be rotated on their hinges. These windows allow light come in when closed and can be opened to allow for ventilation. You can have privacy and security with these windows as they are placed at height and hence the room inside is safe from the view of outsiders.

Fixed Transom Window

The fixed transom window on the other hand are more for decorative purposes. But, they do allow light to filter in and brighten up a room. Modern transom windows are more for decorative purposes and hence mostly fixed in nature. The transom windows are also known as fanlights in Britain as they are traditionally shaped like half open Japanese fan.

Transom Windows For Beauty And Elegance

You will generally find transom windows above garage doors, main doorways and in conservatories. Those are not the only places to have a transom window. You can have them above normal windows too. This will provide natural lighting and privacy even when the shades are drawn. They complement almost any window type and the wide variety of design ideas make them ideal complements to normal windows. The transom windows can be rectangular, square, semi-circle or fan-shaped.

Design your own transom window to add beauty and elegance to your room. Add stained glass to provide a dramatic effect to your room’s appearance as light filters in through the different colored designs on the window pane. By creating wide and large transom windows you can make your room appear larger and brighter. You can have plantation shutters or wooden blinds to make the room stylish and chic. Window treatment options like vertical blinds, curtains and drapes are best for the regular windows, the transom windows above can be left alone to allow light into the room.

Interior doors and windows can also have transom windows. This will filter the light from the exterior rooms into the deepest part of the home. Modern homeowners are re-discovering the benefits of transom windows which had gone out of favor along with the arrival of modern architecture with their minimalist design structures that depended more on artificial means of heating and cooling than the natural methods of the old. A transom window was considered a frivolous addition that could be done away with.

Adding elegant drapes or blinds to your transom windows will help you regulate the amount of light you want to let in into a room. A variety of window treatment options like plantation shutters or vertical blinds or just plain curtains adds class to the room. You can have the window treatments as a combined option for both your normal window and the transom window if it is mainly used for decoration or have separately for better functionality.

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Window Shutter Designs – Choose A Sophisticated Or Simple Design For Added Elegance And Security

There are so many choices in window shutter designs that it is sometimes difficult on deciding on one. Shutters serve several purposes. In good weather if you keep the shutters open you get natural air and sunlight. During bad weather closing it keeps the chill and heat out. By keeping them securely closed you keep the unwanted and undesirable elements out. That means added security for your home. Choose between interior or exterior shutters depending on the design aspects of your home. Exterior shutters are mounted on the outer side of the window. While interior shutters are fixed on the inner side of the window. This can be space consuming and you can’t use the window sill for display or any other purpose.

The most popular window shutter designs in America and Europe are the plantation shutters. Also, known as louvered shutters these are a cost effective way to makes homes look chic and secure at the same time. These shutters have slats which can be adjusted to control the entry of light and air into the room. If you mount the plantation shutters on the interior you don’t need to have additional window treatment with curtains and blinds. Add a valance and your window will look great. White plantation shutters are the most sought after shutters by many home owners. Adding these can actually increase the value of your home if you are considering selling your home at a later date.

Other designs in window shutters include simple wooden shutters in elegant shapes and sizes. In many parts of the world, the wooden shutters are used to keep the elements at bay. The wood is a naturally insulating material and keeps the home warm in winters and cool in summers when shut. Usually mounted outside the home the elegance of sturdy wooden boards is unmatched as it gives homes the old world look particularly when combined with those big iron hinges and bolts.

A window shutter design that is popular around the world is the plain glass windows mounted on wooden frames. Combined with elegant window treatment options this type of window shutters give the people in home an unfettered view of the outside world. Using Bali blinds or curtains you can get the required privacy when needed. These are simple window shutter designs and don’t cost much as the wood used is just for the frame. There is a security risk with this type of window design as there is no physical barrier when the window is open. They need to be fastened securely at nights and when no one is around.

Roller shutters, collapsible window shutters are some more window shutter design ideas. The roller shutters takes up less space as it rolls up to the top. This is preferred when not much space is available in the interior or exterior of the window. Another space saving option is the collapsible shutter that can be stowed on either side. To prevent damage during storms and hurricanes you have storm shutters and hurricane shutters. This are fixed on top of regular shutters and can be removed once the emergency passes. The above are just a few of window shutter designs that you can choose from when designing your home.

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Dormer Window Designs For Extra Space And More Light

Dormer window designs help create extra head room especially in lofts and attics. Usually added to homes at a later date the dormer protrudes from the roof. You would have seen such homes where a rectangular box like window projects out of a sloping roof. Inside the home there is extra head space. The dormer window is useful for getting extra light and ventilation into the top floors of the homes.

What are the differences between skylight windows and dormer window designs?

A skylight is always flush with roof of the home. Whether the house has a sloping or a flat roof the skylight is embedded into the roofing and provides light for attics and loft areas. Skylight windows can have sliding glass doors or hinged panels that can be opened in good weather for ventilation.

On the other hand a dormer window designs always projects out of the roof and is conspicuous from the outside of the home. Some homes have false dormers. It is a purely decorative addition to the home and provides no functional purpose as the insides are roofed off. Dormer window designs can be part of the original home construction or can be added later as and when the need arises. As dormer windows are usually not standard sized you will need custom window treatments or use draperies. You can also use regular curtains or a custom made drapery style to add class for these windows.

Before you go for them dormer window designs have to be carefully considered. If they are not properly incorporated into the roof design it can mar the aesthetics of the home even though you get extra space inside. Also, improper designs can cause leakages leading to big repair bills. Pleasing lines of a sloped roof are the most attractive aspect of a home’s external appearance. Unsightly dormer windows designs can ruin this beauty. So, before going for extra space creation consider how best to join the roof with added dormer and choose from one of several types listed below. Choose a window design that goes with your home’s overall look and feel.

Dormer window designs are several types – gable fronted, hipped roof, flat roof, shed, link and wall dormers.

Flat Roof Dormer: As the name suggests the roof of the dormer is flat.

Shed Dormer – This dormer’s eave line is parallel to the main roof and is often referred to as eyelid dormer. This provides extra space in the attics and also head room.

Hipped roof Dormer – The roof of this dormer slopes back from the front of the dormer to some point farther back on the original roof

Gable Fronted Dormer – Also known as dog house dormer.

Link Dormer – This is a large dormer that links one part of the house with another or is used to house the chimney.

When and if you want to go for loft conversions for extra space and decide to go for dormers try adding them at the back of the home. If not possible then add it to the side which is least visible to people passing by. A well designed and beautifully crafted dormer will not take away from your home’s look. On the other hand badly crafted dormer window designs can mar the character and appearance of your home.

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Leadlight Window Designs – Stained Glass Patterns For Your Home

Leadlight window designs and stained glass window designs are traditionally referred to colored glass pieces arranged in patterns and held together by strips of lead and supported by a strong frame. While manufacturing glass metallic salts are added to get brilliantly colored pieces in red, blue, green, and orange and so on. These pieces are then crafted into intricate a pattern which is painstaking work and was mostly found in churches and monuments of old.

The stained glass windows you find in some churches are awe-inspiring. When sunlight filters through these stained pieces of glass the effect inside is almost ethereal. In the older buildings especially churches the designs are scenes from the lives of Jesus Christ and other saints.

Leadlight Window Designs Explained In Detail

For common dwellings, business houses and other places usually leadlight window designswere used. These designs are less intricate usually geometric patterns or floral patterns. These decorative window panes are a lot simpler than what was found in churches. The stained glass lets in the natural light while also giving the home privacy. This type of glass windows serves the purpose of window treatments like drapes or blinds or velvet shades.

Leadlight window designs as explained earlier are much simpler and less ornate both in design and the technique of how it is made. It is cheaper than stained glass windows which can be elaborate and complex both in theme and execution. But, in modern times these differences have somewhat blurred and both the terms leadlight and stained glass are used interchangeably.

Today, the leadlight designs are more varied. The inspiration for patterns are drawn from a variety of sources and seen in private homes and commercial buildings. The inspiration can be from nature, from plants, birds and animals, everyday life, adventurous scenes, insects or more abstract designs. The modern windows are also made with black and white patterns, velvet shades and other styles.

These windows can transform an ordinary drab corner into something extraordinary. The view of a light streaming through brightly colored peacock or a pastel colored scenery is to be seen to believe. It truly adds character to the room. They can last more than 100 years if cared for properly so, you can work out the costs to see if it works out economical for you. Even it is a little on the expensive side a stained glass window can add to the resale value of home if you are considering on selling it.

Leadlight window designs have become quite a rage in modern times. There are several glass makers who are specializing in creating beautiful windows for their customers. You can select your own pattern from several designs available online both for free or for a fee and ask your chosen specialist to make it for you. Or you can choose from the pattern and designs available with him. Choose a pattern that goes with the theme of your home or something that is inspiring or simply breath-taking to make an impact with your stained glass windows.

If you are looking for some simple patterns for all windows of your home then that should also be possible. You can make them like the leadlight designs of the old. Simple mosaics, geometric patterns, squares, rectangles, circles or floral patterns can be chosen as the leadlight window designs for your home.

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Window Designs To Go With Your Home Architechture

Are you looking for window designs and ideas to match your home’s look? As you know a window is an opening in the wall of a home. These openings provide light and air to every part of the house. Modern methods of heating, cooling and lighting actually eliminate the need for windows. However, it would be a pity to completely do away with them. They not only serve decorative purposes but are our only outlets to the outside world and removing them will only add to the feeling of claustrophobia – the fear of being in enclosed spaces.

Windows come in diverse assortment of sizes and shapes. The usual windows are rectangular, but you will find square, circular, semi-circular shapes too. Some windows come in irregular shapes but they need to be customized. Window frames come with shutters or doors or sliding glass panes in frames. This allows you to shut them when the weather outside is bad and keep them open to let cool air and light to enter the home at other times.

Let’s Look At Some Window Designs And Ideas.

Different countries have evolved their own window designs over the course of several centuries based on the local requirements, availability of materials and local architecture. Weather, social customs and the geographic location also played a crucial role in the window designs of the past. Countries with very hot or very cold weather preferred smaller windows to keep the heat and cold out. Countries with moderate weather had larger windows to take advantage of the pleasant weather conditions, natural sunlight and breeze. In certain countries it is taboo for women to be seen by outsiders hence the windows have a lattice framework. Outsiders can’t see anything but the women of the house had a good view of the outside world. Beach homes will have large windows, while mountain cabins will have smaller windows and so on.

Modern life eliminates most of these restrictions on window designs. No longer are we dependent on nature to keep us cool or warm. The arrival of electricity means we technically don’t need sunlight to see things or run our life. You can choose to have any type of window design for your home as long as it matches your home overall look and theme.

You can go for large bay windows, elegant French Windows or whole wall picture windows that frame a view, skylights, transom windows, dormer windows, awning windows, fixed windows or stained glass windows. Modern designs are more minimalist with not many decorative aspects.

Traditional window designs are showier, with cornices and decorative aspects. Whichever design is chosen make sure it is functional and serves its stated purpose. If you want to let in only the light then you can go for fixed window designs. If you want frame a view then go for a large picture window with not distractive features. If you want a window for ventilation purpose then windows that can be opened and closed under different weather conditions are important.

Anderson Windows and Marvin Windows are two just big names in the field of window designs.

Here is a list of different types of window design ideas to choose from:

Double-hung sash window

Casing window

Awning window

Hopper window

Tilt and slide window

Transom window

Jalousie window

Clerestory window

Skylight

Roof window

Roof lantern

Bay window

Oriel window

Fixed window

Picture window

Stained glass window

French window

Window with grill

Soundproof windows

Choose an elegant window treatment to go with your window designs to enhance its charm and attractiveness.

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