SAVE $100 
by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
Casement and double hung windows aren’t going anywhere, but have you considered if you want to expand your horizons? No matter the style of your home, you’ll find fitting specialty windows that can help set it apart—both from the effect of natural lighting inside and the extra points of drama and interest seen on the exterior. Here’s an introduction to some unique window options!
Custom Picture Windows
Long a staple of spectacular modern designs, picture windows can be used to bridge gaps and frame views. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit where needed, whether that’s a triangle to fill the wall beneath a vaulted ceiling or an octagon to brighten a landing between stairs. Picture windows are usually custom jobs made to fit your exact needs, so you or your builder will need to communicate with the manufacturer thoroughly. The extra effort definitely repays with a stunning, one-of-a-kind home!
Choosing Shapes
When the possibilities suddenly multiply, you might be wondering what to choose. In general, most homes are designed for standard rectangular casement or double hung windows, but that doesn’t mean it has to end there. Many modern homes incorporate exceptionally large panes that must be custom ordered. Famous for vaulted spaces, log houses typically require a variety of trapezoidal windows to make the most of their structure. Even older-style traditional and beach homes sometimes have surprising accents, like little round porthole windows for unique or nautical flair.
Consider whether you want to primarily fill walls or boost interest. Take a triangular window, for example; it makes plenty of sense to brighten the uppermost portion of a cathedral vault, but it’s striking for an entirely different reason if you use it in place of a regular rectangular window in a bedroom. The shapes created by a home’s underlying architecture can also be outfitted in a number of ways—like a square with a triangle on top, an irregular pentagon shaped like a baseball home plate, or mirror image right trapezoids. Be sure to look at the options in terms of the panes and the spaces between them to find the configuration that suits your design vision!
Dressing Up Operational Windows
Uniquely shaped windows don’t have to stand alone—you can use them in tandem with standard windows to combine form with function. A popular option for Mediterranean homes is to use half-round windows over rectangular ones, but it can get much more intricate if you want. Various angles and curves can be manufactured, so use your imagination! Present day materials and techniques can produce shapes that weren’t possible before, even ones that don’t have names.
Picture windows are not typically operational—their panes are fixed in their frames, so they don’t open. That makes them perfect for decorative and lighting purposes, but not for ventilation or egress. Dressing up other windows with specialty shapes on top or around gives you the best of both worlds, and could even required. For instance, building codes stipulate that you must have at least one bedroom window that meets specific dimensions and opens to allow you to escape in case of emergency. So, if you’re going for that totally unique look around the entire house, don’t forget it can be built in different ways.
Extra Dimensional Interest
So far, we’ve only covered windows that sit flush in a wall, but did you know you can get corner windows, too? Relatively uncommon in residential use, corner windows fit seamlessly into bold contemporary homes, but their appeal extends far beyond aesthetics. Brightening an entire corner with windows offers great natural lighting and exterior views that seem to wrap around your interior space, so they are perfect if you want to admire more of your property. No matter the style of your house, you can make it work—think about placement and consider putting a corner window in back if you’re concerned about how it’ll affect your home’s façade.
Check out the stunning options available from Marvin® Windows if you want to make your home stand out! They offer a wide variety and have outstanding custom capabilities to ensure you get the perfect solution for your needs in terms of style, curb appeal, energy efficiency, functionality, and durability. Find a dealer to start the conversation!
