Six Design Principles to Maximize the Benefits of Home Windows

Posted: Apr 09, 2012
Author: G&S Contracting, Inc.

When designing a home, it is essential to use wall plans in addition to floor plans. If you focus on certain principles to maximize the benefits of home windows, you can make a noticeable difference in how your home will feel and look. Here are the six “secrets.”

Capture Light Throughout the Day

Sunlight is a crucial architectural tool. Use it properly by choosing the right type of windows and then carefully deciding where to place them. The inside of your home will undergo subtle lighting changes as the sun moves.

Create a View

With correct placement of windows, you can create a spectacular view that can be the central focus of one room, or even the entire house.  A perfectly aligned group of small windows, or a large picture window, can literally glorify a home’s surroundings.

Fresh Air

There’s much more to good ventilation than just opening windows. To move hot air outdoors, use roof windows. To have fresh air continually circulating throughout the home, place windows on opposite walls.

Blur the Line Between Outdoors and Indoors

A wall of patio doors or windows can unify you with your surroundings. A transparent effect is created – blurring the divide between indoors and out.

Design with Shapes

Windows allow your home to speak to you. Use recurring patterns to achieve shapes with light, or create a rhythmic ambiance with isolated statements.

Personalize

Your home windows say a lot about your home’s character – but they also say a lot about you! If you lean towards being a traditionalist, go for subtle patterns. But, if you are more flamboyant, add splashes of color with artistic glass panels.