Windows & Glazing Decisions

Finding a balance between maximising the view, and keeping it cosy is proving tricky.

The last thing I wanted, was to live in a glass box. However, I’m pretty sure a lot of people will think I’m crazy for not having glazed the majority of the west elevation.

As most of you know, having sold Harlyn House, I wanted to have a few inspired “period property” elements within our new design. Sash windows, old doors, reclaimed floorboards and a Venetian window too.

Traditionally, the plain Georgian window may be perfectly proportioned but certain buildings need something grander - and the Venetian window was designed for them. Venetian windows usually have three sections, a large central panel with an arch over, and narrow panes to each side. The idea came from the great Renaissance architect Sebastiano Serlio, who based it on the layout of Roman triumphal arches.

We didn’t have space for this exact design, so we going to just have the central arched window (above the front door) a subtle nod to the old house.

We are still struggling to make a decision as to the windows in the lounge - should we go floor to ceiling height, or should we make the room more intimate with a low level wall below the windows?

Glazing bars! In order to keep the Georgain/Hamptons look we knew we would be having glazing bars. Certain time periods were associated with different trends. As glass used to be cheaper than constructing timber bars within a sash window, glazing bars were a cheaper method as making large panes of glass was incredibly difficult and expensive during the Georgian period. Today however, its sad in that original windows of classic period houses have been replaced left right and centre.  In fact, in most areas we see around 75% replacement of sash windows with lesser or period-inappropriate designs. There is hope, however with the conservation movement continuing to gain momentum and growing public interest in the design and aesthetic value of Georgian and Victorian houses.

The sketch above shows larger panes and less glazing bars than the sketch below.

There is a lovely article all about the different styles of glazing bars and their history found here at sashwindowrestorations.co.uk