From classic designs to modern innovations, windows come in various types, each serving different purposes and preferences.
This article will explore the main types of windows, helping you to make informed choices that align with your needs and style.
Types of Window:
Casement Windows
In the UK, casement windows are the most popular window type. They’re commonly found in kitchens, bathrooms, and living areas, offering a practical and stylish option for many homes in rural or suburban settings where airflow and clear views are priorities.
Features
Hinged on the Side: Casement windows open fully from one side, opening outward like a door, offering excellent ventilation and unobstructed views.
Weatherproof Seal: Their tight-fitting closure ensures that they’re insulated and weather resistant, helping you to keep your energy bills low.
Versatile Appearance: With various styles and materials options, casement windows can suit any architectural home, suiting both traditional and modern properties.
Bay Windows
Bay windows are commonly seen in Victorian and Edwardian homes as the main focus point of the front of the property and can be installed in more than one storey. Their small, semi-enclosed interior area adds a sense of whimsical charm, making them a perfect nook for relaxing.
Features
Projection Design: This type of window projects outwards from the property’s face, allowing space to create a window seat for a reading or breakfast nook and enhancing the home’s exterior aesthetic.
Multiple Panels: This type of window incorporates three individual panes, with the centre panel usually being fixed and the side panels operable, enhancing the panoramic view.
Enhances Kerb Appeal: This style can help elevate the house’s façade, adding character to boost kerb appeal.
Bow Windows
This window type is popular in properties with spacious front gardens or luxurious interiors due to its semi-circular projection, which can be installed with four or more panels.
Unlike a bay window, where the brickwork extends and supports, bow windows project out without the wall underneath, essentially floating.
Features
Soft Curvature: This window type offers a panoramic view with a smoother and more contemporary look.
Aesthetically pleasing: Its architecturally curved design gives the home a charismatic charm, creating a soft, elegant focal point that enhances interior and exterior appeal.
Customisable: Select various fixed and operable styles and colours to suit functionality and aesthetics.
Sash Windows
Sash windows are often featured in period properties, mainly Georgian and Victorian homes. They are typically found in living rooms, bedrooms and hallways, complementing the historic aesthetic. Modern sash windows are also used in contemporary builds to add character.
Features
Sliding Mechanism: Sash windows consist of two vertically sliding panels or ‘sashes’, which can easily be moved up and down within the frame.
Balanced Aesthetic: The window’s symmetrical design, which aligns with traditional architectural style, helps give a home a timeless appeal.
Glazing Bars: Classic sash windows often have glazing bars dividing the panes into smaller sections, adding intricate detail.
Tilt and Turn Windows
With the rise of uPVC double glazing, tilt-and-turn windows became increasingly popular in contemporary homes and urban apartments, often in bedrooms, nurseries, offices and kitchens.
Features
Dual-Functionality: The tilt and turn mechanism provides several direction options, offering a secure tilt position for gentle airflow and a full swing opening for easy access and increased air circulation.
Secure Design: This window can remain partially open but locked in tilt mode, making it a safe option for homes with young children.
Easy Maintenance: The inward-opening design allows you to clean the glass from the inside, eliminating the need for a ladder and making it a great option for upper floors.
Fixed Windows
Fixed windows give any architectural property a modern, chic look. Their design frames unobstructed views like a picture, seamlessly blending the indoor and outdoor spaces of the property. This makes them ideal for the countryside or coastal surroundings.
Features
Large Glass Panels: These fixed windows offer uninterrupted views of the outdoors and brighten dim, enclosed spaces like stairwells and hallways.
Energy Efficient: Their non-operable design ensures the home stays well insulated and weatherproof.
Aesthetic Variety: This option can be designed in various styles and materials and paired with other operable windows for a dynamic look.
Roof Windows
Roof windows are ideal for attics, loft apartments and converted spaces. This type of window can be opened or fixed depending on preference.
Features
Angled Placement: This design can be perfectly integrated with sloped roof designs, maintaining architectural harmony while enhancing functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Enhance Ventilation: An open or tiled option can allow fresh air in, helping to ventilate the space.
Light Optimisation: A roof window can maximise sunlight and give an unobstructed sky view, illuminating spaces that might otherwise be dark.
Skylight Windows
Skylights are a favoured option for extensions featuring open-plan kitchen and dining areas, adding a dramatic lighting effect.
Features
Direct Sunlight: Positioned on a flat surface, skylights bring abundant natural light directly into the home, illuminating open spaces.
Unobstructed View: With their elevated placement, skylights provide clear, uninterrupted sky views, creating a sense of openness and an opportunity to star gaze at night.
Various Types: Skylights come in multiple styles, including fixed, vented, tubular and custom shapes, making them adaptable to different architectural needs and personal preferences.
