The current hot trend within modern window design is to use steel framed windows and doors. This industrial look utilizes very thin frames which appeal to architects striving for minimalistic design. This look can be applied to a large variety of design styles. They are used in contemporary architecture as well as giving very traditional designs a more edgy look.
Recent options offered by Windsor are helping builders bring their projects in on or below budget without sacrificing this cool design element. Windsor products are being used in place of or in conjunction with steel windows to maintain the designer’s overall aesthetic without blowing the budget.
Windsor’s Pinnacle aluminum clad products work nicely with steel products. The photo above shows a steel pivot door but the windows above are Windsor Pinnacle series with 5/8” putty bars. The narrow frame and bars maintain the same sightlines as the door below.
The Pinnacle line has the very narrow frames on the fixed windows that blend nicely with the steel windows. The narrow sash gives it a sleeker appearance than most traditional aluminum clad casement windows. Using this casement in conjunction with the tall putty bars gives the look of steel. Low profile direct sets were used for the fixed windows on this project.
The image below demonstrates 5/8” tall putty bars on a corner window. The narrow lines of this bar work resemble that of a steel window but at a much lower cost.
Windsor offers several options to replicate the look of steel windows including exterior grille bar profiles and the interior profiles from 5/8” through 2” bars. This provides a large variety of combinations.
A popular choice made when blending Windsor products with steel windows is to use the tall putty bar on the exterior with a contemporary bar on the interior.
You can also pick the contemporary bar on the exterior as well as the interior if you prefer the sharper corners and a squared off look on the exterior. Exterior finishes in textured black and matt black also replicate the look of steel products.
Windsor’s prefinish black interior allows the windows to look as though they are metal on the exterior as well as on the interior. Windsor can also split the finish on the interior painting producing a white frame with a black sash. This helps the windows and the sash look slimmer from the interior.
Windsor may be the perfect solution to making you competitive in the contemporary housing market.