If you've seen a MOSAIC community before, you may have noticed that windows are hugely important to the overall design. They make for a rich and elegant exterior and also do a great job of enhancing interior living spaces.

Natural light is a valuable feature within a home; the home you buy either has it or it doesn't and it is a very difficult thing to add. Using pictures of previous communities, I've outlined below what we do to make sure that the windows of your home bring in the right amount of natural light and look great doing it:

Placement

Step back and take a moment to look at windows of any home and notice how much of an impact they make. They need to impart a sense of balance and weight on a home's facade. By taking great care, we line up windows on one floor with windows on floors below and above, with adjacent sills and sashes, and with the other architectural detailing on the front of the home resulting in an exterior that has windows in all the right places. The largest challenge is ensuring that what makes sense for the exterior, is also right for the interior. Interior windows need to center living spaces, lending ample light where needed and limiting light where it is unwanted.

 

Size and Shape

While often dictated by placement, much consideration has to be given to the size and shape of a window to ensure that it is not only highly functional, but also proportionally correct. Does it suit the room? Does the shape complement the exterior? Is it historically accurate to the architectural style? There are lots of dos and don'ts with window placement and sizing and a carefully considered home will have that indescribable "feeling" that everything is just as it should be.

Function

Windows provide air and light, at the same time they define space. The windows at WESTWOOD open to allow for the free exchange of air (there is one exception in some end unit garages). They've also been sized to allow as much light as possible into each room. In many cases, you'll also notice that windows are placed to dictate the use of room, either to center a living room, dining room, or create an anchor for a kitchen.

Finish

A plain old unfinished window can be a major detractor on a home's facade. By dressing the sills and adding shutters in the Georgian Colonial tradition, we add richness to the individual windows and to the facade overall. On the insides of our windows on the main floor, we finish the outer edges with an elegant casing and sill treatment; we feel any picture that appears through our windows deserves a handsome frame. Taking the extra step of finishing the main floor windows with 3 inch wood trim painted in a low gloss white makes a huge difference.

So next time you look at or out a MOSAIC window, we hope you recognize the difference that the extra care and attention makes.

There are many examples of exceptional window design online, an impressive portfolio of local (and not so local) window designs can be found at BC's very own Dynamic Architectural Windows and Doors Click here to view.

Posted on September 8 2010
Tagged with: Design, New

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