Photo above copyright © Fyfe Photography | Architect: Alex Voth | Interior Design: Janet Scagel
On-trend design and decorating ideas come from many sources – touring open houses, strolling through home and garden shows, flipping through architectural and fashion magazines, or scrolling through the most-followed web pages and curated posts. We keep our eyes trained on these sources to know which trends attract the most interest. We understand not only what is most "Pin-worthy" and "Instagrammable," but also practical and personalized to homeowners, like you.
When considering the best window and door design trends, remember that you are choosing the only products to be featured on both the inside and outside of your home. Windows and doors are seen by the closest friends and family, as well as by neighbors and passing strangers. These products must be equally functional for weather-resistant exterior resiliency, and beautiful to enhance your interior finishes and décor.
Here are eight of the best window and door design trends to help with your selection:
Continuing to push the literal boundaries of walls, windows and doors, homeowners are choosing to open up their interiors, merging inside and outside spaces. Kitchens and outdoor grill stations blend with living rooms and patios. Minimized interior walls and maximized window walls provide unencumbered views and conversations. Coupling large window configurations with expansive sliding or folding doors further extends indoor living into the outdoors.
Left photograph © Karen Melvin
Softening the modern aesthetic, homeowners are returning to the comforts of velvety fabrics, stuffed couches and warm finishes. Sharp angles are paired or tempered with bends and arches. Where walls are necessary, the corners can be erased both physically with a rounded edge, and visually with the transparency and views of 90-degree, narrow-framed windows. Window and doors also can be crafted with custom curves, and complemented by full-circle, half-circle and radius-topped windows.
Choosing comfort does not mean sacrificing performance or accessibility. Today's homes can accommodate it all: The couple who likes to entertain and host extended-stay visitors may want a grand front entry and an understated separate guest door. The family of four, who welcomes a live-in grandparent, may choose a flush surface door sill to reduce the potential for trips and falls. The work-from-home professional who pampers his dogs, may ask for high acoustic performance windows. The parent whose teenagers demand both privacy and interconnected technology, may specify doors with wave-activated biometric security. The retired couple who cook up a weekly feast for friends and family may want venting clerestory windows that open and close at the push of a button.
Photograph © Roger Wade
Wood remains a consistent design trend with a tonal shift leaning toward a soft, organic appearance that accentuates the character of the wood and highlights the grain. Currently popular, medium range stains convey a sense of age and character. Reclaimed hardwoods and rustic barnwood in clear finishes further exemplify this desired aesthetic.
Pairing wood with metal is on point not just for cabinetry, but also for windows and doors. Handles, latches, locks and other hardware can be requested in matte black metal, stainless steel and brushed gold. Jeweled hues and hand-crafted accessories match with bold accents and geometric patterns in exposed beam ceilings, inlayed hardwood flooring, large format tile backsplashes and more colorfully painted walls. Countering the prior all-white palette, some are even opting for all-black, conveying a moody, luxurious elegance. Dark gray emerges as the "new black" and offers a polished sophistication to interior wood finishes on windows and doors.
Improving on the classic steel window, homeowners now are having the look of these narrow-profile windows reproduced with high-performance glass and aluminum framing finished in black. Surprisingly, windows and doors' exterior aluminum cladding can even replicate the look – and feel – of terra cotta using textured coatings. Warm terra cottas and blush oranges are among the most trend-forward colors, along with sapphire and sea blues, emerald and mossy greens, creams and taupe, and of course white, black and gray.
As the rest of the home accentuates openness, connectedness and transparency, the bathroom becomes a personal destination for relaxation. With freestanding tubs, rain showers and standalone areas to dry, warm and dress, these spa-inspired restrooms become an in-home retreat to soak in the natural light and views. Some homeowners are even choosing to extend these quiet zones passing through the windows and open doors into private gardens with outside hot tubs and showers.
Photograph © Whitney Kamman
Beyond the stress-relieving potential of destination bathrooms, wellness and resilience are top concerns for many homeowners. For homeowners facing extreme seasonal shifts, high-performance windows and doors can be specified to resist hurricane-force winds, unwanted solar heat gain and freezing winter weather, while keeping the interior comfortable, quiet and energy efficient. Where lighter breezes are the norm, operable units allow for natural ventilation and fresh air. Regardless of the climate, the #1 trend that every homeowner wants is expansive windows and doors to transcend their view beyond the limits of their walls.