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Corner Windows Bend Imagination
Whether we can see inside or only guess what's behind them, corner windows are a dramatically different take for home exteriors
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City.... More »
About one year ago I started contributing ideabooks for Houzz. My first one focused on corner windows, featuring some houses with corners that almost disappeared through the use of mitered panes of glass, free of a mullion where they meet. This ideabook looks at more corner windows, but without limiting them to one type of assembly. These examples may be mitered but more often than not a mullion holds the corner.
Most of the examples are presented from the outside and then the inside. With any window, what happens on the inside is more important than what is going on outside. Corner windows are like that to a greater degree, given that they are special assemblies that are a bit more difficult to build than standard punched openings. But as you'll see, the rewards are often worth it.
Most of the examples are presented from the outside and then the inside. With any window, what happens on the inside is more important than what is going on outside. Corner windows are like that to a greater degree, given that they are special assemblies that are a bit more difficult to build than standard punched openings. But as you'll see, the rewards are often worth it.
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| This house extension by KUBE Architecture is like a white cube that is punctuated by openings that are anything but traditional. Openings are of various sizes and in asymmetrical locations, as if the effect from inside to outside is more important that the resulting elevations. From this angle a corner window projects from the top floor. |
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| Seen from the inside, the same corner window serves a small office space, giving the occupant a great panorama of the surrounding trees. A very nice distraction indeed. |
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| Taking another view of the house by KUBE, another corner window is visible, this time recessed instead of projecting. |
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| A peek inside reveals the corner window to be in a bedroom. The window seems to bridge the long and low opening above the bed with the tall one on a perpendicular wall. It's evident that the corner window helps bring in more sunlight to the room. |
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At first glance the corner window in this Eichler House addition and remodel doesn't look particularly special.
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But seeing out the corner from the inside reveals how special it actually is. The family has located a children's table here, allowing kids to look out the window as they draw or read. This photo illustrates that the full potential of windows isn't realized until some mechanism (furniture, built-in and such) for using it is added.
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| This house has a vertical corner window near the front. I'm intrigued by its relationship to the other windows, especially the long and low one right next to it. |
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These two openings are in the kitchen, sitting above the countertop and framing views from the foreground bar area. To me the low window is "eyes on the street" — urban activist Jane Jacobs' phrase — making the tall corner window "eyes on the trees."
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As in the previous example, the horizontal corner window in this vertical wood-clad volume makes one wonder, "What's going on behind the opening?" Let's take a look.
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| Again we have a kitchen. The window threads its way from the sink to the stove between the counter and the upper shelves. Note the small operable window by the sink, an opportunity to let a breeze in while washing pots and pans. |
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| The Chilmark House by Charles Rose Architects features a number of corners wrapped with windows. In the foreground the living room is visible, while beyond is another window overlooking the porch. |
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That second window is in a kitchen. Notice the complex interplay between the windows (corner and narrow one on the left) and the casework. Shelves pass and cantilever in front of the openings, putting the objects on display. (The cantilever actually requires a secondary structure, a small rod hung from the ceiling.)
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| Another spot in the Chilmark House shows how the corner-window theme extends to even inside corners. This inset, capped by some wood louvers, is home to a potted plant, making good use of a small and otherwise inaccessible space. |
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This project might be called "dueling corner windows," given these two almost identical openings facing each other across a patio.
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The inside of one of them (the one on the right in the previous photo) reveals the clerestory windows throughout the rest of the room. The latter bring in plenty of light, but it's the corner window that allows for views of people outside and vice versa.
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Talk about an intriguing corner window. This one is like an alien entity grafted onto part of a traditional-looking house. Note how the window is used to display some art.
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From inside the art is also visible, now against a backdrop of trees. The window appears to be strategically placed to take advantage of corridors and the view through the house.
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This last example unfortunately doesn't have an inside view to accompany it, so it's up to your imagination. Like the previous house this corner window appears grafted onto another house. The stair leading to the roof reveals that the projecting window may be serving a couple of purposes, as a lookout and as access to the more special realm above.
More:
Micro Additions: When You Want Just a Little More Room
Skinny Windows: Exclamation Points of Light
Ribbon Windows: Openness, Privacy and Cool, Modern Design
More:
Micro Additions: When You Want Just a Little More Room
Skinny Windows: Exclamation Points of Light
Ribbon Windows: Openness, Privacy and Cool, Modern Design
Ideabook updated on March 20, 2012.
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i like it modren house
Every ideabook, from corner window to corner window has been a pleasure to read, not to mention informative.
the problem is that in my city I have to add a "window guards" for security reason, but I dont want that "window guards" to affect the shape.