25 Inviting Pass-Through Kitchen Windows
A window between the kitchen and an outdoor dining area makes easy work of entertaining alfresco
If you’re tired of running between your fridge and your patio while you’re hosting outdoors, consider adding a pass-through kitchen window to your home renovation or new-build must-have list. Sometimes called a servery window, a pass-through window will let you — you guessed it — efficiently pass drinks, food and other dining accoutrements back and forth between the kitchen and your outdoor entertaining space.
The design might be as simple as a sliding window that opens to a supported ledge, or it could be as fancy as a system of sliding window panels with a flush sill and a pocketing application that lets the panels disappear into the wall. (Some styles also have screens to keep out unwelcome six-legged guests.) Flip through the photos below to see examples of these and other fun and functional ways to work a pass-through window into your home. Whichever style you choose, add a few chic outdoor stools and you’ve got a foolproof recipe for a sweet alfresco soiree.
The design might be as simple as a sliding window that opens to a supported ledge, or it could be as fancy as a system of sliding window panels with a flush sill and a pocketing application that lets the panels disappear into the wall. (Some styles also have screens to keep out unwelcome six-legged guests.) Flip through the photos below to see examples of these and other fun and functional ways to work a pass-through window into your home. Whichever style you choose, add a few chic outdoor stools and you’ve got a foolproof recipe for a sweet alfresco soiree.
2. On the south shore of Lake Chelan in Washington state, a house remodeled by Distinctive Kitchens features another bifold pass-through window design, this one with a flush sill and an outdoor ledge that’s contiguous with the kitchen countertop. All-weather stools invite guests to belly up to the bar and chat with the chef.
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Your Grill Season Checklist
3. A pass-through window in this Abington, Massachusetts, home by Tracy Parkinson of Nest + Co. (interior designer) and Caitlin Struble of Winslow Design (architect) has two center windows that slide to either side with the touch of a finger. The black granite bar sits slightly below the window opening and is illuminated at night by three woven sconces.
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Shop for bar stools on Houzz
4. In this home by LDa Architecture & Interiors overlooking Massachusetts’ Cape Cod Bay, a kitchen pass-through window has two sets of panels that fold to either side. The poolside bar’s weathered wood countertop and stools match the decking and eyebrow pergola.
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5. Younger Homes designed this multi-slide pass-through window in a home near Austin, Texas. Multi-slide pass-through windows — a design sometimes achieved with small multi-slide patio doors — have three or more panels that slide and stack on top of each other or tuck into a wall pocket.
6. During the renovation of this 1940s New England-style cottage on Lake Michigan by Wydeven Architects, the existing frames of four kitchen windows stayed in place, but Acker Millwork swapped out the old windows for custom one-lite swing-up windows with butt hinges at the top. The hooks are secured to beams in the ceiling, and eye screws on the window sashes hook into cabin hooks.
7. A transitional home renovation near Rockville, Maryland, by Four Brothers Design + Build included the addition of an out-swing awning window, sometimes called a concession window. Often equipped with pneumatic support arms, these windows open out to about 90 degrees, giving them the added function of providing rain protection.
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Shop for popular kitchen products
8. Pass-through windows are often above the kitchen sink, but Cedar Street Builders popped one in the pantry of this Indianapolis home instead. Virtually indistinguishable from a double-hung window when closed, it opens inward and upward, folding with hinges in the center.
10. For another layer of defense from skeeters and their kin, take a cue from this Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, kitchen built by Lowell Custom Homes and Geneva Cabinets: It has a pass-through window by NanaWall that opens to a screened porch rather than open air.
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Browse outdoor furniture in the Houzz Shop
11. During the renovation of a post-and-beam midcentury modern house in the canyons of Beverly Hills, Dutton Architects installed a concession window with a simple floating counter. The three colorful powder-coated, bent-wire stools add some pizzazz to the streamlined look.
12. SDG Architects designed this modern Spanish Revival style home in Orinda, California. The pass-through’s steel-framed folding and stacking windows coordinate with the sliding patio door.
13. In a midcentury-modern-inspired residence in Los Angeles, AAHA Studio added a twist with a waterfall table instead of a ledge below the slide-fold pass-through window.
14. Widney Pierson Interior Design went a rustic route for the pass-through windows of this beach-style home in Charleston, South Carolina. Three windows open to a stained wooden countertop and base that are shared with a built-in outdoor kitchen.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Bar or Counter
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Bar or Counter
15. In Miami, JMA Interior Design took functional inspiration from a garage door for a pass-through window that connects the kitchen and formal covered porch.
Key Measurements for Planning Your Outdoor Furniture Layout
Key Measurements for Planning Your Outdoor Furniture Layout
16. There’s no rule that says you need to have bar stools, especially if storage is a priority. Under this farmhouse’s pass-through window in Long Beach, California, Jeannette Architects went with built-in cabinetry instead of a ledge. A rustic trestle table and chairs offer ample seating.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
17. Full Circle Custom Homes in Phoenix pulled out all the stops with this large pass-through window. A multi-sliding window with a flush sill disappears with a pocket application on the left side (not visible), completely opening the kitchen to the covered bar area.
18. This home by Wang Architects in Austin, Texas, connects an outdoor deck to the kitchen with a simple countertop, a bifold sliding window and four fresh green barstools. The roof overhang provides a bit of protection from the elements.
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See more great deck ideas
19. The renovation of this Edwardian house in Melbourne, Australia, by Bryant Alsop Architects added a covered deck and pass-through kitchen window. Just wide enough to accommodate two stools, the window’s deep frame does double duty as a ledge for serving food and drinks.
20. Laminex Australia renovated the kitchen in this beach-style home on the country’s Sunshine Coast, adding a wooden frame bifold window with no visible bottom track or frame. Similar to a flush sill, this design lets you push, say, a heavy tray outside without obstructions. Just note that it’s important to have weatherstripping where the sash meets the countertop for a tight seal.
21. For the ultimate in indoor-outdoor entertaining, AG Millworks equipped this coastal-style shingled house with not one but two bifold pass-through windows and a coordinating bifold door.
22. A brother-and-sister team worked with Paradise Tiny Homes to build this clever compact abode on the Big Island of Hawaii. A simple propped-open awning window (made from a French door turned sideways and mirrored on the opposite side of the structure) serves as a pass-through between bar tops hewn from Hawaiian curly mango.
23. In this modern farmhouse in Cardiff, California, ProPacific Builders installed a slide-fold pass-through kitchen window and a ledge to transform a narrow section of a pool deck into an amply sized wet bar.
24. On the covered porch of this Boston Craftsman by Aline Architecture, an out-swing casement window becomes a handy kitchen pass-through thanks to a sturdy wooden ledge below it.
25. In the kitchen of this 1911 traditional in Crocker Highlands, near San Francisco, Kelley Flynn Interior Design used a custom double casement window to create a pass-through to a zinc bar on the deck.
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Tell us: Which pass-through window photo sparks the most design inspiration? Share in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more patio stories
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