Choosing Windows for Your Front Great Room

A great room in the front of your home can be the perfect space to gather as a family, host parties, and simply enjoy the feeling of wide-open space inside your home. The windows you choose for the front of your great room have a large impact not only on the room's appearance, but on how you use and enjoy the space.

Here are some guidelines to help you choose great room windows that accentuate your home and embellish your lifestyle.

If your home's style is more traditional and less modern, consider adding a bay or bow window to the front of your great room. These window formations project from the exterior wall of the home in an arc; they're comprised of three, four, five, or even more window panels placed side by side at an angle to one another.

A bay or bow window allows sunlight to enter your great room from multiple directions. It becomes the focal point of the room and also adds elegance to your home's exterior. Situate a dining table, a few lounge chairs, or even a little reading table inside the arc of the window to make the most of this sunny space.

Like a bay window, a picture window brings in plenty of sun and gives you a beautiful view of the outdoors. However, it has a more sleek, contemporary appeal than a bay or bow window. Picture windows are also less expensive and easier to install than bay windows since they are generally fixed windows that lack mechanical parts.

You can customize a picture window by adding some small shaped windows next to it, or by decorating it with unique window treatments. If you're worried about the fact that picture windows do not open, placing a casement window on either side of it works well; casement windows open wide to let in plenty of breeze.

If your design scheme includes smaller windows to the side of your bay or picture window, consider having grilles placed on those windows. Grilles break the window pane down into smaller sections, which gives the window more visual appeal and can make it feel more balanced when your wall contains an expanse of glass.

Thin grilles are more compatible with modern designs, whereas thicker ones look better on traditional homes.

Whenever you have a room with a lot of large windows, you may be concerned about heat loss in the winter, and of course heat gain in the summer. Choose low-e glass for your great room windows to help minimize these effects. Low-e glass is designed to reflect heat waves, rather than allowing them to pass straight through the glass.

Low-e protects your home from UV rays, which prevents your carpet and drapes from fading due to sun exposure. You can bask in the sunshine in your great room without having to first apply sunscreen.

High-quality windows will last for 20 years or more. You will likely want to redecorate or remodel your great room in that time. Choose a timeless color for your window frames so that they will coordinate well with a new color scheme. Stay away from trendy colors like rust or burgundy, and instead go with a traditional white, black, cream, or gray that will still look fashionable a few decades from now.

The right windows can transform a front great room into a truly magnificent space. Keep the tips above in mind, and contact Midsouth Exteriors for help choosing the perfect windows for your home. We offer bay, bow, and picture windows with a wide variety of grilles and glass options.