It’s only after you’ve lived in a house for a few years and seen it through a few seasons that you get to know the ins and outs. Once you’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, you’ll know just what to change to make it fit your lifestyle. Then, you’re ready to remodel.
Windows are a good place to start, because they can do so much to change the character of a room. They can wash away darkness with the warmth of natural light. The view they provide can bring a feeling of spaciousness to a smaller room. And patio doors can add a whole new dimension to your home, providing an openness you may have never thought possible.
Before starting your remodeling project, Andersen would like to get you thinking about how to make the most of the different rooms in your house. The following helpful tips for remodeling the rooms you want to work on are a great start to recreating the home you’ve always dreamed of. Let’s start with your kitchen.
KITCHEN
Today’s kitchen serves as the epicenter of the modern home, so it isn’t enough for the room to be functional; it has to be comfortable as well. More than just a place to fry eggs and bake bread, the kitchen is where we start our day, either alone or with family. It’s the first stop when the kids come home from school, and it’s the room where guests gather before they’re seated for dinner. It’s where families share a meal together and talk about the day’s events and, once everyone is full and satisfied, it’s where you wash the dishes.
So while you’re at it, why not make it beautiful, too? Windows bring natural light to a kitchen where people are drawn to come together—naturally.
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Ask anyone who’s washed dishes: it helps to have a beautiful view. If you’re installing windows over a sink, countertop or an appliance, however, keep in mind that you don’t want to lean forward and lift. Casement windows crank open, so they are easier to use in these locations than double-hung windows.
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Use windows to convert a dark corner into a comfortable built-in nook for casual dining and a well-lit workspace.
BATHROOM
Much like the kitchen, the bathroom is one of the hardest-working rooms in the house. If it’s not functional, everyone pays the price. Yet even though it’s one of the most frequently remodeled rooms in a home, the design of the bathroom itself often gets overlooked. Instead, we tend to think of tubs, toilets and faucets. So considering that over the course of our lives most of us spend thousands of hours in the bathroom, it’s worth paying as much attention to the actual space, just as you would the plumbing.
Whether it serves as a workstation for preparing for the day ahead or a refuge for resting and recovering from a hectic one, keeping all of a bathroom’s functions in mind is important. Perhaps you’d like a glass-enclosed shower, storage for linens, or windows at eye level. When choosing the sink, tub, shower, toilet—and windows and doors—consider what other functions you can incorporate into the bathroom with some clever and creative planning.
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If your design includes windows over a tub or countertop, keep in mind that in these locations, casement windows will be easier to open and close than double-hung windows.
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Decorative windows such as arches, circles and triangles placed near the ceiling can let in a good deal of light while still preserving your privacy.
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If space is a limitation, a bow or bay window can make a smaller room feel more open and comfortable.
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With art glass, you can enhance a transparent look, express your individuality or add a touch of elegance.
LIVING ROOM
Maybe it’s size, or maybe it’s just tradition, but the living room has always held a special status—a place for formal entertaining, intimate conversations, holiday get-togethers and family functions. Living rooms are where you entertain guests and spend quality time with family, which makes lighting key for setting the proper mood.
Remember to keep in mind the natural elements—sunrise, sunset, warm or cool breezes—for choosing the right windows for your living room, as well as how you want those windows to function or operate. And once you’ve chosen the perfect windows for your remodeled home, then it’s time to start imagining or choosing your window treatments.
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Folding patio doors help blur the line between indoors and out. When closed, they are a stately wall of light. When open, they fold virtually out of sight.
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Floor-to-ceiling windows can change the appearance of your home, both inside and out. They bring the outside indoors by making the most of a beautiful view and allow light to flow deep into the room.
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Turn your window into a statement by including Andersen art glass. Use it in place of window treatments to create a privacy screen that allows light and fresh air in. Andersen offers eleven original art glass designs, including four in the Frank Lloyd Wright® series.
BEDROOM
Your bedroom is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. So although you likely spend most of your time in the bedroom asleep, it’s still important to pay attention to windows.
Maximize the view of the sunrise or sunset with windows and doors in your bedroom, imagining the flow of warm summer or cool autumnal breezes. Your bedroom is where you dream, so dreaming about the right windows and doors in your remodeled home should come naturally. How will you best capture the sun’s welcoming rays or the moon’s dancing shadows in your bedroom?
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Adding a patio door that opens to a deck or balcony can give your bedroom the feeling of a master suite, as well as exceptional light.
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One large window or group of windows provides better light distribution than several smaller windows placed apart from each other.
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Placing windows high in your wall allows for greater light penetration, giving your bedroom a lighter, brighter feeling.
ATTIC
If you’re feeling a need for more space in your home but lack the room or the resources to build an addition, don’t worry. Things are looking up. Your attic can become a study, a studio, an office, an exercise room—or virtually any room you want it to be.
Chances are, it already has the angled walls, exposed beams and vaulted ceilings—the raw potential for something exceptional. Add the right windows, and this forgotten space can become the busiest and sunniest room in the house.
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Attics are the perfect rooms with a view. They generally have outside walls facing every direction and their additional height gives you the best line of vision your home can provide.
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Accentuate a gable with an arch top window, which takes advantage of the full height of the roof and allows light to penetrate deep into the room.