Types of Windows
Learn the Different Window Names, from Bay to Casement to Oriel
A brief description of several popular window types.
From inside our homes our views on the world come filtered through windows, but what sort of windows are you looking through? Most people know what a bay window is; some can define a double-hung, but very few know what a palladian is. To shed the best light on your picture of the world, learn a little about the frame you’re putting around it.
Awning – An awning window resembles a store or deck awning in that it cranks open from the bottom.
Bay – A bay protrudes out from the wall plane. A compass or radial bay is very similar and sometimes called a bow, and is noted by smoother angles than the bay.
Casement – Another cranking window; this time it comes from a side.
Double-Hung – These windows are basically stacked on top of each other and open by sliding in front of or behind each other. This is a very standard design.
Fixed – These windows are pretty self explanatory; they’re designed to stay in place and never open.
Hoppers – These windows are very similar to awnings, but they swing open from the top.
Jalousie – Jalousie windows are a series of louvers that overlap one another. These windows are very popular in the south as they allow for great ventilation, but not so good in the north because they’re just not airtight enough.
Oriel – Oriel windows are much like bays and bows, but they’re supported by brackets or cantilevers and are usually much smaller. A very small oriel placed higher up is sometimes referred to as a garden window.
Palladian – Palladian windows are several windows hung in a special configuration. Palladians are a pair of double-hung windows on either side of a single double-hung that has a semicircular window above it.
Rotating – Rotating windows have a center pivot and can open from either side or top and bottom. These windows aren’t very popular because they don’t easily allow for screens when in the open position, but they’re very easy to clean and a reflective coating can be applied to manipulate the sun’s heat.
Single-Hung – Much like their brother, the double-hung, these windows open by sliding up and down, but these feature a fixed top half.
Sliding – Sliding windows are another very self explanatory and popular window. They slide from side to side to open.
Windowscapes – Often seen on beach houses, windowscapes are entire walls made of windows.
Once you’ve learned what type of windows you have or which ones you’d like to have, it’s much easier to select the appropriate window treatment for your all-important view on the world around you.
