Rooms with a View

Humans are the only species that grace their dwellings with windows. After a few millennia of trial and error, we eventually settled on a handful of choices that well serve our desire for view, ventilation, and sunlight. 

Wherever we stick them, there are three basic kinds of windows: fixed, sliding, and swinging. Fixed windows come in many shapes, from Palladian arches to complex trapezoids. Windows that slide vertically are described as double hung, and those that slide horizontally are gliders. Swinging windows that are hinged vertically are casements; those hinged at the top are awnings.

Years ago, cabins came with a grab bag of window styles. Casements and awnings hinged on the inside were common, as were double- and triple-hung windows that dropped down into wall pockets.

Modern swinging windows pivot out into the weather, leaving their screens, on the inside, to keep out the bugs; alas, when the window pivots shut, the pests can get trapped between the glass and the screen. With the screen on the outside, double-hungs and gliders reduce the trapped-bug problem, but that leaves only half the window open for ventilation.

In the cabins I design, I utilize many different windows from a variety of manufacturers, but one of my favorites is the cottage-style double-hung. Unlike the conventional double-hung, whose upper and lower sashes are the same size, the cottage-style upper sash has only two rows of panes to the bottom’s three, and the grid pattern is, accordingly, referred to as a 6 over 9.

It’s designed that way so the check rail, where the sashes overlap, isn’t as likely to interfere with the vista from, say, your cabin’s parlor. After that three-hour drive, you want a clear view of the water.