As the stormy winter weather keeps all but the hardiest of us indoors, we take a moment to appreciate the windows that allow us to enjoy outdoor views from inside our homes.
Paul
This is a picture of my youngest enjoying the window seat at our Sycamore Hall project on a wet and miserable winter day back in 2016. The clients put it perfectly “Much of the good design is summed up in the living room main window and box seat. It has been transformed into one of the centrepieces of the building, both visually and functionally. Young and old are drawn to it.”
Alan
Alan snapped this photo of Murphy House by Richard Murphy Architects in Edinburgh.
“I love the clever tricks this house plays with glazing and windows. They’re almost all feature windows and Richard Murphy has clearly had fun designing a home for himself. He’s made the most of a fairly tight, urban site by carefully using windows to frame views and drop light into the house without compromising privacy.”
Alasdair
“The building is Het Schip, by Michel de Klerk. It’s a housing complex in Amsterdam, designed in the style of the Amsterdam School. The ornate craftsmanship and intricate detailing (e.g the ’shoulder’ feature windows below the spire) was dedicated to this low-income housing project as the architect and authorities believed that those disadvantaged in the society deserved the best design. “
Sam
Sam sent through two envious window views from his holidays. One in Scotland looking out over Loch Mhòr, and the other taking in views of Amsterdam’s canals from the unique vantage of a houseboat.
Owais
Our resident photographer Owais shared this spellbinding negative of a window in a slate quarry workers house at Dinorwic quarry in Snowdonia. ‘It’s maybe a bit abstract in terms of the theme? But nevertheless, I think the photo reinforces the idea of what a window is; a connection between a building and its surroundings.’
Liam
“There’s a project called the Anti-Villa by a practice called Brandlhuber + that has my favourite use of windows ever. Essentially, they jackhammered holes in the solid walls and then placed windows on the inside of the new openings, leaving the rough edges all exposed. Imagine being able to bust a hole into the side of your building to frame a view. It’s so unpretentious and yet properly pretentious, I love it.”
Anna
“The first one that comes to mind is Orchard House by Beasley Dickson Architects. I love the corner window above the kitchen, how it’s at counter height, making a really deep window cill/counter to display objects and make the most of the views when cooking.”