Popular windows for popular homes — what suits your style?

Popular windows for popular homes — what suits your style?

Fact sheet

“What’s the most popular style of window?” That’s a tough question to answer because one style does not necessarily fit all. 

A window’s popularity often hinges on the look of the home being built or remodeled, with a myriad of style, design and color 

options now available. Here’s an overview of window choices to accent today’s prominent home styles from the experts at Pella. 

Colonial

The Colonial home features a simple, straightforward facade, often two stories, in brick, clapboard or shingle. Colonial house plans usually feature one gabled roof or a hipped roof. Entrances are sometimes accented with columns reaching both stories.

Pella experts say most Colonial homes showcase symmetrically placed

double-hung windows.

Grilles: Traditional, evenly divided grille patterns — small and equally sized

— add character to Colonial designs.

Colors: Color options typically include white, green or blue.

Georgian

Georgian homes are formal, with a sense of grandeur. They feature

prominent chimneys, often at either end of the rectangular form of the

home. There is almost always a center entry hall, with formal rooms on

either side at the front of the home. Today’s Georgian Revival homes often

feature two story entries, with overlooking balconies.

Pella experts see double-hung windows as most popular for the

Georgian-style home. Georgian homes feature five windows on the

second story and four below, plus the entry. They will often have a

Palladian window featuring a curved-top arrangement on the second floor,

centered above the entry, with two narrow windows flanking a

central window and an arched transom for added drama.

Grilles: The use of traditional, evenly divided grille patterns often mark Georgian-home windows. Most likely, the home will feature

six-over-six lights or eight-over-eight lights in terms of grille patterns.

Colors: Exterior color options typically include white, green or cream palette.
Southern

Southern-style homes offer a warm, historical connection. Exterior

design elements may include inviting stacked porches, verandas,

shuttered windows, arched transom windows and dormers, which lend

themselves to nostalgia and lasting appeal. The Louisiana Creole and low

country (South Carolina and vicinity) styles are often topped by a metal

roof, adding a distinctive appearance.

Pella experts report that double-hung and sometimes casement windows

are most popular for the Southern home. Windows will sometimes be more

elongated, with lower sill and higher head, which reflects the proportional

aesthetic appearance of its original mid-19th century Greek Revival design.

Grilles: Traditional, evenly divided, grilles accent windows of most

Southern homes.

Colors: A common, conventional color like white leads the way.

Craftsman

The Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century grew from a

reaction to the over-the-top house design of Victorian homes during

1870 – 1900. Embracing simplicity, handiwork and natural materials, cozy

Craftsman houses, like the bungalow style, feature wood siding, shingles

or brick and almost always sport a front porch. Bungalow homes rise from

one-and-a-half-story plans marked by low-pitched roofs, shallow “shed” or

gable dormers and deep porches. Exposed rafter tails — the ends of roof

rafters that project past the outside wall and support the roof overhang —

are also a Craftsman characteristic. Typically cut in an ornamental fashion

instead of just flush cut, exterior rafter tails may be found on wood, brick or

stucco projects.

According to Pella experts, the most popular window styles for the

Craftsman home are double-hung windows. Awning windows are used

sparingly — flanking the fireplace, for example.

Grilles: Windows often feature grilles in the top sash only. Traditional grilles (evenly divided rectangular patterns) are more accurate

to the original Craftsman home, and Prairie-style grilles are often used today.

Colors: Earth-tone choices (such as bronze, putty, cream, white and green) and transparent-stained doors accent the neo-craftsman

designs used today.
Contemporary

Contemporary home designs gained in popularity in the 1970s and remain

sought-after today. Pure contemporary homes display eye-catching

features like asymmetrical design, unusual angles, flat roofs with varied

or multi-level rooflines, boldly articulated windows, silo-like towers, little

ornamentation, and stucco, wood or metal siding. Metal siding panels have

become enormously popular in upscale contemporary homes, borrowing

a material used more often in commercial architecture. And, of course,

large walls of glass. Contemporary is a post-modern interpretation of the

modernist mindset, which pared buildings down to stark edifices with

little warmth. Today’s contemporary home designs include references to

traditional architecture redefined and reinterpreted.

Pella experts note that most popular window styles for the contemporary

home feature simplistic, clean lines, like casement, awning and fixed windows. Pella®

 ProLine®

 windows enhance contemporary

designs, as do those in the Pella Impervia®

 and Pella vinyl collections: ThermaStar by Pella®

, Centura by Pella™

 and Encompass by

Pella™

. The home may also feature skylights for balanced interior daylight that resonates deep into the floor plan.

Grilles: Windows of many contemporary homes include large areas of unobstructed glass. If grilles are used, they are often designed

to enhance a home’s horizontal line, or are aligned to aid the eye in transitioning from one building material to another.

Colors: Contemporary homes may use exterior colors like black to help “hide” the window frame in shadow, or will take an opposite

approach, sporting a bright color to “pop” windows in exterior contrast.

Green

Today’s trends find many homeowners building an energy-efficient “green”

home. As energy costs rise, interest in green building is growing. Attributes

of a green home may include extra insulation; geo-thermal heating;

ENERGY STAR®

-qualified windows, doors and appliances; and other

energy-saving applications.

According to Pella experts, the most popular window styles for the energyefficient home are triple-pane wood windows featuring blinds or shades

between glass, like Pella’s Designer Series®

 line. The homeowner may

want to choose different types of glazing for the north face of the house

versus the south. For instance, a home in a climate with cold winters can

be oriented east-west so that the northern exposure can let in natural light,

while the Southern exposure can gain heat from the sun during the winter

months. Differing goals may require different types of glazing.

Grilles: Designer Series window and door styles can change as you do. Homeowners may easily add or remove grilles, blinds,

shades or decorative panels, with no special tools, for a new look any time.

Colors: Energy-efficient homes often feature natural exterior cladding colors to blend with the home’s exterior color.

Features: Pella’s choice for a green home is the triple-paned Designer Series®

 window and door collection — the most energyefficient wood windows among leading national brands, including blinds or shades neatly protected between glass for optimal

coverage and energy efficiency.
The Not So Big House

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People are naturally drawn to intimate spaces. In her book, The Not

So Big House, noted architect and author Sarah Susanka offers clear

guidelines that include designing for specific lifestyles, budgeting, building

a home from scratch and using energy-efficient construction. Basic design

principles for a Not So Big House include extensive use of natural light, an

emphasis on comfort, varying ceiling heights, contrasting colors and spacemaximizing details.

Pella experts report that popular window styles for the Not So Big House

are wide open; virtually any window style can be used. For example, a bay

window with traditional grilles may be a smart choice for a small reading

nook, providing an “away” place and adding visual interest to the home.

Grilles: Grille choices are also limitless for the Not So Big House. Leading choices range from Prairie-style grilles to top-row-only

options to custom one-of-a-kind patterns, providing a focal point both inside and outside the home.

Colors: Contrasting window colors or accent trim can add exterior interest. Alternately, matching window colors to the home’s

exterior tone or using subdued colors can enhance the play of light and shadow across the facade.

Features: For the “Not So Big House” look, Pella’s pick is the new Architect Series®

 collection of woods to complement or contrast

with other woods in the home. With natural insulating qualities, Pine, Douglas Fir, Mahogany or Alder woods add a rich, warm look

to a room.

For more information on how to choose the best window for your home to meet your design and energy efficiency preference, contact your local Pella Window and Door

Showroom for details.

Visit www.pella.com or call 888-84-PELLA.

Sources: Doug Walter, AIA, Doug Walter Architects, Denver, Colo.

houseplans.com and homeplans.com

Pella Architectural Services team

Editor’s note: For more information on windows or grilles, visit the Pella Pressroom to find our grille fact sheet:

http://pressroom.pella.com/fast_facts/display.htm?section=15&release=103

or our window fact sheet: http://pressroom.pella.com/timely_tips/display.htm?section=16&release=83. For house style exterior images, visit:

http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/.

call us at 630.969.9595 

or email frank@bradfordandkent.com for a quote on Pella windows and Doors or more info.