What Window Color to Choose?
What window color to choose? You many not realize it, but it is such an important decision to make for your home! In today’s post I’m sharing how we chose our window color and the thought process that I went thru to help us come to our final decision.
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Windows are the eyes of the home!
So let’s talk windows! I think this blurb from Andy’s Glass says it best… “They say that windows are the eyes to the soul. You can tell a lot about a person simply by looking into their eyes. In that way, windows are the eyes of the house. Not only do you use them to see outside of your home, but you can tell a lot about your home just by looking at them”
No pressure, right?! I mean they’re only a super expensive decision that sit afront your home for all the world to see… and certainly not one that you can say, “ya know what, I don’t really like these… let’s send them back and choose the other color!” So with this in mind, let’s dive into my mind a little (scary, I know!) and I’ll walk you thru how we came to our decision of WHITE windows.
Early Americana Farmhouse Style
Our home is a 60’s Era, Cape Cod style farmhouse in Golden, Colorado. I’m not exactly positive it’s complete history, but I do know that we want to keep the integrity of the homes style, and simply expand upon it. There aren’t many homes in Colorado that share this Cape Code farmhouse style and that is one of the things that I love most about it! Not so much that there aren’t more homes like this, but because I was able to find a home like this!
I grew up in a beautiful Kansas neighborhood where the homes are full of charm and character! And not just the kind of “pretty” that you buy from a store, but the kind that comes from craftsmanship and storied character! Because of this, the type of windows we choose for our home remodel/build is super important to me! I’ve always grown up with wood windows and therefore this is something I would like to aesthetically achieve in our current home.
Why we chose Aluminum Clad
Now don’t get me wrong… there is nothing wrong with vinyl windows! I fact, we installed vinyl windows in our last home build, 5 years ago and in an effort to save money, we are installing them in our barn remodel. However, having lived with both, there is just something so wonderful about a tangible window grid that evokes such a feeling of history and timelessness that you simply can’t get with vinyl!
Knowing the look that we wanted, we turned to the Aluminum Clad window. For those that are not familiar with this style of window, Aluminum–clad offers the traditional look of wood with the strength of aluminum. The exterior is made of durable aluminum and the interior is made of wood, making them paintable or stainable to match your desired look. Aluminum Clad window are typically less than a wood window by 10% to 25% per window as well, making them the perfect option for us!
What window color to choose?
Next comes the decision of color. Now we are building out the barn first into a 2-bedroom “barndominium” that we plan on moving into it while we renovate the main house. Therefore, whatever decision we make for the barn windows must carry thru to what we install on the main home. So basically, it is a very big decision that needs to be made very early on!
The Aluminum Clad windows we are purchasing are available in 45 beautiful (yet completely overwhelming) options! The vinyl windows for the barn are offered in 14 various colors. So whatever color we choose must be available in both vinyl and the aluminum clad. Knowing that we wanted to go with a traditional design aesthetic I was able to narrow the colors down to: Black, White or Greige.
What window color to choose? -Black Windows
Black windows are all the rage right now! Many famous designers (Joanna Gaines and Shea McGee to name a couple) use them in many of their gorgeous homes! However, so many farmhouses I see these days with black windows evoke more of a modern day feel. It’s hard for me not to get caught up in their beauty, but if I revisit my vision boards for our home, I am quickly reminded that I would like our home to feel more true to something you’d find in New England… something a bit “Early Americana.” (Visit this post for my farmhouse inspiration)! I do think black windows are beautiful and timeless (even though they are trending right now… they’re almost like the subway tile of windows), but because of the more modern vibe, I decided to eliminate black from our pool of choices.
What window color to choose? -Greige Windows
This leaves us with White or Greige. To be honest, I’ve always envisioned a Greige or Putty colored window for our home… something that offers a bit more contrast than white, but is softer and warmer than black. HOWEVER, as I started to dive a little deeper into the various shades of Greige, I quickly realized that choosing a Greige window would ultimately dictate so many future decisions that I am no where near ready to make… decisions such as the exterior paint color, roof shingles and the stain color for any wood columns or accents on our porch!
Just the thought of this makes my head spin! Do I really want the windows to dictate all exterior design decisions moving forward?! And to that my friends, the answer is NO! Therefore, there is only logical choice left is White!
What window color to choose? -White Windows
Good old boring white! Now is white a safe choice? Yes, absolutely… however, at the same time, white is a timeless choice and one that I will never regret. It is also one in which I am free to make any decision that I want regarding exterior paint color, roof shingles, etc. and never I’ll never have to think to myself… “will this match my windows?” Because guess what folks? With white the answer will always be yes! 🙂
But will it be too boring?
The question one often has with white is: will it be too boring? Especially if we are planning on painting the exterior of our home some beautiful shade of white. Well this is a great question and one that I have lamented over for weeks! However, let’s keep in mind that we plan on installing 3 sets of black, pained French doors (with beautiful brass handle sets) and a wood stained front entry door, all along the front of our home. Additionally, we plan on having wood stained porch columns. All of this, I believe, will offset the dull appearance that could evolve from a white on white window scenario. I truly think that all of these elements together will be enough to add visual interest and warmth to our home… all while keeping it classic, storied and timeless!
So the final answer is…
So in the end, we are choosing WHITE my friends! Yes, plain old boring, safe white… lol! And I couldn’t be more sure about it! So hopefully, if you are struggling with the same great window debate, this has offered up some helpful questions to run thru that help aid in making your decision about what window color to choose.
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