Recently while reading a post about steel windows from one of my favorite blogs,
Things that Inspire, I was reminded of
Hopes Windows. Hopes has been making steel windows since 1912 and is known as the 'go-to' company for metal doors & windows with that slim profile everyone loves.
Michael Graves used them in his own house, a convereted warehouse in NJ, seen above.
One of the local firms here in DC,
McInturff Architects, has used Hopes in a number of projects. This rowhouse above is a nice surprise for traditional DC, modern!
Another house in DC by the same architect had this beautiful black and white scheme, which the windows help along. The steel windows are beautiful, but they make the focus the views; one of the reasons architects love steel windows with slim profiles!
Yet another McInturff project, this one in VA which features Hopes in this round bay - again, all about the view!
The steel is sturdy enough to hold large panes of glass, this apt by
Frederick Phillips and Associates in Tower House gives the room the outdoor /indoor quality that modernists love.
The view from this project in Colorado was incredibly important. Look at that setting!
The house is by
Abramson Teiger Architects; you can see the kitchen above. I think the red frames help warm up the room in the snowy climate.
Not everything has to be modern though, in fact I normally think of a certain type of classical design popular in the early 20th century (well, that and warehouses!). The project above is in CA by Jesse Castaneda, a former employee of Michael Graves.
Even more traditional are these french doors in a project by
Grunsfeld Shafter Architects in Illinois.
Steel windows work especially well with Mediterranean styles, as seen in this 1920s house in Palm Beach renovated by
EBTA architects. I'll have steel windows in my dream house, how about you?
Recently while reading a post about steel windows from one of my favorite blogs, Things that Inspire, I was reminded of Hopes Windows. Hopes has been making steel windows since 1912 and is known as the 'go-to' company for metal doors & windows with that slim profile everyone loves. Michael Graves used them in his own house, a convereted warehouse in NJ, seen above.
One of the local firms here in DC, McInturff Architects, has used Hopes in a number of projects. This rowhouse above is a nice surprise for traditional DC, modern!
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14 comments:
Thanks for letting me know about this! I am going to forward to a friend, who is planning on using steel windows.
I was just walking through a house yesterday with a builder, and he was showing me where they were going to install steel windows. I hope to get pictures of the house when it is almost ready, and post it on the blog.
As for me - I do love the look, but I am not sure I want to deal the variation in temperature in cold weather. The builder said that steel windows are now made with better insulating qualities, but I am sure that will just add cost to an already costly item. Can't beat the look, though!
I've been telling my other half how I'd like to have steel windows in our next place. These photographs should seal that deal.
Big muntins / small panes is the classic look in non-modern homes. The look better indide and out. So the thing that steel does best - support large panes with minimal muntins - seem least needed in ordinary homes.
At the extreme, how awful do picture windows look to us these days.
Great designs happen in every building material.
TTI, I hope to see the pictures -you always have the best house tours!
David, it definitely sealed my deal - these windows are amazing.
I love the steel windows. In fact David may know the "concete villa" built with steel windows in KC. Some called it a bunker, but I thought it was beautiful. Steel windows have a charm and grace of their own and have staying power without rot. Rather an industrial Parisian look, no?
Love Michael Graves. His birdhouse (neoclassical of course) for a charity in New York state brought $15,000. It inspsired me to add an architect designed birdhouse auction event. The highest price we got was $10,000 (almost 20 years ago) for a replica of the then new Camden Yards (designed by HOK of KC). By the way, some architect students at the University of Kansas participated in the "Where Architects Come Home to Roost" event, too. Did that make you smile?
Great post, Stefan! I'm absolutely WILD about steel windows! My favorite photo that you've shared with us is the Grunsfeld Shafter project.... W-O-W!!
Do not publish this. I hope you are ok. Anon was a jerk. You were not. He invaded your home, metaphorically, literally. He is a shit. You are not.
You're right, HBD. I published it because I had no other way to 'talk back' to the cowardly 'anonymous' -but realized it was futile and deleted them both! I try to run a positive blog with happy pretty things -there is enough bigotry and ugliness in the world to go around.
i dream of having tall, multi-light steel windows and french doors one day (like in the 2nd and 3rd to last photos), though i fear that dream would turn into a nightmare once i got the construction estimate! so pretty, and so, so, so 'spensive!
I especially like the red.
I want steel windows in my dream house too!
Steel sash windows have been around for over 150 yrs. and were originally a low budget item used mainly in factories, warehouses and manufacturing plants. They gradually started to be seen in high end residential projects and used by the upper most affluent home builders. The Rockefellers had used steel windows in their private residences.
Most architects know the manufacturer of the windows in the above photos but few know that Crittall was on the scene well before their formation and are currently the worlds oldest and largest steel window fabricator.
They were actually the parteners at one point.
Previously one of the largest concerns has been the energy efficiency of steel stash windows. Now there are Thermally Broken frames available in steel, stainless, Bronze and Corten with profiles as narrow as some of the old steel sash units. With the ever increasing energy code standards this is becoming the best solution for high end projects requiring minimal sightlines, large expanses of glass and thermal efficiency. This is truly a breakthrough in the steel window industry. You can see some of our projects and products at steelwindowsanddoors.com.
When people think of steel windows, the quality most often associated with them is their narrow sightlines. Steel windows offer a long lifecycle in comparison to other types of windows and original steel windows in century old buildings
The first reason to choose steel windows is their narrow sightlines. When people think of steel windows, the quality most often associated with them is their narrow sightlines. As a consequence, over centuries, this attribute has been incorporated into just about every kind of building.
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