Arched steel doors and windows

In June of 2009, I wrote a post on my love for steel windows and doors.

Many of my pictures came from houses in Atlanta, where steel windows and doors have been a favored architectural and design element for years.  At the time I wrote the post, I was particularly enamored with this picture, taken on a home tour by fellow blogger Architecture Tourist.  I had no idea at the time that the house in this picture is owned by Jill Sharp Brinson, creative director of Ballard Designs.

Jill’s beautiful house was featured in House Beautiful in January 2010, and I immediately made the connection between the kitchen quickly photographed on the house tour, and the magazine feature – mainly because of the dramatic arched steel window.  In this picture, via House Beautiful, the window can be seen in all its glory. In Jill’s words – “the showstopper in my kitchen is the 14-foot-high arched steel window and door. The drama is big in here."

Jill has a lovely arched steel window in her bedroom too. Note that there is no window treatment – the greenery in the yard provides privacy.  Jill must like to be woken by the morning light!  Image source.

A few months later, this house in Houston was the cover story of Veranda. With architecture by Murphy Mears,  and interior design by Eleanor Cummings, this has got to be one of my all time favorite Veranda covers. There are so many things about the space that have great appeal to me – the largely neutral décor accented with dark woods and bursts of color in the pillows, throw, and flowers. But most of all, I love the arched steel windows whose darkness contrast so beautifully with the lightness of the décor, and whose style works so beautifully with the architecture and design.  I am a fan of steel windows in general, but arched steel windows have particular appeal.

Another picture of this room, from a different angle, shows the windows even more clearly. This image is from the Segreto blog – they created many of the specialty wall finishes in the house. It’s interesting how neutral the room appears in this photo, and what an impact the pillows, throw, and flowers had on the styling. Either way, it’s a beautiful space. Image source. 

The exterior view of the window featured in the room above. I wonder if the owners ever close the shutters?

When looking through Leslie Sinclair’s beautiful book Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors, this room in particular, with interiors by John Kidd, had great appeal – in no small part because of the three arched steel windows.  I love how the kitchen and family room in this house have a wonderful connection, and yet are distinct rooms. 

As a side note, Leslie Sinclair (the owner of Segreto Finishes) has written a book, Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors, and it is truly a gorgeous book.   It is filled with page after page of European style projects that the team at Segreto have worked on, all beautifully photographed, and most never before published.  Segreto specialize in exquisite paint and plaster finishes, and the caliber of their work and the work of the designers, architects, and builders can be seen in page after page of  houses and rooms that are featured in the book (the book is huge - there are literally 300 hundred of pages of inspiration).   I found the finishes and décor of the spaces to be inspiring, and I also studied every architectural detail of the houses and rooms in the book – many of the houses are new or recently remodeled, and the floor plans and architectural details are fascinating to me. The book can be found on Amazon here.

Over on Brooke Giannetti’s blog Velvet & Linen, I immediately noticed the arched steel window/doors that she and her husband Steve installed in their new house, Patina Farm. Via Velvet & Linen.

And another one in the bedroom while it was under construction – the airiness of the steel doors create an incredible indoor/outdoor feel, and enhance and frame the incredible view. Via Velvet & Linen.

This beautiful bathroom from a Summerour designed house in Atlanta was featured on This Photographer’s Life, and she proclaimed it to be the prettiest bathroom she had ever seen. I wholeheartedly agree – it’s a stunning space, and I think the arched steel windows are what make the room. It creates a perfect indoor-outdoor connection. Notice how some of the panes on the windows facing the pool open, as these are windows and not doors.  Also note the sphere in the corner – wish I had remembered this picture when I wrote my last post!

Another home in Atlanta features steel windows, this one designed by architect Bill Litchfield. Arched steel windows define many of the spaces in this house. Interiors by Jackye Lanham, from her website.

Another arched steel window from the same house.

One of my favorite houses designed by McAlpine Tankersley (featured in Veranda several years ago), and one of my favorite pictures from the article.  The guest room (perhaps it is a guest house?) features a large arched steel window, as well as a steel window featuring a quatrefoil shape.

Another McAlpine Tankersley project with a steel door in the entry. I like how the door is oriented on the side instead of the middle.

A favorite house I featured in my awning/overhang post has three arched steel doors.

This arched steel door/window is from John Saladino’s house in Montecito, featured in his beautiful book Villa (the book is about the design and renovation of this beautiful Montecito estate). The house has since been sold to Ellen DeGeneres.

Another incredible arched steel window from Saladino’s house.

An image found on Pinterest – the arched steel door/window brings in incredible light in this space. I noticed that I have been writing ‘door/window’ quite a bit in this post, and this is one of the great features of steel – it creates an architectural feature that is both window, letting in light and views of the outdoors, as well as door, opening the house to the outside.

These steel doors are so minimalistic, it is almost as if there is no door there at all! It’s incredibly beautiful.  I wonder how many birds have flown into this door?  Via Belgian Pearls.

Finally, an interesting design found on Pinterest. The door/window pivots to open. I wonder how this design holds up to the elements, especially when it rains?  It is certainly architecturally interesting.

I hope you enjoyed this post on arched steel doors and windows, an architectural and design element that has become one of my favorites.  I love how they combine an elegant shape, a thin profile, and a way to bring abundant light into any space where they are incorporated.

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Steel Windows and Doors

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I have recently begun to notice more and more homes that are using steel windows and doors. I am a big admirer of the style and the effect of steel windows and doors: any room that uses them seems to automatically achieve a high level of sophistication and sleekness, and the strength and durability of this style of window and door allows for a maximum amount of light and indoor/outdoor feel to be achieved.

Because steel windows and doors seem to be used most often in places where it is desirable to get a maximum amount of light and an unobstructed view, the ones I have seen most frequently have been in kitchens and family rooms or living rooms. I find this image of steel windows and doors used in a kitchen to be incredibly beautiful; there is a real connection between the indoors, the outdoors, and the decor. Note how the slim black lines of the steel are also seen in the table and the legs of the bench. I would love to see the rest of this kitchen! Image via William Hefner, architect.

The Architecture Tourist snapped this shot of a beautiful kitchen belonging to one of the homes on a recent garden tour. This kitchen strikes me as being very European with its open shelving, total lack of upper cabinets, and steel frame windows and doors.

Steel windows are used across the entire wall of the kitchen in this picture from Southern Accents, March 2009.

A high end spec home in Atlanta uses steel windows extensively throughout the house. The listing can be seen here. I tend to associate the sleek steamlined look of steel windows and doors with a more contemporary style of architecture and decor, but I have recently seen many examples where they are used to great effect in more traditional European architecture and decor.

This picture is in my 'favorites' file - the light just floods into the room, unobstructed by walls or wood window panes.

I saw this kitchen on a recent tour of homes and it literally made me gasp when I walked into the room and saw the wall of windows. Although I am not certain whether these windows are steel (I think they are), the overall effect is the same and it is quite striking.

A bathroom featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, July 2008, has a steel frame door that was designed to feel like a window too.

I was able to see the inside of a charming home recently built in Atlanta (the architect is Stan Dixon), and one of the features that stood out most in my mind were the steel windows and doors. The inside of the home can be faintly seen in the top picture; the front door can be see at the other side of the house. The view is really spectacular when walking through the front door as the eye is drawn to the back, through the virtually unobstructed view that the steel doors and windows allow.

Another Atlanta real estate listing that effectively uses steel frame doors for visual effect and maximum light.

This is from an Atlanta real estate listing from several years ago; I am not certain whether these are steel framed doors or wood doors with the trim painted black. Whichever they are, the effect is the same - clean lined and open. I am coming to the conclusion that my favorite kind of rooms have windows on at least two sides - this home is a French pavilion style with wings coming out of the back, and every room gets a lot of light.

A steel framed window looks great with the art deco style metal railing in this home by architect William Hefner. The stair is tucked to the side of the house, making the space light and airy.

The family room in a the same house by William Hefner - this was one of the first pictures I saw where the steel frame windows and doors really made me start to look for examples of this style in other homes. The steel window frames maximize the daylight and do not obstruct the vbeautiful view of this Los Angeles home.

I was not able to find much information of steel frame windows and doors on the internet, other than the fact that they are quite expensive. However, many architects prefer them above all other type of windows because of their durability, beauty, and clean lines. I certainly appreciate the beauty of these windows, but I tend to prefer to have more of a balance between windows, doors, and walls - despite the fact that I love a home that has a maximum of natural light coming into the home. I could definitely make an exception to this rule in the kitchen - an entire wall of steel windows would be fantastic in a sunny kitchen. I would love to collect more images of this look, so if anyone has a good image of steel frame windows and doors, feel free to email me!

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