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.
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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