Picture Perfect: The Best Rooms to Install Picture Windows

Picture Perfect: The Best Rooms to Install Picture Windows

May 16, 2022
By:
Martin Whitmore, President of US Window & Door
picture windows in living room

If you're considering remodeling your home or replacing your windows, you should think about adding a picture window to your living room, family room, or dining room. Showcase the view and let mother nature take center stage with a picture window. 

Picture windows are extremely efficient, fixed-frame units that, on their own, are not operable but pair beautifully with other operable windows (and can stand alone, as well). Their stationery design allows for much larger sizes than a venting window. 

They are an excellent choice for hard-to-reach spaces, like high walls in a vaulted room. Picture windows can change the look of any room and make your home feel new again. Adding picture windows San Diego also provides additional natural light that eliminates the need for lamps during the daytime and saves you cost on electricity.

Benefits of Picture Windows 

In terms of functionality and design, nothing could be simpler than the picture window. Nevertheless, this type of window offers a range of benefits. 

Picture Rooms Makes Your Room Look Bigger 

Whether they are in your kitchen or living room, large windows can give the impression that your room is larger than it really is. To fully take advantage of this benefit, it is important to decorate and utilize your space accordingly. 

Increased Natural Light

Huge windows allow you to take in a great deal of gorgeous natural light from the outdoors. Depending on where your home is located, you'll need to consider different types of glass options to get the best option for the needs of your home. Choosing the right type of glass will help you to get all the benefits of increased natural light while improving energy efficiency and sun protection throughout your home.

Flexible & Functional Design

There are a number of ways to functionally use your huge window while also doing it in style. Large windows can help paint a beautiful, natural picture. Without walls blocking off your view, huge windows allow you to see the beauty of whatever is outside your home. There are lots of upgrades available to add to your large picture window.

picture windows in bedrooom

Grilles make a great option to add architectural interest. If you're looking for increased air ventilation, adding casement or awning windows around your picture window adds to the overall beauty, and you have the option of fresh air when you want it.

Better Sight Lines

If you have small children or pets that go outside, a picture window is a perfect way to get better sightlines into the back and side yards.

A wide picture window combined creates an easy view of your kids or pets while they are in the yard. Altogether, it's easier to notice your kids out of a picture window instead of walking out a door to check on them.

Installing picture windows in the rooms of your home that face the back will give you more peace of mind when your kids or pets are playing outside.

Creating A Unique Picture Window

When it comes to designing a custom picture window, you can combine other types of windows to create a unique design that will complement the style of your home.

If you are not sure what style of picture window would look best in your home, a window professional from US Window & Door can help you by suggesting styles and different types of window designs that look great together. Window installation and design professionals can help you choose exactly the right styles and colors to make the picture windows you want in your home a reality.

Best Rooms to Install Picture Windows

Now that you know what picture windows are and their benefits, we'll tell you the best places to install them in your home. 

Living Room or Sitting Room

Picture windows are perfect for open space sitting and living rooms. It does not matter if your home is comparably small, enormous, or somewhere in the middle; having a picture window installed in your living room is an incredible way to inject some light and life into the space while simultaneously making it appear larger. Plus, if you have tall ceilings in your home, picture windows are a great way to minimize the amount of wasted, empty wall space.

benefits of picture windows

Depending on where this room is situated, a picture window can capture magnificent views bringing in a ton of light. If you use this room regularly for guests, it can add a sense of class with a wide-open vista, or if using it for a personal library or reading area, the extra light will be helpful.

Living rooms tend to have a taller ceiling, making them the perfect option for picture windows. They are often installed in homes that have high ceilings. A picture window that is installed on a tall wall can provide a perfect view of the sky and sun during the day. It can also provide a magnificent view of the moon and stars at night since they add beauty to the walls with high-up spaces. Normally, these walls would be no more than just empty spaces.

Over the Kitchen Sink

If you're regularly cooking or standing near the sink to do dishes, this may give that area new life by opening more of your view and bringing in additional light with fewer overall frames or grids blocking the view. Large picture windows above the kitchen sink offer unobstructed views and are perfect for those watching young children play or just admiring the outdoors while one cleans the dishes.

Getting light into the kitchen is important, but most wall space is wanted to be taken up by cabinets and countertops. This is why putting a picture window over a sink is a fantastic help for both the light and space challenge, because you shouldn't put cabinetry over the sink anyways. This is due to the splashing and the space needed for faucets and backsplashes.

As for viewing, a picture window over the sink can be super helpful if children are playing outside and the user is washing the dishes or making dinner while still being able to keep an eye on the children.

Having a kitchen sink window can be an open invitation to creativity. This is an opportunity to take a small window and make a large impact. The window needs to be above the sink so that all the plumbing can be properly taken care of, but other than that, there are not too many limits on what you can choose.

We recommend combining other window options for added ventilation. The kitchen can trap a lot of hot air, especially when cooking at high temperatures. Casement windows are attached to the frame with hinged on the side and can be opened with a crank, which gives your kitchen the proper ventilation it needs. They are energy efficient and work well in windows where you can not push the sash directly up to open.

Dining Area

If entertaining is more your pace, having a vast picture window that spans the entirety of your dining area will definitely be something that gets the guest talking. Consider installing large expansive fixed picture windows to help decorate your space and create the beautiful, larger-than-life dining area you're looking for.

There's nothing like enjoying the beautiful views of the outdoors as you enjoy your meals with your loved ones. Picture windows often have a larger surface area than other window styles. And, because they generally don't have muntins, meeting rails, or other decorative elements that could get in the way, picture windows offer unobstructed views that allow you to make the most of your home's surroundings. 

picture windows in dining room

Also, nobody likes to eat in the dark. While lamps and light fixtures can easily solve that issue, there's something about natural lighting that beautifies a home. Use picture windows to make your dining room look bigger and give it the natural lighting that illuminates the entire space. 

Office Area or Study Room

If you have a great view, why not make your zoom buddies jealous with a picture background from an expansive picture window (no teams filters needed). 

Your office, study room, or reading room is a place to relax, be at peace and focus on what you need to get done. Adding light can help you feel happier and enjoy the outdoors without having to sit in the blistering hot San Diego sun. Whether you have an oceanfront property or something in a rural neighborhood, having an outdoor can provide inspiration to help foster productivity. 

Not to mention, you won't have to worry about cranking up your A/C unit because picture windows are highly energy-efficient and don't have any seams through which air can penetrate. 

Over the Bathroom Tub

When it comes to your bathroom, things like lighting and privacy are big issues, especially when it comes to installing a picture window. In any small space, natural light is very important. Windows must be covered up, especially in a bathroom. That's where picture windows come in. 

A picture window in your bathroom will create a focal point in the entire room. Sheer curtains can help diffuse the light and offer some cover of privacy when they are closed. Using frosted panes is another way to maintain privacy while still letting the sunlight shine through. The window film is resistant to moisture, and it is ideal for a bathroom. The window will also open up the space and make it seem larger in appearance.

The bathroom is one of the most high-traffic areas in your home. It is important to create a setting in your design that is relaxing and inviting. Having a picture window in your bathroom gives you the opportunity to open the room up to air and light. The picture window will invite sunlight into your bathroom, and with the window open fresh air will fill the room. The fresh air will help to keep the bathroom from becoming damp and musty. The addition of natural light provides a boost to healthy energy. With the right design, you will have no trouble having your new picture window installed and creating the overall look you are going for in your home. A picture window will be a perfect fit for your bathroom.

A picture window can take any design and make it look even better. The room will open up and be more defined by the walls and any tile that is in view. It becomes more than just a bath, shower, and toilet. A picture window really ties the entire design of the room together. Just as it encourages people to gaze outside, it also encourages them to look about the room and to notice even the smallest of things. 

bathroom with large fixed windows

Light fixtures that are installed in a bathroom cause an excess of heat to be spread around the bathroom. If it is a small bathroom, the heat can measure up really fast. No one wants to feel hot and break out into a sweat when they are in the bathroom. The heavier and brighter lighting can remain off, and restroom visitors will feel more inclined to help you save on electricity when they see your window fully installed.

Best Windows for the Natural Light and Views

If you are torn between which part of the house is best for your picture window, opt for the area that gets, or needs, the most daylight. The point of installing a picture window is to bring as much light into the room as possible. Your picture window will also display nature in all of its brilliance as long as you position it in a part of the home with an unimpeded view of your surroundings. Choose your picture window's position wisely, and everyone in the house will absolutely love his or her new view of the outdoor world.

Whether you want a classic or custom look with your new replacement window, our experts are here to assist you in reaching your new investment's maximum potential. For more help on installing these picture windows or where to place them, schedule an in-home consultation with experts from US Window & Door