Adding interior windows to your property is a great way of not only recreating the space, but also a great practical way of bringing more light into cramped and shady areas. Crittall windows are trending all over the shop, originally appearing in the 1800s and popular during the art deco period, they bring a bit of old fashioned charm whilst at the same time adding a modern and slick feel to a space.
We are looking back on a design for a flat we worked on in and ex post-office building, it had these beautiful original full length crittall windows and a staggering ceiling height of just under 4 meters. We wanted to preserve the historical character of the flat with a simplistic, monochromatic scheme that focuses on the quality and silhouettes of the products and existing features of the property.
The flat has a charming mezzanine level, perfect for those snuggly, movie nights and lazy Sundays, which is currently separated from the rest of the room with a wooden banister. Although this banister does let through light, the mezzanine is still quite dark and doesn’t quite reflect the industrial style that our client desired. By removing the banister and adding crittall style glass panels, we were able to integrate the scheme into the structure of the building. It also means that that area was better sound insulated, which is great for movies and using it as an extra space for guests to stay.
Authentic crittall windows can be rather expensive, around £1,500 per m2, however, there are a few options that have a similar effect and can help keep the costs down.
You could go for glazed panels with dark frames. The larger expanses of glass give a bright modern look and the darker frames add that industrial elegance to the window that crittall windows are so renowned for. This can cost a fraction of the price in the region of £600 – £700 per m2.
If the gridded aspect of the crittall windows is what really catches your eye then you can also have cross glazing bars added. These can be added on either or both sides of the glass to make it look more realistic. As they are non-structural and purely aesthetic, they can be placed anywhere along the glass so you have complete control over what the final window will look like. These are usually a little more expensive at around £800 – £900 per m2.
Dying to see what the finished project looks like? Click here to view how it all turned out in our portfolio!
