What good is a view if you don’t have a beautiful opening to witness it through? Okay, maybe I’m being a tad provocative here. I’m aware that this is not a popular opinion, and that many people believe the opposite to be true: that a great view is best framed by a large, simple window, with clean lines that impinge minimally on the experience. I understand that perspective entirely.
But open your mind, for a mere moment, to the idea that elaborate window fixtures could make a comeback. Sure, they might seem clunky and even tacky, but that need not be the case. Elaborate, when it comes to windows, could simply mean using interesting materials in innovative shapes, sumptuous use of colour and beautiful, decorative finishes. “Yeah,” I hear you say. “Clunky and tacky.”
Well, that’s your opinion. Keep your basic windows if you must, but don’t come crying to me when you find yourself staring down the barrel of yet another sash window replacement. Near Melbourne, you’ll find a great sash window with ease, and I’ve no doubt you’ll enjoy it for many years to come. You won’t compromise the clean lines of your house, and you won’t run the risk of your neighbours thinking you’ve gone crackers.
But will you be happy? I mean, really happy? Will you be free of secret yearnings for poetic artistic frames, grand stained glass panels or perhaps a velvet-clad, Victorian style bay seat? My guess is that, no, you won’t. Now that I’ve planted the seed in your mind, you’ll be forever unfulfilled until you install the majestic window your heart truly desires.
Here’s another chestnut to ponder: what if, instead of getting a timber front door replacement (next time you should need one), you got a medieval-style drawbridge? Put that in your hat and sit on it. But don’t ponder for too long – you’ll soon be consumed with an unquenchable thirst to realise this whimsical notion, whatever the cost. Mark my words.