Flagship guide · 8 min read
The Complete Guide to Indoor–Outdoor Living
Indoor-outdoor living is a genuine design discipline, not just a wide door. Done well, it works through a grey Cumbrian February as well as a warm August evening.
Knowledge Centre
Design Inspiration
Considered glazing ideas for extensions, barn conversions, cottages, period homes and new builds — with the detailing that makes each one work.
Flagship guide · 3 min read
How Do I Choose Windows Without Ruining the Look of My House?
Almost every window that spoils a house fails on proportion or configuration, not on material or colour. Get the divisions of the opening right and most other decisions follow.
Design Inspiration · 4 min read
Glazing Ideas for Modern Kitchen Extensions
A kitchen extension lives or dies on its glazing. These are the proportion, opening and threshold decisions worth getting right before drawings go to planning.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Glazing Ideas for Barn Conversions
Barns were not built to be glazed. Doing it well means working with the existing structure and openings rather than imposing a house plan on top of them.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Window Ideas for Cumbrian Stone Cottages
Stone cottages are unforgiving of the wrong window. A few consistent proportion and detailing rules keep a replacement window looking like it belongs.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Window Ideas for Victorian House Renovations
Victorian houses have a strong, recognisable window language. Renovations succeed when they respect it rather than modernise it away.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Glazing Ideas for Contemporary New Builds
A new build has none of the constraints of a period property. That freedom needs a clear glazing strategy, or the elevation ends up busy rather than bold.
Design Inspiration · 4 min read
Glazing Ideas for Framing Lake District Views
A view is easy to waste with the wrong window. Framing a Lake District outlook well is a design task in its own right, separate from simply choosing a large pane of glass.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Corner Glazing Ideas and Design Considerations
Corner glazing is one of the most striking moves available in contemporary design, and one of the easiest to get wrong without early structural planning.
Design Inspiration · 4 min read
Rooflight Ideas: Positioning, Style and Detailing
A rooflight is a small element with a large effect on a room. Positioning and detailing it well makes the difference between a genuine feature and an afterthought.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Luxury Entrance Door Ideas
The entrance door sets the tone for the whole house before anyone steps inside. A handful of proportion and hardware decisions do most of the work.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Fire Rated Doors for Contemporary Homes
Compliance is not a style. With the rated openings identified early, a fire door can be the least noticeable decision in the whole interior.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
What Are the Best Windows for a Modern Extension?
Fewer, larger openings in one consistent system, with fixed glazing carrying the view and a small number of well-placed openers doing the ventilation.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Can Modern Aluminium Windows Work on a Traditional House?
Yes, when the profile, proportion and colour are chosen for the building. No, when a slim modern casement is dropped into an opening that was designed for something with depth.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Should the Front and Back of My House Use Different Window Styles?
Yes, when there is a clear architectural reason — a traditional frontage and a contemporary garden elevation. No, when it is simply the result of two separate decisions.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Should New Windows Match the Original Ones?
Match the proportions always. Match the details when the building or the planning position requires it. Match a poor previous replacement never.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
Should Extension Windows Match the Existing House?
Match or contrast deliberately; never half-match. The weakest extensions are the ones that nearly match the house and miss.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
How Do I Make Large Glazing Look Architectural Rather Than Like a Conservatory?
The difference is the roof, the rhythm and the ratio of solid to glass. A glazed room with a solid roof, a disciplined frame rhythm and real walls reads as architecture; one glazed on every face does not.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
How Much Glazing Is Too Much?
There is too much glazing when the room needs blinds to be usable, when there is nowhere to put furniture, or when comfort depends on constantly running heating or cooling.
Design Inspiration · 3 min read
How Do I Avoid Different Windows Making the House Look Mismatched?
Fix the specification once, in writing, and hold to it. Mismatch is almost always the result of two separate decisions made months apart.
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Other areas of the library
- Buying GuidesEverything a homeowner should know before purchasing.
- Cost & Budget GuidesRealistic investment guidance, written plainly.
- Product ComparisonsTwo good options, side by side.
- Glass AdviceSpecifying the pane, not just the frame.
- Colours & FinishesChoosing a colour you will still like in twenty years.
- Planning & RegulationsPermission, conservation, listed buildings and Building Regulations.
- Technical AdviceThe numbers behind a good window.
- InstallationWhat actually happens, week by week.
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