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When asked to name window styles, most people mention double-hung, casement, and perhaps picture windows. Bow windows do not come up as often, and that’s unfortunate. These gorgeous, floor-to-ceiling window arrangements can easily become the focal point of your home, transforming its appearance and adding luxury to your curb appeal. If you’re considering adding a bow window to your Indianapolis home, take a look at these bow window styles.
1. Bow Windows Are Similar to Bay Windows
Bow windows and bay windows are often confused. In a bay window, several window panes are placed next to one another at 30 or 45-degree angles. In a bow window, the side-by-side windows are arranged at much more shallow angles, which actually makes it look like the windows form a soft arc. Whereas bay windows may take of half the wall’s height, bow windows almost always reach from floor to ceiling. There may be four, five, or even six windows in the arrangement, and it takes up all or most of the wall.
2. Bow Windows Lend a Traditional or Victorian Look
The soft roundness of a bow window, along with the abundance of glass, makes these windows a classic choice for Victorian homes. However, bow windows also look lovely on other more traditionally styled homes. Imagine a bow window wrapping around the front of your farmhouse or serving as a focal point on your otherwise simple country home. If you’re looking for a more modern window arrangement, consider a bay window instead.
3. Bow Windows Let in Plenty of Sunshine
There are so many benefits associated with allowing more sunshine into your Indianapolis home. Sunshine can lift your mood and help easy symptoms of seasonal depression. It can make your space feel more open and inviting, too. Bow windows let plenty of sunshine into your home throughout the entire day. Windows to the west of the arc capture the sun in the afternoon and evening, as it is moving towards the horizon. Windows to the east of the arc capture sunshine in the morning, after the sunrise.
4. Bow Windows Add Floor Space to Your Interior
If you add a bow window to your home, you will need to have contractors remodel and extend the floor. The floor, like the windows, will project outward past the previous exterior of your home. As such, a bow window adds some floor space to your home — and its sunshine-bathed, gorgeous floor space where you can sit and read a book, bask in the sunlight, or do your morning yoga practice.
5. Bow Windows Must Be Carefully Designed and Installed for Efficiency
As you can imagine, a bow window is complex to install, and if not installed correctly, it can become leaky and inefficient. For this reason, it’s so important that you only hire a qualified, experienced window contractor to install your bow window. Choose high-quality window materials, too. With such a large window, choosing a more insulating window material, like Fibrex®, will go a long way towards reducing your energy bills.Bow windows are a gorgeous addition to any traditional Indianapolis home. To learn more about this classy window style, its advantages, and whether it will work for you, contact Renewal by Andersen. We offer high-quality replacement windows, free, in-home consultations, and expert installation.