Design

Frame Your Windows With a Shot of Unexpected Color! They’ll Thank You For It!

September 17, 2018

(Andersen Windows) Have you noticed anything interesting about window frames lately? Chances are, you’re seeing a lot more than the usual white, cream and brown. Colorful frames can offer a pleasing contrast to our walls, creating a refreshing statement both inside and out. Pat Verlodt, a color designer and longtime consultant for Andersen Windows and Doors, spins the color wheel to inspire and inform your next window update.

Bold Black

As classic as black is, it’s a relatively new exterior color, Verlodt says. Seen here on interior frames, it’s also a trending choice. “Black is very sophisticated and looks great with industrial and modern looks,” she says. That sophistication is evident in this sleek design scheme, where the barrier between indoors and out blurs with the help of several casement and awning windows. Without grilles, the frames add clean, geometric interest and the ultimate color contrast — black and white. On the exterior, black iron railings, doors or pergolas can help create a striking complement to black window frames.

Clean Green

In general, green works well with farmhouse and coastal-style homes as well as traditional or historical houses, which don’t typically call for contemporary colors. On this Craftsman home, custom green aluminum-clad windows pop against smoky blue siding and white casings and trim. The hue is fresh and bright, Verlodt says.

Be sure to consider your house’s other hues when selecting exterior window frames, she adds. Think about your roof color, the permanency of brick or stone and whether you’re committed to your siding. While all exterior windows should be a consistent color, you can mix it up inside. Coordinate your frames with cabinets, baseboards or other trim to create visual harmony. The interior sashes of the cased bay window seen here, for instance, are white.

Easygoing Gray

Count on gray to make a calming, subtle impact. “You can’t go wrong with gray,” Verlodt says. “It’s probably the most versatile color, other than white or cream.” As a neutral mainstay, it’s also an ideal choice if you’re still designing your interiors or plan to change them. The hue works well with a variety of materials, such as the brick and beams seen in this open-concept space. Arch work, light gray trim and dark gray sashes combine to give the Colonial windows added dimension.

Bright Blue

There’s a reason why blue is such a popular color. “My theory is that nobody doesn’t like a blue sky,” Verlodt says of the peaceful hue. It’s a big color story for 2018, especially in brighter shades, she says. In this airy bathroom, wraparound windows framed in cornflower blue define a relaxing alcove and match the cabinetry and baseboards.

Light walls, green tile and chrome faucets and fixtures balance the striking color. You can also balance it with brown; as part of the orange family, brown is blue’s complementary color and vice versa. “Blue makes brown look browner and brown makes blue look bluer,” Verlodt says. It’s an excellent accent color when working with wood, stone or brick.

Window frames provide another, unexpected way to express your style, draw out a room’s atmosphere or highlight the character of your exterior. And when it comes to color, homeowners are embracing what’s new. “People are moving more, taking their tastes with them and building homes in a style that they like, not necessarily a style that’s most common in an area,” Verlodt says. “It’s very eclectic now.” How refreshing that it’s also very colorful.

This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.