A 2016 trend report from Architect Magazine showed how professionals in the window and door industry see improvement in energy efficiency and product design. Here’s what you can expect during spring, summer and beyond!
Inside out, Outside In
The tendency to effortlessly incorporate open interiors with expansive exteriors continues across America. AIA Fellow and residential architect Manny Gonzales of the Los Angeles based KTGY Group stated “Large sliding glass doors are for all objectives and goals, it is a moving transparent wall.” Large casement windows offer homeowners new levels of free outdoor views. Many window assemblies make large “window wall” effects. The interior/exterior direction can embrace traditional or contemporary designs. Stylists and home builders are actively reacting to buyers’ wishes to combine the indoors with the outdoors.
Doors
New home and key renovation projects show another trend: more scenic doors. A new generation of lift-and-slides, multi-slides, and bi-fold scenic doors have changed the mindset on home energy savings. There are more and more homes that have multiple scenic doors. Christine Marvin, director of marketing for Marvin Windows and Doors of Warroad, Minnesota said “Not long ago, you would find one door for every eight or so windows in a home. Today it’s a couple to a few to several times that amount. More doors mean even more relations to nature.”
The Color of Character
Hardware is also going through a color trend cycle. Designers are utilizing gray or “coal” colors for metallic window and door exteriors. “The most favored hardware finishes are the satin nickels and satin chromes for a more contemporary look. Oil-polished bronze remain as the fundamental assortments,” added Marvin.
Universal Design
Artists like Gonzales, and home builders nationwide, are adding multi-generational add-ons into homes, especially windows and doors. “Universal design isn’t just for an aging population. It’s for people in general,” Gonzales said.
The multi-slide scenic door is the latest advancement on the universal design front. A handheld remote or a home computerized system app is all it takes for homeowners to quickly and seamlessly open and close a multi-slide door with a tap of a finger. “Considerate automation is the ultimate in universal design,” Marvin said.
Source: Architect Magazine
