Traditional Windows and Doors

The vast majority of replacement windows in the UK aim to have a traditional style. Partly because a lot of local councils dislike homes in traditional areas upgrading to a modern look, mostly because a traditionally-styled timber window simply better-suits most UK homes stylistically. We offer both products that are designed to have a classic appearance, and highly customisable products that can be made to look more traditional. For more details on how this can be applied to your own home, please contact us.

Here are some of the options we think you should consider in a traditional British home:

Glazing Bars

Almost regardless of how modern a window looks overall, the inclusion of thin decorative bars can transform the most contemporary of products into a traditional window. Simply a single horizontal bar is often a cost-effective and stylistically-effective way of doing this. And more complex grid patterns (whilst sometimes costly) can enhance further. Glazing bars can look great on many different styles of property, take a look at our galleries to see some examples.

A traditional profiling detail is often available on the interior of the timber glazing bar.

See more in our Glazing Bars gallery

Hinges

Arguably, the best thing about our hinges is that there are a variety of choices. However, in most cases, if you aren’t keen on any of the choices, you don’t have to have visible hinges at all. The traditional side hung hinge comes in a few forms: galvanised steel, stainless steel and powder-coated are all available. When choosing powder-coated, most customers choose to match the colour of the frame, but the option of a contrasting colour is also available.

If you would prefer not to see a hinge at all, then a “guided” hinge is what you need. Topguided and sideguided windows both provide a completely flush casement appearance. Whilst this a more modern solution, the act of removing the hinge doesn’t stand out on a property, unless it was specifically pointed out.

See more in out Side Guided Gallery

See more in out Side Hung Gallery

Colours

Whilst colour is all about preference, we think some work much better than others in a traditional setting. Generally, a very bright white is always associated with PVC windows (which is a product style people normally do not desire to evoke) and Anthracite Grey is rapidly becoming the go-to solution for modern aluminium windows. So, we’re tempted to steer away from these when trying to maintain a traditional appearance.

Softer whites, off-whites and creams spanning into ivory provide a more classical timber appearance. Especially when the colour is applied in low-gloss. These colours can work equally well inside and outside – rather useful! Choosing a dual-colour timber window often results in a surcharge. Pure White, Oyster White, Cream White and Light Ivory (RAL9010, RAL1013, RAL9001 and RAL1015) are all popular options.

Moving slightly further down the scale towards Cotswold greens and subtle greys brings us to the next tier. These options can create different, but still understated windows and doors. Light Grey, Pebble Grey, Cement Grey, Traffic Grey (RAL7035, RAL7032, RAL7033 and RAL7042) and the surrounding colours can blend beautifully into a country home and its surroundings.

Find out more about colour and timber stain options in our What Colour Should My New Windows Be? blog.

Handles

The style and colour of a handle seems to harshly split opinion with our customers. For example, the three handles below include the standard options from STM and UnikFunkis. When we show these to a customer side-by-side, everyone almost instantly has a favourite.

These are the standard, and naturally the most popular options. But there are other handle colour choices (such as black or white), key-locking and non-locking variants and, with some products, the option of suggesting a completely different style that isn’t part of the factory’s range.

STM Black Handle

Monkey Tail Handle

For a truly traditional look, some of our Danish products are still available to order with a classic Danish casement fastener. Whilst this style was never a common sight in the UK, this system offers a uniquely Danish-rustic solution for sidehung and tophung windows. The window is secured at two points (top and bottom), with a hooking solution to hold the casement open at multiple points.

Vrogum Rosenholm

We couldn’t talk about traditional windows and not talk about Vrogum. Vrogum are a relatively small manufacturer on the west coast of Denmark, focusing purely on their slow-grown Nordic-pine timber windows. Because the window is internally-beaded, they are able to offer a slightly slimmer frame compared to most other Danish timber products. And ordering from Vrogum directly supports their traditional craftsman-built approach to window manufacture.

The interior has a moulded timber design as standard, and the exterior casement is angled towards the glass – in-keeping with a classic British timber window style.

STM Sapino and Tinium

Somewhere in the middle (in terms of factory size) sit STM Windows. Their Sapino product is engineered finger-jointed timber, guaranteed to be knot-free and has a much thicker paint application than the industry standard. The alu-clad timber equivalent – Tinium – also has a low-gloss finish, and is one of the very few composite windows that you are able to directly-seal to on the outside.

They’re also one of the very few factories who guarantee to have knot-free timber. This is surprisingly rare, and a lot of manufacturers believe small knots to be “acceptable”. Since even the smallest of timber knots can bleed, this can be an important consideration.

STM are DVV-certified, meaning they are subject to an independent factory inspection 1-2 times a year. The DVV set of rules is prepared by experts from the Window Industry, the glass industry, the Danish Technological Institute and others.

More from the STM Gallery

Traditional Windows Overall

You can probably see from the areas we’ve outlined above, the term and idea of a “traditional window” is heavily influenced by your experiences and preferences. I once showed a German customer a pair of “modern” and “traditional” windows, and she said that she considered the “modern” version to actually be more traditional based on the windows in her home whilst growing up.

Ultimately, we recommend choosing a product with styling options that you like. And, if you’re unsure if it will suit your home, we have the ability to edit the new designs onto a photo of your house. Our windows’ life expectancy is over 80 years, so we try our very best to make sure the order you place is perfect for you and your home.

More images from this project can be found in our Minimalist Cotswold Cottage Renovation gallery.

Common Questions

What is moulding on a window?

”Moulding”, or “profiling” is where a normally squared edge of the inside of a window frame is given a more traditional look by adding details to the corners.

How can I make my windows look more modern?

Simplify. The best way to make a home seems more modern without becoming an eyesore is to simplify: reduce the number of glazing bars or frame sections. Unnecessary overly-fancy options.

What is the DVV Mark?

The DVV mark is a set of requirements set out by a quality certification program in Denmark which apply to window and door manufacturers. These specify minimum quality, performance, longevity and sustainability requirements.

Is there a UK version of the DVV mark?

No. Building regulations cover some minimum requirements, certainly not to the same standard as the Dansk Vindues Verifikation.

Side Hung or Side Guided Windows

What Colour Should My New Windows Be?

Fire Egress Compliancy for Windows

New Build Windows and Doors