I hear you on the interior appearance. When we moved into our house, it still had the original wood windows (which were beautiful but painted shut and not energy efficient). We replaced them with new vinyl windows for practicality. While I love that the new ones actually open and don’t draft, I do sometimes miss the look of the old wood trim. The white vinyl can look a bit plain or "plastic-y" up close, especially since our old wood frames had that chunky decorative molding.
What we did as a workaround was add wider casings and a nice window sill inside after the new windows went in. Basically, we trimmed them out with wood moldings to make them look more substantial and period-appropriate for our 1940s home. We painted all that trim white to match the windows, and it actually looks really good now – kind of the best of both worlds: modern efficient windows, but dressed up with a traditional wood trim detail inside.
If interior aesthetics are a big concern, another route (which we considered) is wood-clad windows – those have real wood inside that you can stain or paint, and a durable exterior (aluminum or fiberglass) to handle the weather. They were pricier, though, so we passed. But I believe some local companies do offer them. It’s something to look into if you really want that authentic wood look indoors without the maintenance on the outside.
We actually went the wood-clad route for our home in Sarasota (close enough to Tampa Bay). I had my heart set on a wood interior because our home’s style has a lot of natural wood accents. We did a lot of research and even spoke to ProTech Windoors about options. They had a line of windows with a pine wood interior and aluminum exterior. Gorgeous products, but as noted, they were significantly more expensive than all-vinyl.
In the end, we compromised: we got vinyl windows but with a faux wood laminate finish on the interior side. Ours have a light oak laminate and surprisingly, it looks pretty convincing and matches our wood floors. From outside, the frames are a bronze color vinyl. So we sort of did a two-tone with a twist (wood-look inside, color outside). It was cheaper than real wood-clad but gave us the vibe we wanted inside.
Installation-wise, it was all handled normally – just the frames had that interior finish. We then added real wood trim around it, stained to the same oak color, and it all ties together. So that’s another idea: if you can’t afford full wood windows, see if your window supplier has interior finish options. And as always, get a good installer who pays attention to those details so it comes out looking seamless.
On a more whimsical note, I want to mention the little round window we added in our attic bonus room 😃. The room was a dark storage space, and we turned it into a small home office. To give it some character, we put in a circular window (about 2 feet in diameter) on the gable end. From the outside, it’s a cute design accent – our neighbors actually call it the "porthole". It suits the coastal vibe here and was a fun way to break up the otherwise plain exterior wall.
Inside, that round window became a focal point of the room. It doesn’t open (fixed glass), but it brings in a lot of light in the late afternoon. Sometimes around 5 PM the sun hits it just right and casts a circle of light onto the opposite wall – it’s really pretty and makes the space feel special.
I think little custom touches like that can really personalize your home. Obviously you wouldn’t put a round window in every room, but in the right spot it can be an artful detail. If you ever have to replace a small window anyway, it might be worth considering a unique shape for that opening rather than a standard rectangle, just to add character.
All these ideas about bigger windows and more light are awesome – I love a bright house – but I do have a practical concern: the heat. Our living room has a large west-facing window that gets brutal afternoon sun. The light is beautiful, but the heat is not. We end up closing the blinds for a few hours every afternoon which kinda defeats the purpose of a big window.
For those of you who expanded windows or have huge panes, how do you handle the extra heat? Is it mostly about the glass (like getting the best Low-E or a tint as discussed)? Or have any of you incorporated design elements to mitigate it, like an overhang, awning, or landscaping for shade?
We’re considering adding an awning over that window or maybe some solar film. I want to enjoy the light and view without turning the living room into a sauna. So any tips on balancing the desire for light with Tampa’s intense sun and heat would be appreciated!
@dennis_rogue – That’s a great question and something we dealt with too. For our big west-facing windows, the number one help was indeed the glass itself. We made sure to get windows with a high-quality Low-E coating and double-pane insulated glass. Since upgrading, the living room is noticeably cooler in the afternoons compared to when we just had single-pane clear glass. So if you’re replacing the window, definitely invest in the best glass tech you can (most impact windows come with good Low-E as standard now).
Beyond the glass, a few design tweaks can help. On that side of our house, we installed a simple pergola over the patio which casts some shade on the windows when the sun is at its angle. Even some well-placed landscaping (like a small tree or tall shrubs) can cut down on direct sun hitting the glass. You mentioned awnings – that’s a great idea too. Some people here use Bahama-style shutters (hinged at the top, propped open) which act as shade during the day and can be closed for storms; that’s a more permanent architectural look if it fits your style.
Inside, we opted for light-colored window treatments that reflect heat. We have honeycomb cellular shades that we can pull down during the hottest hour; they’re white and translucent, so they still let light glow in, but they block a lot of heat. So you don’t have to fully darken the room. It is a bit of a dance between wanting the view and handling the sun. But with the right glass and some shading strategies, you can have both. Since you’re in Tampa, definitely make the heat reduction a priority in your window choice – your AC bill will thank you.
One trend I’ve noticed in newer homes around Tampa (and maybe this is more a door thing, but it relates to windows) is the use of large sliding glass doors or foldable glass walls that blur the line between indoor and outdoor. We did something like this on our last renovation: replaced a trio of small windows in our family room with a big 12-foot sliding glass door that opens onto the patio. When it’s closed, it’s essentially a giant window that lets in a ton of light. When it’s open, well, it’s the party zone!
For us, the design challenge was making sure the style of that big slider didn’t clash with our windows. We ended up going with a white frame on the slider to match our white window frames. Also, we removed the grids from the nearby windows to keep the look consistent (the slider is just clear glass). Now the back of our house has a more contemporary feel with the expansive glass, whereas the front of our house still has grids on the windows to match the neighborhood style. It’s like two personalities to the house, but it works.
If you have the opportunity to open up a wall with more glass, it’s definitely worth considering. Our living areas feel so connected to the backyard now. Just remember to coordinate the design elements like frame color and any grid patterns with the rest of your windows, so it all feels cohesive.
For those who want a blend of traditional and modern, I’ve seen some creative combinations. A neighbor of mine has a kind of modern farmhouse style – they did something interesting: their windows are white, but they installed thin black muntins (grids) inside the glass. So from afar, the windows have a distinct black grid pattern against white frames. It sounds like it might clash, but it actually looks really good. The house has black accents (like black light fixtures and a dark grey roof), so the black grid ties into that, while the white frames match the white trim.
It’s kind of a twist on the usual black window trend. Instead of full black frames, they just added the black detail inside. I think they achieved this by ordering the grids in a different color than the frame (some manufacturers let you do that). It’s a cool custom touch I hadn’t seen before.
I’m considering it for my place because I like the classic grid look but also the contrast of black. Has anyone here done dual-color like that (one color frame, different color grids)? I’m curious if that’s something you have to special order or if it’s become more common now.
I haven’t done the dual-color grids, but I took a different approach to get a mix of modern and traditional. My home is contemporary, and we didn’t want grids at all. But to avoid the windows looking too plain inside, we actually painted the interior window trim (the casing around the window) a contrasting color. We have white window frames and our walls are a light beige, so we painted the trim a soft olive green in one room and a slate blue in another.
It sounds odd, but the effect is that each window kind of becomes an accent feature without needing grids or dark frames. The colored trim acts like a border that complements our decor. From the outside, you still see white frames so it’s uniform (we kept all exterior white in our case), but inside each room has its own vibe.
This might not be a common thing, but it’s an idea for those who stick with white windows but want a bit of color or personality in the interior. Paint is easier to change than committing to a frame color or grid pattern you might tire of. And if we ever sell, we can just paint the trim back to white if needed. It’s a low-risk way to be creative with window design on the interior side.
Living in Tampa, I also had to think about hurricane protection when considering window design. We really didn’t want to put up external hurricane shutters because, let’s face it, most of them aren’t pretty (those corrugated metal panels or accordion-style shutters can really mess with your home’s look). So we went with impact-rated windows too, like a few others mentioned. The plus side is we get protection without adding anything on the exterior, so our home’s appearance stays clean.
That said, we did consider some of the more decorative hurricane solutions. Have you seen Bahama shutters? They are those louvered shutters that hinge at the top of the window and sort of prop open like an awning. They actually look nice – very tropical and coastal. I’ve seen some Key West style houses around here with bright colored Bahama shutters and it gives a lot of charm. They also provide shade and privacy when propped open. In a storm, you bolt them closed over the window.
We didn’t end up using them, mainly because our house’s style didn’t suit it and we had already invested in impact windows. But I’m curious, has anyone here installed Bahama shutters or other decorative (yet functional) window shutters for hurricane reasons? Do they add to the look of the house? I always worry things like that might block too much light or view on a daily basis.
@zeldabarkley276 – I have Bahama shutters on two windows in my home (one on a bathroom window and one on a bedroom). My house has a bit of that island cottage vibe, so they actually fit the look perfectly. Mine are a nice teal color which contrasts nicely with the white exterior. Design-wise, I love them. They definitely give off that laid-back coastal feel and have even become a defining feature of the house’s facade.
Functionally, they do double duty: they’re rated for hurricanes, and I can latch them down if a storm’s coming. Day to day, I usually keep them propped open at about 30-45 degrees. That angle still lets in a fair amount of light (it’s a diffused, filtered light through the louvers) and from inside you can actually see out decently if you’re close to the window, though the view is somewhat obstructed by the slats. It’s kind of like having permanent wooden blinds on the exterior. For the bathroom, that’s actually a pro (extra privacy and shade). For the bedroom, I’ll admit I sometimes wish I could see straight out, but it hasn’t been a huge issue – I get plenty of sun in there while keeping the glare down.
One thing to consider: if you love looking out a crystal-clear window, Bahama shutters will interfere with that when they’re open. But if you’re okay with a trade-off (beauty and shade for a slightly obscured view), they’re awesome. Also, when closed during a storm or for security, they will darken the room completely like a boarded window, which is to be expected. Overall, I’m happy with them and visitors always compliment the style. It’s definitely a specific look though, so it needs to match the home’s design for it to shine.