25 minute read
STEEL WINDOWS
Steel Windows trend experts. So, if you’re revamping your kitchen, for glamour and elegance, you can’t go wrong with M provide a sense of space and light with clean lines, subtle detailing, excellent technical properties.
‘on-trend’ steel partitioning screens Elegantly slender, the slim steel Add value to your and windows. Rather than putting in a dividing wall, framing, with single or double opening doors, is unobtrusive. The distinguished-looking installation home with bespoke, blocking-out light, a great alternative is installing an interior steel screen, which lets light flood-in. makes a wonderful talking point. Natural illumination inside is maximised, while enhanced acoustic timeless design Complementing flooring and décor, their reflective properties make small areas seem bigger, add warmth and a properties ensure privacy and reduced noise levels, without compromising on security. cosy feel to shady areas. Chilly draughts are prevented, warmth
“The kitchen is the home’s focal point. kept-in for year-round comfort.
So along with choosing the styling of cupboards, storage, worktops InnerVision steel frames can be and appliances, and where you put powder-coated to your choice of the coffee station or breakfast bar, RAL or BS colours. Each screen getting the windows and doors just is bespoke to your application - right is important too,” says says panel shape and size, single or double
Russell Ager, managing director of glazing, decorative or obscure glass.
Crittall Windows, makers of steel Natalie Benes, associate architect at window frames, screens and doors for Stiff+Trevillion comments: almost 170 years. “Crittall windows are a great on-trend
“A kitchen’s design, how it’s lit option if you want a light and airy internally, and openings to natural feel with an industrial aesthetic. Their outside light through windows and slender minimalist frames allow as doors, impact. If you’re knocking much light as possible into a space, down a brick, or plaster-board wall, a working well with contemporary steel frame screen is an ideal addition architecture and in period properties. for maximising daylight in the kitchen “Steel partitions can be used really and adjoining rooms; be it the living successfully as divisions between, Click here room or lobby.” or within rooms, whilst still letting to go back to light and views through into adjoining contents
Steel is three times the strength of spaces. They enable practical physical aluminium and achieves strong, stylish separations without making a space The following section covers... frames combining slim profiles. This feel too small and enclosed.” • Crittall Windows • Steel Window Association • Windows, Doors & Screens allows large expanses of glass, bringing-in essential natural daylight, visually enhancing living Only the original Crittall advises that you don’t spoil the space and functionality. look of a property for the sake of a cheap installation.
Mr Ager continues: “The outside can Autumn 2020 115 be seamlessly, dramatically, fused with Install the screen, window, door brand
THE REAL STEEL It’s almost 200 years ago when Crittall pioneered the original, iconic steel window frames. Modified over the years to meet today’s stringent regulations, hand-crafted DEAL Crittall windows, doors and screens undoubtedly add value to a home with bespoke, timeless, design for every application.
World famous for minimalist, slim profiles and sightlines, the company’s products are equally as popular today with people looking to make a statement about their property through renovation, new or selfbuild projects.
Innovative development using steel has led to creative multiple-use options from room dividers to shower screens adding glamour and elegance. Cleverly dividing space and letting in light, acoustic properties make interior screens particularly suitable for partitioning kitchens, living areas, home offices and more, with glazing options to reduce noise and allow privacy.
The company prides itself on its manufacturing expertise, using handcrafted, centuries-old techniques with skills and craftsmanship that can rarely be matched. Crittall windows, doors and screens are virtually maintenance-free, finished in any colour with galvanised, factory applied powdercoating to last a lifetime. A discreet plaque stamps Crittall authenticity and approval allowing identification of genuine Crittall products.
Install only the original, genuine make
Russell Ager, managing director at Crittall Windows, says: “There is only one genuine Crittall brand of windows and doors, stamped as the authentic product our customers deserve.
“We place considerable emphasis on communicating our key message of Crittall authenticity based on quality, craftsmanship and British heritage. “When a customer buys a window sold by reference to the Crittall name, they need assurance that it’s the genuine item made by Crittall Windows.”
A well-established network of Crittallappointed Specialist Partners, who supply and install its products nationwide, provide a Certificate of Authenticity for every new installation. These approved partners offer a stress-free service from initial enquiry to installation and after-sales, giving free, no obligation, quotes and a warranty covering windows, doors, glass and installation. Also, free guidance is available to customers to obtain Building Control and Planning Regulations. The network ensures Crittall’s rich heritage is maintained, providing and installing high-quality, iconic, unique products directly to customers.
Dramatic
Crittall products are available for interior or exterior applications in any style of building from historic, listed, contemporary or new-build. Each window, door and screen is hand-crafted to fit any shape or size to create the look to suit customer requirements.
Unmatched by other materials, slim profile steel windows and partitions give a retro-look with a contemporary twist; ideal for an extension with a dramatic steel-framed glazed screen forming a light-filled area off the kitchen or lounge to divide your living space or a partition from bathroom to bedroom.
The inherent strength of steel offers endless possibilities for large expanses
Image courtesy of John Knight Glass/David Godfrey Photography
Advanced glazing options allow these bespoke steel framed screens to maximise natural illumination without compromising security. Cosy for comfort in the cooler weather, enhanced acoustic properties keep noise at bay.
Bespoke doors and fixed safety glazing in a choice of colours with hardware options offer complete design flexibility. No other steel window system provides such an extensive range of window profiles and styles.
An effective weather-stripping system with a double-glazing option up to 16.4mm, ensures excellent thermal insulation properties. Ideal for replica refurbishment, the system’s large opening casements and slim frame make them particularly popular with conservationists and planners.
Sense of space
On-trend steel sliding doors and interior screens offer open plan living with a different dimension, so you can partition areas to create contemporary ‘zones’ without impacting on light or space. Crittall’s minimalist style windows and Innervision glazed steel screens with sliding or hinged doors are designed for modern living, providing a sense of space. Their understated beauty with clean lines, subtle detailing and excellent technical properties can transform your property. Combining style with functionality, a distinguishedlooking installation makes a wonderful Merging your indoor and outdoor space can create a light-filled home, enhancing its look and feel as well as benefitting well-being.
An outside area can be dramatically fused with the inside by opening-up living space to create a seamless transition between inside and out. Adding bright, beautifully crafted walls of glazing and slim-profiled windows can reflect the timeless style of a period house, adeptly define spaces in a townhouse, minimalist urban loft, warehouse apartment or a self-build project.
Tel: 01376 530800
www.crittall-windows.co.uk
The benefits of choosing bona-fide suppliers for your beautiful home
Choose a member of the Steel Window Association for your windows, doors and screens.
We all know the benefits of choosing bona-fide manufacturers and suppliers – especially when it comes to your beautiful home! But how can you be sure you are safe with your choice? After all, the internet is mind-boggling and we cannot always trust reviews.
A traditional and proven method still holds true today – pick a member of the relevant association and you will be there!
When it comes to selecting steel windows, doors, and screens, your go-to is The Steel Window Association – www.steel-window-assocation.co.uk. You will find all you need to know there!
The appeal of steel framed doors and windows has truly stood the test of time, spanning from old country cottages and warehouses built during the Industrial Revolution, to contemporary commercial and residential properties where designers strive for a minimalist appearance.
SWA members have a full understanding of the design, fabrication and installation process, and are fully versed on all technical standards. It follows that customers can have full confidence that window and door packages supplied by SWA members will deliver on energy performance, security and safety, while the strength and durability of modern hot dip galvanised steel frames guarantee a long, low maintenance working life.
Recognising the long term resilience and lasting aesthetic ‘appeal of steel’, there are also Steel Window Association member companies who specialise in the repair and maintenance, or even the full restoration of older style windows; as is often essential in conservation cases.
Choosing an SWA member to manufacture and install your steel windows and doors ensures that you are receiving the highest standard of fabrication, installation and customer service.
Let the light flow with stunning steel screens
Broken-plan homes give the appearance of more space while still maintaining separate areas. This is often achieved through the use of internal screens. Steel windows are the perfect material for these internal screens as they are strong and sturdy, and will let plenty of natural light flow throughout your home. The trendy steel material is ideal for replacing a non-load bearing wall between your living space and kitchen. It still provides two separate rooms but does not compromise on the natural light available. Although most popular between a living room and kitchen, any two spaces can be divided with steel screens. The internal partition can be made from steel windows and steel doors to allow design flexibility combined with practical functionality. And, as door thresholds are not necessary, your finished floor will remain intact, leaving the perfect stylish passage for light to run between the two rooms.
You can also use steel framed windows as shower screens in your bathroom, maximising the amount of natural light into the shower cubicle and removing the need for strong fluorescent bulbs. And, as weather seals can be employed to ensure a fully waterproof enclosure, it’s a great alternative to a shower curtain!
With plenty of design options available, steel windows can be used in a number of ways throughout the home. Each structure offers solidity without being overpowering and exposes more areas of the home to sun light, reducing the amount of blue light used and allowing you to reap the benefits of natural light, such as improvement in productivity, a boost in Vitamin D, and a lower costing energy bill!
W20 profiles are the preferred choice when it comes to internal screens. The glazing bars are a mere 28mm wide leaving the biggest area possible for glass between them, opening up the most passages for natural light to enter a space. Internal steel screens are highly versatile and can include windows or doors up to a height of 2.4m.
Bring steel windows and doors into your kitchen
Open plan kitchens are hugely popular as they allow more natural light into the space. However, there’s a lot to be said for separate spaces, so the development of broken plan kitchens arrived. Steel windows incorporate the best of both worlds with internal partitions to break up the space, as well as external windows that maximise the area for light to enter your kitchen.
External steel windows can be amalgamated into kitchen extensions as a replacement for exterior walls. This is a perfect way to bring light into your home
and create the illusion of a larger room, blending the indoors with the outside. Steel windows come in a range of sizes so you can have large glass panes spanning across the space of the external wall which will not obstruct your view of the garden.
To convert existing open plan areas to the new trend of broken plan kitchen design, and create separate spaces, the same W20 steel profiles can be used as internal partitions bringing through the external design aesthetics to the internal space. This can be a small partition to separate an open pantry or utility room from the rest of the kitchen, or a large partition can take the place of an interior non-weight bearing wall. It’s the perfect solution to stylishly bring a broken plan scheme to the kitchen.
Steel partitions complement various interior schemes from mid-century modern designs to Scandi-styles with black steel windows reflecting a striking contrast to pale kitchen cabinetry.
Not only are steel windows incredibly stylish, the strong W20 steel sections allow for double glazed windows with thermally efficient units so your kitchen can stay beautiful and warm.
Keeping the burglars out with steel windows
Difficult to force because of the inherent strength of their frames, steel windows are not liked by burglars. One of the best deterrents to a prospective thief is the traditional ‘cottage’ style steel window, divided into small frames, with interlocked steel glazing bars.
The strength and security of steel windows and doors is increased through the use of appropriate hardware. When manufacturing new windows, Steel Window Association members provide locking devices, locking handles,
concealed bolts and mortice deadlocks. Locking handles are also supplied for existing installations to provide the highest levels of security. To achieve the greatest protection against forced entry, hardware is attached using steel screws threaded into the steel frame.
A concealed multi-point cremone bolt locking system, operated through the frame by a geared handle, offers enhanced resistance to intrusion on new windows in the W40 range. When specified, glazed steel framed doors can be fitted with security mortice deadlocks. Glass is not easily removed from today’s steel windows. Modern adhesive sealants and metal beads firmly secure the panes and, in vulnerable areas, small pane ‘T’ glazing bars and laminated glass can be employed, making breaking and entering difficult. Even if the pane is broken, locked handles and stays will maintain security.
Effective air movement need not be compromised by good security. A two point locking handle will allow the option of leaving the window cracked open or trickle ventilation can be provided through the head of the window.
For further information on the Steel Window Association, please visit www.steel-window-association.co.uk or call 020 3475 8049.
kitchen Steel
STEEL FOR KITCHEN KUDOS Q: Want your kitchen to have impact? A: Install ‘on-trend’ steel-framed glazed internal screens and windows… Crittall Windows
Stiff and Trevillion, photography by Kilian O’Sullivan’.
Metallics’ will be everywhere, say interior trend experts. So, if you’re revamping your kitchen, for glamour and elegance, you can’t go wrong with ‘on-trend’ steel partitioning screens and windows.
Rather than putting in a dividing wall, blocking-out light, a great alternative is installing an interior steel screen, which lets light flood-in. Complementing flooring and décor, their reflective properties make small areas seem bigger, add warmth and a cosy feel to shady areas.
“The kitchen is the home’s focal point. So along with choosing the styling of cupboards, storage, worktops and appliances, and where you put the coffee station or breakfast bar, getting the windows and doors just right is important too,” says says Russell Ager, managing director of Crittall Windows, makers of steel window frames, screens and doors for almost 170 years.
“A kitchen’s design, how it’s lit internally, and openings to natural outside light through windows and doors, impact. If you’re knocking down a brick, or plaster-board wall, a steel frame screen is an ideal addition for maximising daylight in the kitchen and adjoining rooms; be it the living room or lobby.”
Steel is three times the strength of aluminium and achieves strong, stylish frames combining slim profiles. This allows large expanses of glass, bringing-in essential natural daylight, visually enhancing living space and functionality.
Mr Ager continues: “The outside can be seamlessly, dramatically, fused with the inside living space, giving a sense of well-being through a clear view of the outdoors - your patio, flower beds, shrubs and trees.”
Further dimension
Crittall brings a further dimension to a kitchen through its minimalist style windows and its InnerVision glazed steel partitioning screens. Designed for modern living, they provide a sense of space and light with clean lines, subtle detailing, excellent technical properties.
Elegantly slender, the slim steel framing, with single or double opening doors, is unobtrusive. The distinguished-looking installation makes a wonderful talking point. Natural illumination inside is maximised, while enhanced acoustic properties ensure privacy and reduced noise levels, without compromising on security.
Chilly draughts are prevented, warmth kept-in for year-round comfort.
InnerVision steel frames can be powder-coated to your choice of RAL or BS colours. Each screen is bespoke to your application - panel shape and size, single or double glazing, decorative or obscure glass. Natalie Benes, associate architect at Stiff+Trevillion comments:
“Crittall windows are a great on-trend option if you want a light and airy feel with an industrial aesthetic. Their slender minimalist frames allow as much light as possible into a space, working well with contemporary architecture and in period properties. “Steel partitions can be used really successfully as divisions between, or within rooms, whilst still letting light and views through into adjoining spaces. They enable practical physical separations without making a space feel too small and enclosed.”
Only the original
Install the screen, window, door brand it says it is - only the original, genuine, make. Being the original steel window frame company, Crittall says there are companies claiming to be providing that, but are not.
More Information & Visit our website: Find and Installer www.crittall-windows.co.uk
blind Style
Cordless blind with style Swish - the home of window decoration Swish Blinds
or effortless style and ease of use, the unique new Cordless Aluminium Venetian blind range from leading window decoration experts Swish takes ready-made blinds to the next level. Using its revolutionary SwishRise cordless system, all of the stylish 25mm Aluminium blinds can be raised, lowered and, unlike others currently available, tilted for privacy with just one simple touch of the bottom bar. A patented, integrated safety system and absence of cords, cleats or tilt wands also gives an ultra-sleek and uncluttered finished look for your windows that cannot fail to impress. Available in a range of seven Brushed Bronze finishes complete the range and give a nod to the latest metallic looks. With options to suit most window sizes, all colours can be selected in a host of widths from 60cm to 180cm and in two drops, 120cm and 180cm. The range is also easy to fit with a colour coordinated head rail that blends the blind seamlessly into your window setting. Once this head rail is fitted, the brackets simply clip the blind securely into place. The absence of a cord makes the blinds perfect for homes with children and pets as the SwishRise cordless models feature an integrated safety system to prevent the risk of potential harm by ensuring integral cords cannot be pulled to create a loop. F Style blind Style blind sophisticated shades including Polar Prices range from £18.36 for a 60cm White, Cocoa Butter and Champagne x 120cm Cordless Aluminium Venetian to suit a more neutral palette, to the blind to £183 for an 180cm by 180cm bolder Berry Berry option (pictured option. right) that will add a splash of eyecatching colour to your windows, this range will add flair to your kitchen, lounge or bathroom. Polished Aluminium, Piano Black and www.swish.co.uk More Information and Find an Installer Cordless blind with style Swish - the home of window decoration Swish Blinds Cordless blind with style Swish - the home of window decoration Swish Blinds 46 Spring 2019
or effortless style and ease of use, the unique new Cordless Aluminium Venetian blind range from leading window decoration F For effortless style and ease of use, the unique new Cordless Aluminium Venetian blind range from leading window decoration experts Swish takes readymade blinds to the next level. Brushed Bronze finishes complete the range and give a nod to the latest metallic looks. With options to suit most window With options to suit most window sizes, all colours can be selected in a host of widths from 60cm to 180cm and in two drops, 120cm and 180cm. The range is also easy to fit with a experts Swish takes ready-made Using its revolutionary SwishRise sizes, all colours can be selected in a colour coordinated head rail that blends blinds to the next level. cordless system, all of the stylish 25mm host of widths from 60cm to 180cm the blind seamlessly into your window
Aluminium blinds can be raised, lowered and in two drops, 120cm and 180cm. setting. Once this head rail is fitted, the Using its revolutionary SwishRise cordless system, all of the stylish 25mm Aluminium blinds can be and, unlike others currently available, tilted for privacy with just one simple touch of the bottom bar. The range is also easy to fit with a colour coordinated head rail that blends the blind seamlessly into your brackets simply clip the blind securely into place. The absence of a cord makes the blinds raised, lowered and, unlike others A patented, integrated safety system and window setting. Once this head rail perfect for homes with children and currently available, tilted for privacy absence of cords, cleats or tilt wands is fitted, the brackets simply clip the pets as the SwishRise cordless models with just one simple touch of the also gives an ultra-sleek and uncluttered blind securely into place. feature an integrated safety system to bottom bar. finished look for your windows that prevent the risk of potential harm by cannot fail to impress. The absence of a cord makes the ensuring integral cords cannot be pulled A patented, integrated safety system Available in a range of seven blinds perfect for homes with children to create a loop. and absence of cords, cleats or tilt sophisticated shades including Polar and pets as the SwishRise cordless Prices range from £18.36 for a 60cm wands also gives an ultra-sleek and White, Cocoa Butter and Champagne to models feature an integrated safety x 120cm Cordless Aluminium Venetian uncluttered finished look for your suit a more neutral palette, to the bolder system to prevent the risk of potential blind to £183 for an 180cm by 180cm windows that cannot fail to impress. Berry Berry option (pictured right) that harm by ensuring integral cords option. Available in a range of seven will add a splash of eye catching colour to your windows, this range will add flair cannot be pulled to create a loop. www.swish.co.uk sophisticated shades including Polar to your kitchen, lounge or bathroom. Prices range from £18.36 for a 60cm White, Cocoa Butter and Champagne Polished Aluminium, Piano Black and x 120cm Cordless Aluminium Venetian to suit a more neutral palette, to the bolder Berry Berry option (pictured right) that will add a splash of eyeBrushed Bronze finishes complete the range and give a nod to the latest metallic looks. Click here to enquire blind to £183 for an 180cm by 180cm option. catching colour to your windows, this www.swish.co.uk 124 Autumn 2020range will add flair to your kitchen, lounge or bathroom. More Information and
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Shutters
Beat the WFH blues
We’ve all been spending a little - or a lot - more time indoors lately. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, households of all shapes and sizes across the UK have had to adjust to lockdown life. Working, playing, exercising, learning and generally getting on top of one another, all between the same four walls.
Those kind of conditions are bound to bring with them a big hit of emotional pressure. Our calm, sociable work days have been replaced by juggling childcare, household chores and conference calls. And though most of us won’t miss the daily commute, all our focus and motivation seems to drain away once we put down the cereal bowl and open the laptop.
But help is at hand! You might be stuck inside your home for now, but there’s plenty you can do to boost those feelgood vibes, and create emotionally positive spaces that lift us up, rather than keep us down. We gathered some top tips from the in house interior designers at Couture Living, whose carefully curated collection of luxury fabrics for curtains and blinds wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
1 - Use colour to fire things up…
The place every professional designer starts is colour. Your room is a blank canvas, ready for whatever energy you want to throw at it, and every single wall, surface, piece of furniture, textile or object is a chance to inject some feeling.
If you want to get your creative juices flowing, then there’s no better way than adding some bright colours to walls or furnishings. If you’re not ready for smoky paprika kitchen cabinets, or deep and fiery umber walls, then start small with statement curtains or sofa throws. Rich pigments like these are scientifically proven to fire up the senses.
2 - ...or cool things down.
Creating the perfect living space is something that haunts many a renovation, with Pinterest boards packed with tasteful scandi styling and artfully distressed coffee tables. But before you sweat the small stuff, it’s vital to set the scene.
Ditch the neutral grey and beige in favour of tones with more emotional resonance. Earth tones, like pale greens and even browns, help bring the outside in. The calming effect mother nature has on our senses can’t be underestimated. Our brains are wired to love fresh air and green leaves.
3 - Concentrate on the contrasts.
Let’s be honest. Staring at the same four walls every day is just flat out boring! And so is living amongst too much of the same. If everything you own is rough wood and shabby chic, your brain never gets a break.
We don’t want to delve too deeply into the psychology of aesthetics here, but it’s no surprise that we get pleasure from tactile objects of all shapes, sizes and textures. Variety is the spice of life, and all that. Use furnishings, paint and textiles to turn up the contrast, like mixing hard modernist furniture with soft, shaggy rugs, or floaty, voile curtains with solid wood floors.
4 - Let the light in.
It’s an obvious one. Energising, healthy, motivating, and packed with vital vitamin D - natural light, whenever and wherever you can get it, is a priceless commodity. But knowing you need it, and knowing how to get it is what separates the amateurs and the experts.
The advice from Couture Living is to reassess your window spaces. Look at whether your curtains or blinds match your ambitions for the room. If you’re stuck with heavy, dark curtains in a gloomy lounge then it’s time to swap them out for light voile. Or ditch the curtains altogether in favour of a discreet blind that leaves you open to the world by day.
5 - Focus on the floor plan.
We don’t all have the luxury of designing a room from scratch, but most people can move a desk, or play around with the location of the sofa. Getting the floor plan right is the first step to locking down that home office focus, or introducing a calm and positive flow between living spaces.
Make sure you’ve already nailed our last tip, introducing plenty of natural light. Then decide what you need, and keep it within easy reach. You don’t want to be traipsing across the room to the printer every ten minutes, or searching a bookcase hidden in the corner for your favourite mags. If you can, use clever hacks like storage hidden by neutral coloured curtains to give the feeling of spaciousness.
6 - Everything in its right place.
The final tip is one the interior designers can’t do for you. It’s down to you. So front up, focus, and take a long hard look at your nick-nacks. Whatever emotional resonance you’re shooting for, the everyday objects that surround you play a huge part. But we’re not suggesting you go all Marie Kondo and chuck all the kids’ drawings in the bin. Just make sure your ornaments and keepsakes are there for a reason.
A happy, calm living space should display all the things you love with space to breathe, rather than looking cluttered and chaotic. And a productive home office or kitchen needs tools and essentials close at hand, easy to reach, and exactly where you left them. Not a maze of draws and cupboards snarled up with everything and anything.
At the end of the day, it’s your home. Your choices will make all the difference. Like Ahmed Akudi, Director at Couture Living says, “taking the time to pick out the perfect furniture, a beautiful fabric for your curtains, or wallpaper that fits your style is the best way to feel good about your home. Nothing beats the feeling of making that room your very own.” If you find that perfect fabric at Couture Living, their made-to-measure service means your curtains or blinds will fit perfectly too. All handmade in their Yorkshire workshop, delivered to your door.
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