Inspiring Spaces: Black Framed Windows

So… I have this board on Pinterest called “Inspiring Spaces”… and it is a catch-all for beautiful rooms. It mainly came about as a result of laziness, because I don’t have the discipline to file everything under super organized categories – I’ve tried to create a separate board for bedrooms, for bathrooms, for living spaces, for exteriors…. but what ends up happening nine times out of ten, is that I see something I like, and it gets added to this hodge-podge board… it is what it is folks!

BUT, while I may not have this board organized by room, style, color palette, or really anything else, what it lacks in organization, it makes up for in beauty. It is FULL of pretty pictures, and it’s actually one of my favorite boards to just scroll through when I’m feeling uninspired.

Just a quick peek and you’ll see common threads if you look closely enough, so I thought, why not create a series for Simply Styled to corral some of the trends I’m obsessively pinning right now, and one of the things I’m really loving right now is the look of dark framed windows. I have been completely enamored by this look for quite some time – it started with steel cased windows (which I wrote about in 2013), and has evolved into the larger category of all dark framed windows.

A few reasons I like this look:

I love that it looks dramatic. Glossy black trim instantly enhances the already beautiful trim that is on your windows.
Windows with black trim lend a bit of “edge” into spaces verging on the feminine side, and they are an easy way to balance out other large, dark pieces of furniture in a space (big black armoire in an all white room? balance it out with dark windows across the way)
It’s an easy and inexpensive way to get a similar look to my beloved steel cased windows (we can’t all be millionaires!!)
It’s also a non-committal way to see if you’d like the look of steel cased windows in your home – before shelling out some serious cash for the real deal, you can test out a similar look for the cost of a can of paint, and a little bit of time… and worst case scenario… you hate them. You can always paint them back.

But I mean, how gorgeous are they??

I just LOVE the drama of this kitchen – while the black cabinetry paired with the black windows might be a bit much for most spaces, imagine these beautiful windows in a different kitchen. They give the oomph of a window dressing without needing to hang anything fussy in what should be a utilitarian space.

These black framed casement windows are EVERYTHING. Oh if only this could be my kitchen, in the Scottish countryside…. with my herd of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels running around in their plaid capes….. and fresh scones being baked (and eaten) while gazing out these windows at the woods (this house actually is in the Scottish countryside – I strongly encourage you to click through from the image to the full article on Houzz. Ahhhhmaaaazzzinnggggg!)

A short love note about casement windows – my entire family is pretty obsessed with them. There’s this movie called A Child’s Christmas in Wales (which is really a movie made from the Dylan Thomas story) and we watch it every single year before Christmas. At the very end of the movie, the little boy has just fallen asleep, and snow has just started to softly fall, and the boy’s grandfather opens up the MOST BEAUTIFUL leaded casement window that ever existed, to catch the falling snow in his hand.

Oh that window!!! You should watch that movie if only to see that fabulous window!

But I digress… black framed windows… that’s what we’re talking about here…

A lot of the spaces I love where black framed windows make a major impact are kitchens – specifically light kitchens (like these ones) that allow the dark windows to really pop… but I love them equally in all spaces…

I love them creating height and defining these living spaces (again, no curtains necessary)…

And I love them on interior doors and windows too… like these pretty painted french doors that open into the study:

And these ones that lead into the dining room…

This dining room below is clearly a very lovely space, with the floor to ceiling windows that have been painted black. They really keep this room from being too light and whispy. The reclaimed wood country table and chairs could go very “feminine” very quickly, but the dark windows with the industrial lighting keep it from being too soft. I also like the way the bookshelf with the black metal frame plays off the windows, and gives a nice balance in the room.

And this bedroom is another really good example of the black windows lending a harder edge to this otherwise very soft space.

And finally, this living room – really kind of a perfect example of how black windows can balance a space. If they were painted with white in here, the fireplace would be kind of a big black hole in here, but the dark windows keep your eye from immediately going there by creating a sense of even distribution throughout the whole space.