timber
Pros Looks beautiful, provides warmth,
can be highly customised, offers superior
energy efficiency
Cons Timber is more expensive than
aluminium, requires more maintenance,
and may warp, shrink or expand in some
weather conditions
Suits Traditional houses, terraces,
California bungalows (but is often seen
in modern, mixed-material homes, too)Who doesn’t love a gorgeous timber
window or door? There are so many styles
and shapes available, and having one
customised is more affordable than ever.
Trend-wise, there’s growing interest
in oversized or wider timber front
doors that make a distinct statement, says
Amy Ryan, marketing manager at
Corinthian Doors. “A pivot system can
easily handle the extra weight of a larger
door while providing a smooth and secure
opening,” she explains, “plus it’s an easy
way to take your home’s entrance from
bland to grand.”If you’re looking to bring the outdoors
in, French doors are still the business for
some, but the trend is definitely moving
away from bifolds towards sliding or
stacking door systems, says Christine
Evans, director of marketing at Stegbar.
“Bifolds are great because you can
open up a space, but they’re a bit more
expensive because of the hardware that
goes into the system. And also, most
bifold systems mean you have to buy an
add-on retractable screen – which can
sometimes cost more than the doors.
Stacking doors actually stack away into a
wall cavity and don’t obstruct your living
space, so they’re a really neat system. And
you can have the screens integrated into
the frame; it all comes as one solution.”
Renovators’ love affair with the
Hamptons look is still going strong, and
pairing timber windows with a product
such as James Hardie’s weatherboard
cladding is great for this. “Weatherboard
goes hand in hand with big fat timber
window and door trims,” says Christian.
They have a lovely synergy.HOW TO CHOOSE
WINDOWS AND DOORS
Before building or renovating your
home, a mood board (or shared
Pinterest board) is a great way to
formulate ideas for the look and feel
of the project, says James Hardie’s
Christian Hansen.
“Often what people do if they’re
renovating and looking to modernise
a house with small windows is to open
it up for more light and fresh air, as well
as passive solar and cooling qualities.
If you don’t know what you want or how
to articulate it, collect images so you can
show them to your architect or builder.
Doing this really helps to ensure that
everyone is on the same page.”
Interior designer Stewart Horton
suggests being careful with the exterior
colour palette you choose as well.
“When it comes to windows and doors,
I see a lot of people going with the
trending colour of the moment, but
I would urge you to opt for something
timeless and neutral instead. I tend to
work with pure white, pure black and
dark grey — background colours that
don’t have too much risk of dating.”FIRST IN LINE With a dark
facade and path around it,
this glass-panelled, blond-oak
AWO 5VG door from Corinthian
Doors is the undisputed star.INSIDE | RENOVATE
118 | INSIDE OUT