▶︎What is a window
Head. The head is the main horizontal part forming the top of the window frame. Jambs. Jambs are the main vertical parts forming the sides of a window frame. Sill.
The lintel of a window is a beam that sits horizontally along the top of the window (above the head of the frame). Commonly made of wood, steel or concrete, the lintel is a key part of the window construction.
A valance is typically a soft fabric panel that hangs loosely from a board installed at the top of your window treatment. However, there are also upholstered, wood and metal valance options for drapery, blinds and shades.
What is a Window Lintel? A window lintel is a structural element that takes the weight of the masonry above the window opening and transfers the load through the structure. The wider the window opening, the stronger the lintel will have to be. Lintels carry the weight so the window doesn't have to.
A cornice is a box-like wooden valance typically crafted from plywood, then covered with paint, wallpaper, or fabric and mounted to the wall above the window. Other cornices are carved from attractive wood and then stained to look good without needing paint or fabric coverings.
The horizontal piece at the top of the window frame is called the head.
Box cornice
Box cornices enclose the cornice of the building with what is essentially a long, narrow box. A box cornice may further be divided into either the narrow box cornice or the wide box cornice type.
Pediments are decorative features that are placed at the tops of windows or doors that add charm, sophistication, and value to your home. The window pediment is an underutilized exterior feature. Too often, homeowners forget how much an understated accent to windows and pediments can add to their home.
Window Drip Cap
Also referred to as head flashing, drip cap is a formed metal or vinyl flashing, which is installed at the top of windows and doors. Drip cap is designed to shed water out and away from a window or door and prevent it from infiltrating into the home.
Window lintels are beams that run along the top of windows in order to support and properly distribute the structure's overall weight. In the past, they would most often be found in masonry or brick structures, but nowadays they are a requirement in any building without proper weight support.
Grids (or muntins or grilles) are strips of material that simulate smaller panes of glass. Use our quick guide to window grids to help make decisions regarding the style of your windows.
Types of window treatments include blinds, window shades, shutters, curtains and drapes. Blinds tilt open and closed using a wand or remote device. They have louvers or slats made of various materials. Blinds can be vertical or horizontal.
Transom windows (also called transom lights or even just transoms) are windows positioned above interior and exterior doors.
Headers are horizontal framing members most commonly installed over a window or door opening. They are used for openings that are greater in width than standard stud spacing, and function to support the load above the opening of a window or door.
Window panes are the sheets of glass inside the window frame. They may be single-pane thickness, double-pane, or energy efficient. They can be plain glass or ornate. They may come in a single large sheet, or there may be varying shapes and sizes of panes set within the frame.
A header is a beam that horizontally spans an opening, such as a doorway. For example, a window header spans the top of a window opening. The header is the structural element—much like a bridge—that allows the space below to be open, not closed.
Lintel. A horizontal shape above the door or window opening. GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) and GFRP (architectural fiberglass) lintels are not structural in and of themselves, but are used to wrap and protect steel or concrete structural lintels. Neoclassical Style.
Simply put a lintel is a beam that is usually placed above windows and doors. The lintel's main job is to support the load from the structure above it. Both doors and windows are not constructed to structurally withstand massive loads by themselves. Lintels are mainly found in masonry or brick structures.
A box pelmet is a piece of wood or board upholstered in fabric that traditionally sits above a window or a rear door to your home to give it structure and conceal tracks or poles. It can also be referred to as a cornice.
In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an extent of wall.
coving, in architecture, concave molding or arched section of wall surface. An example is the curved soffit connecting the top of an exterior wall to a projecting eave. The curve typically describes a quarter-circle. The arched sections of a curved ceiling would be coving.
Make use of the area above your windows to display a collection. Consider showcasing a small grouping of items such as bud vases, trinket boxes, mugs, or a mix of these types of pieces, as seen here. Simply install a shelf where all of these items can sit safely and be easily accessed if needed.
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid support to the glazing of the window.
A transom is a narrow window located above a door or window. Most transom windows do not operate, but if they do, they are typically hinged at the top like an awning window.