What is a Garden Window?

The kitchen is the heart of the house, and as such, it should be a place of beauty, comfort, and function. One of the best ways to improve all three of those aspects is to add a kitchen garden window.

8 Benefits of Garden Windows

Grow Plants All Year Round
Adds Value to the Home
Easily Customizable
Energy Efficient
Stylish and Aesthetic
Increases Natural Light
Increases Ventilation
Extra Storage Space

Whether you have a green thumb or would enjoy more natural light, garden windows can serve numerous purposes. From storage to ventilation to crystal-clear views, a modern garden window is a valuable addition to your living space.

A garden window is a unique, distinctive window style built to extend outward from the house. It is encased with four window panels, forming a box-like structure with the top part slanted at a downward angle for rain runoff. All four sides of the window herb garden are glass to optimize natural light.

Garden windows come with a deep-set shelf where you can place house plants, kitchen herbs, and other items within the window. Because their design captures abundant sunshine, they create the perfect environment for growing plants. Thus, a garden window is sometimes referred to as a greenhouse window.

Some garden window styles come with one or more shelves to maximize space. While they’re most common behind the kitchen sink, they’re versatile windows and can be placed in any room. Other rooms where you might want to install a garden window include the dining room, bathroom, or bedroom.

Do Garden Windows Open?

Custom garden windows can be designed to open or stay shut depending on the homeowner's preference. If you desire a gentle breeze and fresh air, the two glass panels on either side of the garden window can be designed to open via a handle crank. With both side window panes open, you’ll have increased ventilation, which is a great addition to the kitchen space.

However, it isn’t a requirement for a garden window to open. If you would prefer it to be a fixed window, you can easily customize your kitchen sink garden window remain closed. In this case, the two side panels would be fixed and sealed into the window frame.

8 Benefits of Garden Windows

As you can see, garden windows are a unique feature with an abundance of functional benefits, including:

1. Grow Plants All Year Round

With a garden window, you can have a kitchen window herb garden all year long. This is the perfect window style for those who love plants or love adding fresh herbs to recipes. You can grow common houseplants, cooking herbs, microgreens, and starts for your outdoor garden—all within the convenient space of a garden window! It’s like having a mini greenhouse right in your living space, which is why it’s often referred to as a greenhouse window.

A kitchen sink garden window creates the ideal environment for plants because of the four-sided window. With this design, your garden window will capture the morning, midday, and evening sun, depending on its orientation. That’s a paradise for most houseplants and herbs, and is especially ideal for garden seedlings. Its box-like shape creates a more humid environment for plants as well.

If you’re worried about trapped moisture from watering the plants, you’ll want your custom garden windows to open on either side for increased ventilation. You’ll also want gentle breezes coming through to help your seedlings grow strong and sturdy for outdoor gardening.

2. Adds Value to The Home

Let’s face it, a modern garden window is quite a unique feature for a living space! Who wouldn’t love the extra storage, natural light, and plant-growing space that a kitchen window herb garden creates? Because of all the amazing garden window features, it’s sure to add value to your home.

If you’re not fully convinced that a garden window adds value, then consider the features that come with a garden window. Even if growing plants isn’t your thing, if you’re planning on reselling your home, it’s a unique and versatile addition to the kitchen.

With a kitchen window herb garden, you can design your kitchen to look like it came straight from the pages of Better Homes and Garden Magazine. Whether you’re planning on reselling your home or flipping a house, this characteristic addition is unique enough to add substantial value to the home.

3. Easily Customizable

Garden windows can be customized to fit any space you have in mind. Garden window features that can be customized include dimensions, frame material, exterior colors, interior color, glass type, and so much more. Plus, with a custom garden window, you can choose enhanced insulating performance materials and low e glass to maximize energy efficiency.

When it comes to the window frame, you can choose a metal frame (aluminum or steel), wood frame, or vinyl. Each material comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice depends on the needs and budget of the homeowner.

When it comes to glass, you can choose custom energy efficient glass materials that reduce UV rays from coming into the home. With four glass panes, you’ll receive a lot of sunlight, so you’ll want to invest in a high-quality glass to save on your home's energy bills.

With Rustica, you can even choose the colors of your custom garden windows. Both exterior colors and interior colors can be designed to match your living space and style preferences. If you’re searching for replacement windows and you’re considering a garden window, we make it a fun and easy process to design the custom garden window of your dreams!

4. Energy Efficient

A modern garden window will help you save on energy bills in a few different ways. First, garden windows capture an abundant amount of natural light, which means you won’t have to have as many lights on (if any) in the living space. For example, a south-facing garden window in the kitchen will provide enough light for cooking and cleaning that you won’t need to turn on the kitchen lights until dark.

Second, custom garden windows come with high-quality frames and glass designed to maintain the internal temperature of your home. If you have an old window, it may be affecting your energy bills by letting a draft into the home. With a replacement window, drafts or leaks won’t be a concern, as the garden window is sealed tightly into the home.

You might be thinking that kitchen garden windows increase the heat of your home because of how much sunlight it brings in. Modern energy efficient windows use low e glass designed to prevent UV rays from coming into the home. Plus, you can choose window frame materials with enhanced insulating performance to ensure your window is as energy efficient as possible.

5. Stylish and Aesthetic

If you’ve been waiting for a space you can customize to your unique style, look no further than the garden window. This window type is especially suited for farmhouse, cottagecore, early American, and English country interior design styles. That said, modern garden windows can be designed to look impeccable in any living space, no matter the design style.

Customize your unique garden window space by adding your favorite plants and decorative items. You don’t even have to decorate with plants—instead you can make it an inspirational gallery with your most treasured tokens. Glassware and crystals would look dazzling with the sunlight coming in through the four-sided window.

No matter how you decorate your garden window, the architecture of the window itself is unique and stylish, creating a distinct aesthetic of its own. If you have an eye for style, then the modern garden window will be sure to catch your interest.

6. Increases Natural Light

Garden windows are incredible for increasing natural light. While this key characteristic has been mentioned already, it’s worth noting again, because it is truly one of the top advantages of a garden window.

No matter the living space you add a garden window to, it will undoubtedly increase the natural light shining through. This is due to the four-sided glass structure of the garden window; it effectively captures sunlight from the east, south, and west. Even if your window is on the north side of your home, its top glass pane will capture the area’s soft natural light.

We all know how warm sunlight coming into a room can make the area feel fresh and cozy. With a garden window, you can exponentially increase the amount of sunlight coming into your home.

7. Increases Ventilation

If there’s any place in one’s house that would benefit from extra ventilation, it’s the kitchen. Have you ever burned something and had the fire alarms go off, frantically opening all the windows and doors trying to usher the smoke out? Yeah, we’ve all been there.

With a kitchen garden window, you can quickly air the kitchen out by opening both the window’s side panels. With both sides open, it will create a draft in the area and suck out any smoke or unpleasant cooking smells.

Plus, it’s always nice to enjoy the fresh air and gentle breeze on a warm, sunny day. With garden windows that open, you can increase ventilation in your space and enjoy the outside air in the comfort of your home.

8. Extra Storage Space

Another key benefit of adding a custom kitchen garden window is the extra storage space. You can optimize the space even more by adding another shelf or two for more plants or trinkets.

With the extra storage space, you can store everything from old cookbooks, a tea set, apothecary supplies, crystal collections, and so much more! A kitchen sink garden window is a truly versatile space that can be designed to fit your needs.

Plus, if you have a large garden window, you can have many shelves to house an inspirational gallery of your favorite collectibles. This ultimately frees up shelving elsewhere, which is beneficial if you’re low on space.

Create A Custom Garden Window with Rustica Today!

A garden window is one of the best window styles you can add to your home, as it increases your home’s value, adds style, increases ventilation, and gifts your space with a mini greenhouse! Its unique architectural design adds character and style to any space, whether in the kitchen, dining room, or bedroom.

If you’re ready to buy a new garden window, get in touch with the Rustica design team today! We’ll help you design the perfect window for your space. At Rustica, we’re here to bring your designs to life. We offer an extensive selection of garden windows, picture windows, casement windows, and so much more!