Floor-to-ceiling windows flood your home with light, make a modern interior/exterior statement, and help break down the barrier between indoors and out. In other words, they’re extremely impactful. Here’s how to incorporate them into your home and more answers to your most frequently asked questions.
As you might expect, a floor-to-ceiling window typically starts at the floor and extends to the ceiling. It's a look that can be created using various types of windows, though usually a picture window (a window that doesn’t open) is used. Sometimes, several types of windows are combined to create a window wall effect. For example, large picture windows with smaller awning windows can give you the option of fresh air.
Here is a quick run-down of what you should consider to maximize the benefits of floor-to-ceiling windows:
In this home, A-Series Picture and Awning Windows were used to create a window wall. The windows have more glass and less framing in between, because they were designed to be installed together in a large configuration.
Of course, it’s your home, your rules. But if you’re looking for some ideas to get you started. Here are our top picks for places where floor-to-ceiling windows shine.
In a modern home, floor-to-ceiling windows are only natural. Not only is this style characterized by clean lines and lots of glass, but its boxy shape also makes tall rectangular windows a perfect fit. In the home below, the owners wanted to create a modern aesthetic. To do this, they chose A-Series Picture Windows and A-Series Gliding Patio Doors. The windows look sleek and contemporary, and best of all they put the view on display — a hallmark of the modern aesthetic.
Takeaway: Greater expanses of glass can be created by combining windows in large configurations. Ordering windows that are designed to be installed together can help avoid too much framing in between the windows. Talk to your builder if you’re interested in this option.
A combination of A-Series Picture windows and A-Series Gliding Patio Doors complement this home’s modern aesthetic and make the most of its location on the shores of Lake Michigan.
In a small room or tight corner, a floor-to-ceiling window is particularly impactful. It can expand the feeling of the space, like it does in Hilton Carter’s kitchen pictured below. When the plant and interior stylist went about remodeling his family’s home in Baltimore, he added this floor-to-ceiling window in an under-utilized corner of his kitchen where it not only brings in light, it also maximizes his indoor growing capabilities due to an in-floor planter.
Takeaway: You can make a small space feel bigger with a floor-to-ceiling window, so keep them in mind as a useful installation for dark corners, stair landings, and utilitarian rooms, like laundry rooms and offices.
Plant and interior stylist Hilton Carter chose an E-Series Picture Window for this corner of his kitchen where it helps bring in light and maximize his indoor growing capabilities.
In a home where you want to create a strong connection to nature, there’s no better window than floor to ceiling. When Sara Imhoff, AIA, and her partners at Imprint Architecture and Design LLC set out to design the home below for clients on the Minnesota prairie, they used a simple floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows to bring natural light into rooms from multiple sides. “It’s a house that focuses on its exterior surroundings,” Imhoff said. “Everywhere you look, you’re looking out a window.”
Takeaway: Views and natural light are on full display when you use floor-to-ceiling windows to break down the barrier between indoors and outdoors.
Floor-to-ceiling windows are a major feature of this contemporary home. They were chosen to make the most of the unobstructed light and views surrounding this prairie home. Architecture by Imprint Architecture & Design LLC.
If you’re wondering whether having such a large expanse of glass will make your home less efficient, here are some selections to consider.
Want more details? Check out how to pick out energy-efficient windows.
This room has a single-panel E-Series Hinged Door on the left and two floor-to-ceiling E-Series Picture Windows next to it. The door and windows match a Folding Outswing Door on the adjacent wall in color, grille style, and frame style.
When windows go all the way to the ground, safety glass is often recommended or required by code. Safety glass is like the glass used in a car’s windshield. It breaks into rounded chunks, rather than sharp shards. Even if your window seems out of reach, your local building code may require it, so it’s a good item to discuss with your builder. Find out more about our safety glass options. See your local code official for code requirements in your area.
Like all windows, floor-to-ceiling windows should be cleaned regularly to make the most of your natural light and help keep your windows in good working condition. The height of a floor-to-ceiling window can add some complications when it comes to cleaning, here are some things to keep in mind.
When you’re ready for an in-depth cleaning — we recommend doing this twice per year — follow our step-by-step window washing instructions
While it’s true that you’ll have to go outside to clean your floor-to-ceiling windows, you might decide the abundance of sunlight and full-frame views they offer are worth that minor inconvenience. And if not, remember our casement windows can be cleaned from the inside and also come in expansive sizes.
We offer a range of window product lines with options that fit a variety of budgets. That said, it’s not just the windows themselves that must be considered when assessing the cost of floor-to-ceiling windows. The finishing, framing, and fit of windows is more challenging, as Imhoff points out. “A lot of times floor-to-ceiling windows might have to be custom made so they fit perfectly, and the drywallers have to do a fabulous job fitting the finishes into these details,” she said. If cost makes floor-to-ceiling windows prohibitive, there are other ways to create a similar effect.
If floor-to-ceiling windows won’t work in your home for one reason or another, but you still want to create a similar effect, consider the following options:
Ready to explore all the types of windows?
