7 Ways to Use Custom Garden Windows in Your Home

Smart and stylish ways to leverage custom garden windows for fun and curb appeal!

Bow and bay windows can be fantastic picks for home renovation projects. But in a lot of cases, these window types are simply too large for certain rooms. Suppose you want to open up your kitchen by replacing the old single-pane window over the sink. In that case, a bay window will be much too big to fit in the available space.

High-quality garden windows extend out from your home, just like bay or bow windows. But they have shelf space at the bottom plus operable side windows. More importantly, they’re ideally sized for rooms throughout the home, including the kitchen, laundry room, and even some bedrooms.

When decorated properly, garden windows can boost your house’s curb appeal, serve as storage space for the kitchen, or showcase favorite photos. Need some ideas to get the creative gears turning? Let’s look at seven ways you can use custom garden windows throughout your home.

Start a mini garden

There are many types of windows, but one of the major benefits of garden windows is their "mini indoor greenhouse" effect. In a nutshell, the three-sided shapes of these windows gather light and heat into small, contained spaces over their shelves. That makes garden windows perfect locations for miniature indoor gardens.

For example, you can set up a window herb garden on your garden window’s shelf. Who doesn’t like to have culinary herbs like fresh basil, cilantro, or thyme? This idea is even more appropriate if you plan to install a window in your kitchen. You can add a string of hardwired LED lights along the top of the window to provide your indoor herb garden with extra light after sunset.

However, you can also create other crafty indoor mini gardens in these windows. Set up a row of succulents for year-round décor. Or line your window with small seasonal plants and swap them out each time the weather changes. The sky (or the top of your garden window) is the limit!

Grow seedlings before planting outdoors

Want to get a head start on your spring planting before it’s warm enough to plant seedlings outdoors? Plant them indoors in jars or pots instead, and then set them up on your garden window shelves. Remember, as miniature greenhouses, garden windows are ideal for channeling sunlight toward plants, even in the winter months.

The energy-efficient glass from your garden windows should be enough to protect your youngest plants from frigid temperatures outdoors. At the same time, garden windows allow enough natural light to guarantee good seedling growth until spring fully arrives.

Not sure what starter seeds to plant in your potting mix? Some of the best Mason City plants for your garden or windowsill include:

• Blue sage
• Bloodroot
• Little bluestem
• Goldenrod
• Penstemon
• Swamp milkweed
• Wild anemone

Pose photos and figurines

Plants aren’t the only things you can set up on garden window shelves. The narrow spaces within garden windows are natural showcase spots. Therefore, your garden windows might be great for treasured photos of friends and family members, figurines, and other knickknacks you want to display.

Snow globes, small bowls, candles, shells, and similar objects are just the tip of the decorative iceberg. Use your garden windows to customize your home’s interior aesthetic further and get creative!

Display your seasonal decorations

Alternatively, you can use garden windows as places to display timely trinkets or decorations in keeping with the current season. This takes a little more effort, but it can be very rewarding to change the look of your garden windows every few months.

Displaying seasonal decorations in garden windows is one of the best ways to boost curb appeal, too. Imagine a street-facing garden window with seasonal decorations that switch every so often. Passerby and prospective homebuyers alike will find it fun to see the theme of your home change in this small but noticeable way.

Set up a pet sanctuary

Pet owners already know that their critters love sitting in the sun. Cats, in particular, enjoy finding little nooks to snooze in throughout the day. Whether you have a cat (or two) or a small dog, consider using one of your garden windows as a pet sanctuary. Set up a tiny cushion or pet bed on the shelf within the window and let your furry friend stretch out in comfort.

Garden windows are perfect places for pets to observe the yard or watch the birds. Before you know it, your pet will start treating their new garden window like their bedroom.

Store cookbooks in the kitchen

Many homeowners prefer to have a kitchen garden window. If little decorations and plants aren’t your style, consider using garden window shelves as cookbook storage spots. You can line up your cookbooks however you please, then use a pair of bookends to keep things snug and organized.

As a bonus, placing your cookbooks in a kitchen garden window over the sink might inspire you to break out a few lesser-used recipes from time to time. It’s easy to be inspired when you keep delicious recipes right in front of you.

Open up smaller spaces

Since garden windows feature three glass sides and extend away from your house’s wall, they can be strategically installed to open the smaller spaces of your home. Just one garden window placed at the right spot can make a small kitchen, bedroom, or lounge area seem much more spacious and relaxing, especially if you use their side vents to let some fresh air in now and again.

Plus, the natural illumination garden windows funnel into a room can help to brighten your home throughout the day. That means less time with the lights on, which could help with a lower energy bill.

Install stunning custom garden windows in your home

Garden windows go perfectly with all styles of homes and fit with many different rooms. Kitchens, laundry rooms, bedrooms, and living rooms can all benefit from the natural light and shelving space that garden windows bring to the table.

Good news: it’s easier than ever to get these picturesque windows installed in your home at affordable prices. Window World’s Mason City location offers a variety of energy-efficient garden windows. Each window type comes with sloped, insulating glass specially tempered for extra integrity and durability. Plus, you can pick from adjustable shelves in different configurations. Contact Window World of Mason City today for more information and a free quote!