Planning wooden windows: light, air, size and matching the doors

A window is more than a gap in the wall for light. It decides how bright and airy a room feels, it is seen from across the room, and it often sits right next to a door. Planning windows along with the doors gives a neater and more useful result.

Light, sun and rain

Visit the room in the morning and again in the afternoon. Note:

• Which way the window faces. West-facing windows get strong afternoon sun in a Lucknow summer.
• Whether rain hits it directly, or a chhajja (sunshade) covers it.
• What will sit near it: a bed, a study table, a dining table.

A window open to rain and sun needs more care with drainage and coating than one under a chhajja. Tell us which it is, because it affects how the window should be finished. Our guide to choosing wood for doors and windows explains this in more detail.

Glass, jali and ventilators

Decide early what the window should do:

• Glass lets in light and keeps out dust.
• Jali (mesh) lets in air and keeps out mosquitoes.
• Both, if you want to open the glass and still keep insects out.
• A ventilator (roshandan) above the window or door lets air move even when the window is shut.

These choices change how the frame and the shutters are made, so mention them in your first message.

Match windows with the doors

A door and a window do not need the same design to look good together. A few shared things are enough:

• Tops at the same level, wherever possible.
• The same polish shade on window frames, chaukhats and doors.
• A similar style of lines: straight bars with straight panels, curves with curves.

Before deciding, take one photo of each wall where a window and a door can be seen together. It shows quickly whether they will look like they belong to the same house.

Window, window frame, or both

When you enquire, say clearly what you need: the whole window (frame and shutters), only the window frame, or only new shutters for an existing frame. On our shop you will find plantation teak windows and teak window frame kits. Confirm what is included in the item you choose before ordering.

What to send us

• The height and width of each opening, with units (feet and inches).
• A close-up photo of each opening.
• One wide photo of the whole wall or room, showing the windows and doors together.
• Glass, jali or both, and whether you want a ventilator.
• Polished or unpolished.

The wide photo helps us suggest something that suits the room. Each window's size and details are still confirmed one by one.

Fitting is free for our windows and doors. Window frame fitting is available on request for a small charge.