Guide To Window and Door Types

This classic style folds in or out to create space and open up areas – bi-folds are perfect to completely indulge in an indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

Bi-fold windows can make great servery windows and are particularly well-suited for kitchens and dining areas that connect to your outdoor space. They make entertaining a breeze when you can pass over food ready for the barbecue or a refreshing drink to your guests.

Bi-fold doors provide a spectacular and elegant transition between indoor living and outdoor entertaining areas. And when the weather is just right, they make for a liveable combination of indoors and out. The style is perfect for weekend get-togethers in the backyard, opening your home for friends and family, and simply a fantastic way to enjoy those glorious summer days. Plus, they are great for expanding areas and linking rooms, especially with indoor spaces that adjoin outdoor areas like decks and patios.

Sliding styles, both doors and windows, typically feature a panel that slides across a fixed panel, while stacking door styles are multi-panelled, and each panel slides across and stacks away on top of the other. The cavity stacker perfectly lends itself to Australia’s easy-going lifestyle by gliding smoothly out of sight. When open, it disappears into a cavity within the wall, providing an uninterrupted connection to the outdoors.

Similar to bi-folds, sliding and stacking doors are great for maximising space, creating flexible areas, and for inviting the outside in, like with an adjoining deck or patio. Also, stacking and sliding styles often allow you to install screens – perfect for keeping out unwanted pests while enjoying the fresh air. Great for rooms that face porches, walkways, and backyard decks because they open horizontally rather than protruding outwards. These styles can allow for wider and taller openings than others. Sliding and stacking styles are great for outdoor entertaining and opening your home to a beautiful breeze, and they foster this lifestyle with smooth and seamless functionality.

A double hung window consists of two sashes (that’s the part of the window that the glass is set in, which allows it to move within the frame) that slide up and down. Both sashes can open, either individually or together. This provides a range of sash-opening options – open either the top or the bottom sash, or both, for maximum ventilation. Most common models include a sash but they also come in an elegant and minimalist sashless style, like the Aneeta Sashless Window.

Double hung windows can also reach the full height of a wall, allowing for plenty of ventilation – perfect if you’re looking for passive cooling. They look great on façades and, thanks to their classic styling, they tend to suit a heritage-style home (but can work with just about any architectural type).

Their easy openability makes them workable and, depending on their location, as a handy servery window for indoor-outdoor entertaining. They’re a classic and flexible window style that allows you to adjust airflow to suit the season and your comfort.

A louvre window consists of multiple panes of horizontal glass that sit vertically above one another. They open or close in unison, which can be manually operated using a lever or automatically with a powered option. Powered louvres enable creative placements in out of reach locations.

Louvres encourage plenty of airflow and ventilation, so they’re especially great for passive cooling – the adjustable airflow can help keep homes comfortably temperate. Particularly popular in warmer climates like Queensland and the Northern Territory, as well as coastal regions right around the country, these windows are great at maximising cross ventilation.

The style is perfect for coastal or tropical living, whether it’s your holiday or permanent home, and when you want that relaxed, beachy lifestyle. Louvres allow you to embrace that sweet sea breeze at the end of a sweltering day, invite you to love the outdoors while revelling in home comfort, and bring in beautiful light to help create a calm interior space.

Awning windows are hinged at the top and typically swing open at the bottom using a winding mechanism. The typical winding awning is a classic functional window. Their opening invites fresh air without letting in the rain on those wet and rainy days. Awning windows are a sleek yet affordable option for general use. These windows might not be the showstoppers (let’s leave that to the bi-folds and the sliding or stacking), but they can play an important role in striking the right balance of lifestyle and liveability in your home.

Casement windows are hinged on the side and open horizontally. The classic casement is adept at catching breezes and directing airflow into a home, particularly if installed with prevailing winds or weather in mind. Casements encourage a more relaxed and easy-going lifestyle as they’re low maintenance and easy to clean.

Another classic staple most homes would likely have is the fixed window. A fixed window is a window that doesn’t open. Using fixed windows in corners or banked in a row can allow plenty of natural light to fill a darker space or frame a beautiful view. Fixed windows can also be used effectively as splashbacks. They can complement openable windows when the two types of windows are paired together.

The hinged door is a classic staple that every home will likely have. This is a door at its simplest but still delivers in terms of essential functionality.

The hinged door traditionally has 2–3 hinges and can swing outwards or inwards. It’s a versatile door, often working as an entrance or a laundry door. It can be glazed to make it a feature or allow more light into another room, such as into the loungeroom.