The idea of timelessness is inherent to the best architecture and design. Perhaps that’s why Seattle-based interior designer Charlie Hellstern doesn’t quickly define what the trait means to her. “I don’t focus specifically on timelessness because it’s just a part of our spirit, it’s part of our design process,” she says.
Turns out, connecting a home to its environment, in one way or another, is key. “Taking inspiration from nature is timeless,” Hellstern says. “The trees that are around us, that have been here for hundreds of years, will continue to be surrounding our spaces. And we are taking color inspiration from that.”
For Hellstern, timelessness includes not only nature, but the local design tradition, too. “What’s quintessential for me about our style is that there is a simplicity and a modernity—probably a combination of Japanese and Scandinavian influences, both of which are simple, clean, and designed with purpose,” she says. “That combination, along with the influence of Native American culture, is strong here.”
Andrew Heid, principal of New York City-based NO ARCHITECTURE and design critic for the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, shares the perspective. “Part of designing for timelessness is understanding the seasonal cycle and the relationship to the site,” he says. “And that goes along with using simple materials that can last forever, or for a very long time.”
Big purchases and more permanent design decisions especially matter, says Washington, D.C.-based interior designer Mariella Cruzado of Splendor Styling. “I always base my designs on a timeless look and have conversations with my clients about the importance of making an investment on certain pieces,” she says. “Besides furniture, that goes for the floors and the windows.”
A closer look at windows
Katie Yost, an architectural designer with Newport Beach, California-based Bassenian | Lagoni Architects, applies this thinking to windows, starting with simplicity. “In terms of design specifically, window profiles have been simplified—they’re thinner,” she says. “And I think the timelessness is that the simpler and the thinner the profile, the more it can work with multiple architectural styles. So, if you decide to change something down the road, your windows will still look good.”
In many respects, it’s about not being hemmed in by a style, Yost says. “We always use the term ‘transitional,’ and I think that’s really where it’s going. It’s being able to work with something that may be more traditional but that can also go more modern at the same time.”
For windows, color also connects with timelessness, Yost believes. “Window frames are going darker, which seems to be something our colorists see sticking around,” she says. Sometimes it’s a painted finish, other times classic wood, she says.
In support of timeless aesthetics
Windows that open wide to the outdoors rank high as a timeless design desire, says Holland McGraw, marketing manager at JELD-WEN. Likewise, grids will endure as a classic design element, bringing charm to a building or maintaining its historical integrity.
Dark colors are holding strong. Windows with black frames saw a spike in popularity alongside the rise of the modern farmhouse style and do not appear to be going anywhere any time soon. “Something we’re seeing now is an emphasis not only on black windows, but on dark windows in general,” McGraw says. “So think of a luxury bronze or even a chocolate brown.”
Wood remains a design constant, too. “Wood transcends all decades, all styles, even all regions,” McGraw says. “And if you look at how all windows were originally built, it was with wood, and wood continues to be used because of its warmth and timelessness.”
The difference is that windows are now made with more innovative and durable materials. For architects, designers, and homeowners who prefer authentic wood, AuraLast treated pine protects against rot, water damage, and termites for long-lasting performance and beauty. Today’s wood-look composites, which convey a convincing wood look, incorporate safeguards that protect against the same concerns, as well.
For more
JELD-WEN offers window styles, colors, and materials designed with timelessness in mind, from Siteline Clad Wood Windows to Auraline True Composite windows. Explore the options.
