Up until we started working on our beloved ruin, I hadn’t given that much thought to the small details that make a big difference to the overall look of a finished home. I’d noticed them – a little obsessively in fact – but hadn’t appreciated the complex choices behind the things I’d admired. This is presumably why architects study for years and then have to apprentice for more before they can claim to know what they’re doing.
Unfortunately I am not an architect but I’m still making decisions about the villa. Some of them have turned out great. Then there are the others, to which we will turn a blind eye forevermore. I put the exterior window framing (sills and lintels) into a B+ category. They were a decision we made before taking a really close look at all the options and what made them work. Some examples:
Primitive Sill: Window openings at their most basic. A beautiful example of a simple but charming stone arch and rough sill.
He-man Sill: This no-nonsense approach has great presence on a larger building, but has a bit of a penitentiary whiff about it (not helped by the bars of course).
He-man in a Skirt: Same grey, thick stone, but that bit of curve softens the look completely, even without the flowers.
Refined Sill: A city-slicker. This sill would know to wear a dress to the opera even when it’s held outdoors on plastic chairs.
Our Sill: Gives off a farm-house vibe, which I think is appropriate. Thick stone with a hand-chiseled face, but the sides of the opening are simply plastered. When I look at them beside the other photos, I worry that the opening as a whole is too weakly defined.
But when I look at them in the context of the whole house, I’m pretty pleased with their simplicity. With shutters and actual windows in them – those are two other, complicated decisions to make – I think they’ll actually suit our un-fancy house just fine.
Fortunately for me, I now have all of YOU to help me make these decisions. Thanks for sharing the glory and the blame! In the next couple of weeks we’re going to look at shutters, the windows themselves, doors and door frames. And we haven’t even gotten to the indoors…
Godzillavilla 
I think you made a great choice Shelagh. Brava! The simple, rustic look suits the house beautifully! Will it be timber for the windows? I’ll just have to be patient. Right? 😉
Jxx
We’ll both have to wait! But yes, blog-wise, that’s a discussion coming up shortly. I do favour wood for the actual windows.
The windows look great. Make sure that you have them double-glazed. You will save a lot on heating.
Yes, I’ve spent way too much time in single-glazed homes in Italy, where the cold just seeps right in.
The windows are perfect with the surrounding stone. It would be too fussy with a more complicated frame. I like the idea of wood shutters versus green. All depends on the green though, I guess.
I’ll include a green shutter pic in the next post. They do add some oomph to all that neutral stone, especially if the window itself is wood.
We have beautiful chestnut shutters sitting waiting to go on our windows, which are similar to yours. We have a chestnut cross beam which sits above the window and a granite bit on the bottom. I can’t wait to see the shutters up. There are so many choices to make it is scary.
I look forward to seeing your photos when they’re in. Fortunately we have some restrictions: white window or wood, green shutters or wood, because of building laws. That makes it a little easier to decide.
I so appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that go into these sorts of decisions. I think you made a good one on the sills and the window oopnings..Simplicity rules in this case and is only enhanced by the texture of the walls themselves. Good look on the rest of the fittings!
Thank you! It’s the nature of the process (at least for me) to second guess these decisions when I come upon some detail that I love on another building, so I’m becoming a bit OCD about the next ones we need to make.
I’m with you on maintaining the simplicity:. it is functional and undoubtedly there is an opening in the house wall. The windows and shutters will add huge interest.
Thanks for the support. I’ll be looking for input on the main door surround shortly, as its opening is still unfinished. Tons of options there, and quite important.