I'm curious, EC - why can't you use slender double-hung windows?

If they were positioned so that their top and bottom were on a line with your existing window, and the trim matched, making them slender would look fine.

And if the sashes are the problem, could you install fixed windows, like the sidelights of a door, that had simulated divided lights, also lining up with your other one?

Well, I guess I could use slender double hung windows. I'm just not sure how to make the grids look like the non-slender windows (or make them compatible so they look like they belong on the same house). If all the windows are the same size it's easier to make them look like they belong together.

If they were double hung they'd probably need to be 4:1 in order to look normal. Do you think that would look weird in a room with a pair of 6:1 windows? I planned to replace the picture window with a pair of 6:1 windows in order to have better airflow and still have lots of light.

I have casement windows over each side of the fireplace that are original to our A&C house. They have one vertical grid separating the two panes. In the same room our other windows are 3:1 double hung. It doesn't look strange at all. Sorry I don't have pics to show you.

I can't help with the light as ours are on the east, but we really enjoy the breeze when the weather permits.

We have them. Love the look, and the light. Also, we use blinds to direct light away from furniture, etc.

Have you thought of balancing the shorter windows with built-in's (see links below) or with furniture like I have here?

Here is a picture with long skinny windows or doors.
http://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Laurelhurst-1912-Craftsman-living-room-before.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

Our new (to us) house has windows flanking the fireplace. Since it also has a wall taken up almost entirely by a huge arched window and since it is open to the dining room on the opposite side of that big window, we only have one actual wall. This seems to make furniture arrangement a bit tricky (although we haven't moved in yet so haven't actually experienced the space).

So my only suggestion would be to thnk about whether the additional windows would make it difficult to arrange furniture.

I have them on both sides of my fireplace and I love them. They are not the same design as the windows on the adjacent wall, either. They are simpler. I put window seats under each, and I love it.

Pal - where were you when we redid the second floor and I wound up with not just one, but TWO windows that are too close to the edge of a wall (making window treatments difficult). LOL, been there and done that, I hope to avoid the same mistake here.

Crl - sadly, this room is already anti-furniture. By the numbers it should be fine. It is 11.5' wide and technically 16' long. But really it's only 11' long because the hearth at one end is 2' by 5', and there is a walkway thru it that is 3.5' wide at the other end ... So it winds up being a small space for furniture.

I will probably post a layout here in the coming days. I have it on Visio but that isn't helping me arrange furniture. The good news is that we are starting from scratch, there is one armless chair I'd like to use in the room and that's it for furniture. So the sky's the limit (for everything but my budget of course).

Thank you for the advice. I will stick with a similar aspect ratio for whatever panes go in the windows. I need to measure the outside of the house to see what will fit - out electrical service attaches to the house near the chimney so I need to be aware of that, too. There is only 34.5" between the edge of the fireplace and the wall today so the windows will be 2' wide or less (including trim). Diamond panes might be the solution.

Your electric company can move the service, if need be.
We just did that so that we could vent the stove hood to the outside, which was not done originally because the service cable and meter were put right smack in the middle of the space where the vent needed to go. Our utility charged about $500 - I have no idea if that's typical, but it was absolutely worth it to us to get what we needed.

What you describe is what we have. Two small windows facing west on the fireplace wall with the other windows in the room facing north with a partial porch. I can tell you the west windows, though small, make a HUGE difference in light. They are probably 30x20". The PO had interior shutters placed on these windows, so I can see the difference they make when the shutters get closed and no light comes in. Ours are original old windows that got sealed years ago. No need to open them as the others in the room work fine.

If that map is at all important to you it needs to be under UV glass.
Sunlight is not the only light that fades art- even artificial lighting will cause degradation over time.
Either protect it or roll it up and put it in a closet.

I've seen a lot of similar windows in the oldish houses in my area. Sometimes they are stained glass, sometimes fixed, sometimes they open. Frequently they do not match the other windows in the room--my cousin has fixed windows with a leaded diamond pattern. The other living room windows are regular sash windows. Pretty much agree with everything Pal said.

Especially about window treatments. In my urban area, many people want nighttime privacy, but the small windows can make it difficult to find a treatment that blends with the rest of the room, but doesn't look a bit silly on a tiny window. A lot of people cover them up with sheers, but I don't think that is always the best choice. Stained glass, or a textured glass, would still let in light, but provide privacy.

West facing windows will be problematical for late afternoon and evening glare. Especially in the summertime. So a big yes on planning the window treatments in conjunction with the window type and installation. I personally would look at perhaps widening the headers to the windows to get a bit wider windows, yet keep enough wall space to attach whatever accouterments might be needed for the window treatments. (If you chose interior shutters or shades for light control that were inside mount, then all you would need would be the more decorative fabric treatments for exterior mount.)

If built in bookcases with glass doors under the windows would work stylistically and furniture placement wise for the room, I'd also look at doing that. It's a nice feature, and it helps to corral the many books that you may own.

I second cearbhaill's advice to protect the map with UV glass - and museum mounting, with acid-free mat and backer, if you don't already have those.

Newhomebuilder, your windowed alcoves are lovely! I want them.

I love the bookcase suggestion, thank you GreenDesigns! That's brilliant!

Re: UV glass for the map ... Not possible, unfortunately. It is framed with acrylic because its really large (52" x 40") and that was the only way to have both sides viewable. The back of the map has Europe on it, the front has North America. I can't display the back too easily, of course, and the thing still weighs a bleeping TON so taking it off the wall isn't fun ... But I'd hate to think how many time glass would have broken in the 16 years I've had the map (we've moved a LOT).

If we add the windows I will have to religiously close the window coverings to protect the map, I think.

I appreciate the insights and suggestions, this is getting better and better. My living room is going to be AWESOME when I implement these suggestions :)