I understand Casey's point to be that to manhandle a window, you have to be able to stand right at the wall. If you are leaning across the width of the counter, you can't get the leverage, and/or your back takes a hit. But overall, what a useful thread this is for me; we have a similar window to Casey's - too low to make countertop even with the sill, requiring a well behind or making the window smaller. So thank you for posting! Plus, like Ashley, we have too little space to one side for what we need to put there, namely a fridge. So the fridge sticks out like the sore thumb it is. Love the idea of a set of under-counter appliances - our only idea so far has been to reduce the size of the window. This is not going to be a bad thing as the original window is not there any more anyway, but a horrid aluminum thing that we want to replace anyway. But the thought of losing the light has been killing me... except in summer, when the heat from the window is killing me. Anyway, all that to say, you can get European fridges that are quite narrow - 24 inches or so. Naturally they have correspondingly less capacity, but for certain people this would work. And Igloo, I love your idea of the glass back/front cabinet. I've thought of shelves across the window but not of making it a cabinet, but keeping the heat out in summer will be an interesting challenge, not to mention privacy. But definitely worth considering. KarinL

If your goal is to match your current windows, then you should go with a bronze anodized aluminum window. I'm in Southern California, so I can't help you with vendors, but I am in market for metal windows. I've looked at Milgard on the low end and Fleetwood, Bonelli, Hope's, Torrance Steel Window and Metal Window Corp on the high end. I don't have a modern house but if I did, I'd most likely be getting Fleetwoods. Milgard can give you much of the look for about 1/3 of the price of Fleetwoods. Fleetwood's website should direct you to local dealers and then it's just a matter of getting quotes. Good luck.

@lyndee lee way too many windows! I'll post some more photos tomorrow - I wish there was a way to select and post multiple photos. We are now in a gut renovation bc all the pipes froze in January (oil in tank gelled and the boiler shut off... we returned from vacation 5-days later to a frozen house). We will have to remove the windows in the basement to put in egress windows but all the other windows will stay. House was built in 1931 so I'm not sure what material that makes the casements. Thank you all for returning me to my casement window senses!

For the shiny brass, to tone down the shine and minimize expense, you could try Rub 'n' Buff which comes in a range of colors, inc antique brass. I'm not sure how it holds up under something like doorknobs that are handled regularly, but it might be worth a try. What do the doors themselves look like? What color are they? I think if you already have more contemporary and transitional hardware in place that it negates any effort to be more of a purist with the new addition. I would probably be most interested in introducing some more unity with the new choices, so if that means more black, but on levers, or all door knobs, I think that would work. We have Weiser's matte black Aspen levers which aren't overly fussy or traditional, and I like them. I would have preferred Emtek or Baldwin but it wasn't in the budget and we're limited to what we get reasonably priced in Canada, sigh. http://www.weiserlock.com/en/Products/ProductSeries/WelcomeHome/Aspen.aspx I hate to say it, but I think I probably need some sort of list or a schematic drawing of the house with the various additions, and the hardware for each addition noted, to keep all of this straight, and that's after several big mugs of coffee already lol.