Generally window grills do not bother me when it comes to potentially blocking a view. I do not recall a time when a grill has blocked my view; if it did, I probably moved one inch one way or the other to see whatever I was looking at.

Window grills can enhance a homes exterior design and define the separation between the inside and outside; and can be used as a design tool to help create the experience of space.

Thanks Mark - I appreciate your point of view.

Two houses ago, we built an addition on a house that overlooked a 50-acre lake. The rest of the house had windows with grills, so we did the same on the addition. And there were a lot of windows on that addition. We regretted the grills because they chopped up the view. If we did it again, we would have done full glass.

This was a 1990-era house. Nothing mid-century about it. I don't connect that era with non-grill glass.

Would a folding door be a better solution? That large span might not be best in hurricane prone location.

Will look into the folding door idea, thanks.

Window grills are a negative for me when a exceptional view is available.

And if you are doing a lanai, it expands your living space tremendously. But these have to be engineered into design of build. Hard to retrofit.

We have a 1980’s shingle style house on the coast of Maine. We have grills on the top half of our windows, plain glass on the bottom. It was a money saving answer back in the day, when bigger panes of glass were so much more expensive.

I wonder if your architect is not designing the house you want. I might address this with him. For me, a large window with grilles would break up the view. It might even feel confining with larger windows and busy panes/

I would do no-grills. Also keep in mind that when you're looking at a singular item (in this case, one window, or a set of windows), you may tend to want to make that item say what you need it to say, but that is not more important than the item's function. In this case, you need the unimpeded view (as much as possible). Don't forget that there will be a lot of other elements to get your new house to reflect the style that you need it to. And that includes everything from the shapes, to the materials, to the exterior flooring, to the landscaping and patio furniture, exterior lighting fixtures... Let the windows show it all, and not be where the eye stops. That's my 2cents.

Most of the back of our house, with the views, is made up of 10 ft tall sliders (Euro-wall) and we chose not to have any grills on them. The architect had first drawn them in with grills, but we decided we wanted the large clear spans of glass.

The few windows that also face the back views (large triple in master bedroom and small single in pool bathroom) have window grills that match the rest of the house.

We have only 2 horizontal grills splitting windows into 3 glass panes, except for the large tall dining room windows that have 3 horizontal grills and 4 glass panes, to match the proportions of the other windows.

What hasn't been discussed is the grill type on the windows. We chose Marvin windows with simulated divided lites with spacer bars to give the windows a more 3-dimensional look, inside and outside.

Grilles, Simulated Divided lites with Internal Spacers or True Divided Lites? What does your house look like (not an internet picture)? Never, ever grilles alone on large windows or doors.

I love wide open windows for a great view. Sliders are also lovely. We have 16 feet of glass with sliders. Love it.

A lot of older houses on the northeast coast unapologetically mix plate glass with true divided lite windows in order to take advantage of views. I think it can work.

Do what you like. Visitors to our traditionally styled home comment on the view of the large backyard, seen through the living room wall with 7' French doors with snap in grilles. When the grilles are out while the glass is washed, the character of the house changes. I don't like it without the grilles, but then I never liked 'picture windows' when they were 'in'. I also dislike highrise apartments where the glass goes to the floor. I want to BE in, looking OUT.

The description of your house sounds beautiful, but I don't think you said how large the windows will be. If not huge, SDLs may be pretty, even if just in some windows.

We ust built a small ADU that has a pretty view of our yard (and lake, once we clear some trees). We used SDLs in our windows, but made sure the panes of glass are large enough to not hinder the view too much.

We are in such an early stage, design-wise, that I don’t have actual measurements. They go all the way to the floor though, and probably 6-7 feet high. I will post a photo of the sketch as soon as possible.

Our home has 360 views, which was the single most important part of our build. I absolutely don’t regret the grids. Yours eyes simple don’t focus on them when you have an expansive view beyond. We went with a simple 2 over 2. One possible regret was doing in glass grids (which I did on purpose for cleaning) vs SDL which have a more tradtional, realistic look to me.

M R - would you mind posting a photo?

Muntins (not “grilles”) enhance the view. They do not detract from it.

Stylistically, if you prefer traditional styles, muntins are a must. If you prefer modern, muntins are undesirable.

I agree with M R that grilles “disappear” when the view is where you eyes are focusing. But it’s easier to comment when we can see the style of the house. Do you have any photos of what you are building?

This is the first (and only) drawing we've received (it's of the back of the house, which faces the water). We are in the very beginning stages of the design process so everything about this will change. However, we do want to take advantage of those views, and we do want the living room space to flow into the outdoor deck/pool space.. outdoor living is possible most of the year there. We like the layout of this design, the shape of the house, the orientation to the water... just feels a bit too MCM to me.

I realize that grills/muntins/any divided window is more appropriate in traditional architecture than in modern; but what we are hoping for is a sort of hybrid. We want the house to feel like a modern interpretation of the classic north Florida cracker cottage style that is prevalent where we're building. There are lots of examples of that locally. Elements of that would include wood siding (especially board & batten), shutters, and possibly divided glass... To me the windows that have square or close-to-square panes read more modern/industrial, and that's the sort of look I like.

Hope these photos help clarify.. and thanks for all the input!

well, it really depends on the someone's personal taste on what kind of window you want. that is your house but for me i would go for non-grilles window.

The theory of 'hybrid' often turns into the reality of 'train wreck'.

Wood on outside of home in Florida will attract termites which are also highly prevalent there. Might want to make sure you use appropriate cementuous type board and batten if that is your choice. If you are new to Florida, you also need to keep in mind you are in "hurricane alley", so oversized windows need to be well thought out using latest technology for safety.

Flo - I meant Hardie board, just using "wood" in the sense of appearance, sorry - should have been more clear! I've had a home here for 30 years, and where we are building codes require hurricane rated windows, so that's what we'll be doing.

Mark - would you call the photo of the bedroom (with floor to ceiling windows) contemporary or traditional? To my eye it has elements of both. Perhaps I'm not using the correct terminology. I don't believe in a strictly binary approach to design, and I know that many houses down here in N. Florida use traditional regional "cracker" elements combined with more modern shapes and spaces. That's what we are aiming for...

If the shape of the house feels "too MCM" for you, simply changing the windows to a more "traditional" or "industrial" muntin window is not going to ameliorate the MCM-ness of the house. That lies in the volumes of the house itself, and it may end up looking nothing more nor less than an MCM-inspired house with the wrong windows.

Above I showed Older houses with some plate-glass windows, and along Central Park for example, you will see lots of Beaux Arts and some Late Victorian apartment buildings where the windows have been replace with plate glass, which causes a mix on the facades for one. But I think "modernization" of a property in that way can at least make some chronological sense, because the building is moving forward, alteration-wise.

The problem is when the alteration grafts an older element onto a more modern style. IOW, a glass box extension on the back of a Victorian rowhouse, may at least make some sense. A Victorian-style addition tacked onto a glass box, not so much.

This fairly distressed house is right above Chateau Marmont and has great views, which is most of what it has going on for it right now. It's not in great condition and the changes have not been kind to the interior.

To me this is signaled right from the front door, where they added a neo-Victorian fanlight door and some scroll-y wrought iron handrail to the front door, probably because both were cheaper and more readily available at the Laurel Canyon Home Depot ( I am sure there is not one of those). Easily remedied, in the big picture, but you want to avoid doing similar right from the get-go. I am not saying muntins are necessarily "all wrong" but I think you need to evaluate what it is you expect to "gain" from them design-wise.

palimpsest - good observation re: going forward vs. going back. It’s a good way to think of it, especially in terms of renovations/modernizations. I think the sort of windows I’m envisioning are neither traditional nor particularly modern - but to my eye they read a bit more modern/industrial if anything. I would certainly never consider tacking a Palladian window or something similar on to this house. I’m just looking for a divided window that will be harmonious with the existing architecture. I think that’s possible. I wonder whether I’ll regret “breaking up” the views.

Try out horizontal only muntins and see how that looks in a drawing.

Diana - I agree. Thanks.

So I love the picture of your house. But it for side is not Florida cracker style at all.

So my understanding is that the essential Florida Cracker House is this, a primary characteristic being the deep, shaded porch, simple rectangular forms and usually raised for air flow.

This house by Brillhart Architecture of Miami is described as a contemporary study on the Florida Cracker. As far as I can tell, it has 2 deep shaded porches, with a rectangular pavilion down the middle, and is elevated off the ground--in essence it has three characteristics of crackers executed as a Miesian box. I can see the vernacular house expressed in the contemporary form of the Brillhart house just from a few pictures.

palimpsest- I was looking at the Brillhart house today! This is what I was trying to get at, in terms of the Florida cracker elements. Beautiful.

The thing is that Brillhart house is not a contemporary design with Florida Cracker-looking elements tacked on. Its a completely contemporary house that utilizes the same sort of anti-technology aspects for cooling and ventilation and since those thing work for a traditional cracker they used them here, and that pretty much determines the shape of the house (except it has a flat roof)

It's closer in form to Farnsworth House, it's just that Farnsworth house was not designed to be well ventilated and I don't think the orientation of the deep porch considers the sun, I am not sure. (However Edith Farnsworth did convert the porch to a screen porch during her lifetime. It looked like crap but it prevented her from living inside a solar oven to some extent.

Show these pics to your architect?

The floor to ceiling windows in the "photo of the bedroom" reminds me of factories designed by Albert Kahn.

To the question of whether you'll regret breaking up the view. If you have a higher quality view you may not yet realize its capacity to add value to your daily life because you haven't experienced it yet. The view changes throughout the day and night as well as seasonally. The experience is better than a large artwork. Think of placing grills in front of a piece of art on a large scale. Not a choice anyone makes. You may want sheer window treatments for some situations. But you control those. Grills are always blocking.

I wonder if the shutters on the Brillhart house are taken off when expecting a hurricane? Photos don't make them look hurricane proof.

That house must be in a neighborhood and the shutters are used for privacy control.

I don't like all the shadows and light patterns created by the shutters inside.

Should probably go google an article on the house to answer my own questions! lol