Can you eliminate the upper windows and just make the lower windows taller to fill that space? If not, I like the look of #1 best.

Also, have you considered having the whole window raised into the transom area since you say the view is just the deck? The view above looks quite nice.

Personally, I'd either choose all-grid or no grid. And if I chose grid I'd probably mimic what's there currently. That said, is there any chance you can get wood windows? Or rehab the windows that are there? I fear going with white vinyl (I assume) will degrade the look and feel of the beautiful room. The windows are a huge feature right now -- they make the space look expensive, high-end. I fear you're going to lose that. Good luck with your project.

We had considered eliminating the transom, but it would mess up the trim on the interior, since each window is trimmed out separately.

I'm not sure I understand the question about having the whole window raised into the transom. We wouldn't be likely to change things that would cause the interior to be damaged.

I understand about the wood windows and that is a fear I have as well - that vinyl will cheapen the look! I'm not sure we could get wood that would be stained to match the dated wood color, easily? I'm also not sure my husband would be willing to change trajectory at this point. We've gone back and forth with this. He wanted to use wood look vinyl.....I was very against that as I thought there was no chance it would match and that fake wood, next to real would really cheapen the room.

I had a wood Marvin patio door installed which I originally intended to paint to match the rest of the LR trim. The dealer begged me not to and referred me to a guy who does decorative painting. The painter stained the new door to match a piece of furniture in the room. It took him many hours and it looks fantastic and yes it was expensive. But I'll tell you, that door transformed the room from average to elegant. I've never regretted it, even though I'm pretty tight with a buck. Something to think about.

For the back of the house I would have no muntins in the window or the transoms. Open it up to the view.

I do appreciate the food for thought!

These pictures aren't exact with my room, by any means, but they are examples of wood rooms, with white windows.

I would do no grid and if they are going to be fixed anyway, I would see if you could do floor to ceiling windows and eliminate the transom.

Curious, why not add sliding or french doors here, seems like a natural way you would access the deck?

I thought you had already done white vinyl windows at the back of the house. No? I think I'd match them all style-wise.

We had replaced all but that "room" of windows with white vinyl. My husband and I couldn't agree at the time, with what to do with them. He wanted to use wood look vinyl. White vinyl is sort of our compromise as I feel like it's better to not match at all, than have it be close, but not quite.

Is far as why not add a door, I guess because we usually have furniture in front of the windows and there is a door just to the right of those windows, in the kitchen, so another exit seems redundant. The room is such that furniture really needs to be by those windows, or there isn't a place for it, otherwise.

Option 1

Is this a possibility? I did this to doors and transoms on the back of my house, but the division below the transom was much narrower.

It's so hard to get a good picture of these windows because of the light coming in. If we changed it to one window it would mess up the trim around the windows, which is challenging to match since it's older stained trim.