Houzz Tour: More Living Room and Light in a Minnesota Update

@judygilpin It's very possible your grandparent's home had black windows in the 1920s. Metal windows were available around 1860 but didn't become popular until after 1890. The main reasons were technology allowing mass production and devastating fires in a number of cities. This increased strict fire codes for industrial and multi-story commercial/office buildings.

The use of rolled steel metal windows continued until after WWII when cheaper non-corroding aluminum windows became popular. Corrosion was predominate in the use of steel windows. Eventually it was formulated how to save any steel window that was still sound by extensive methods. Once again, technology aided manufactures in regard to paint, primers, caulks and rust removal applications of chemicals instead of the usual use of propane or oxyacetylene torch. The old painted steel windows were full of lead and use of the torch caused toxic fumes. Also improved was weatherization of windows which began after WWII.

Metal windows of houses were painted all sorts of colours. Prior to 1890s, houses were generally painted in a dark hue. The trim and details including windows were even darker hues. At the turn of the century, things began to change and the trend of exterior paints also changed to lighter hues. The Victorian age had passed.

In 1921, Titanium white was introduced and became very popular on the inside as well as the outside of the house on window frames. Window frames ran the gauntlet from white to brown to black depending on the tastes of the owner/builder. One saw ochres, umbers, creams and fawns for limewashes.

Those houses that had the Victorian and Tudor as well as Edwardian look continued with the same earthy colours with darker tones for window trims. Many houses focused more on local of style between 1914-1945. The same bungalow house in California had a totally different look than a bungalow on the east coast or even a different style if it was on the "third" coast. The ranges of colours for window frames varied as much as there were styles developed.

The fact that your grandparents' house had black framed windows is probably a heritage choice not only for the builder/owners but for the local. It would be a rare colour choice of black for the sunny south on the same style bungalow.

That house is awesome in white, inside and out!