“We wanted to have a very rustic feel,” said Jennifer Livne, co-owner with her husband Udi of 1881 Kitchen, a new restaurant in Port Chester, New York. Livne was referring to the couple’s decision to renovate the building, which dates back to 1881, rather than opt to demolish and rebuild. Not only did they want the challenge, they wanted to honor both the town and the building’s unique heritage.
The building, constructed nearly 150 years ago, has been a library, various clothing stores, and even a speakeasy before becoming the restaurant it is today. Reopened this summer after a complete renovation, it is now home to a sought-after restaurant led by renowned French chef Frank Azulay, offering inspired Mediterranean cuisine.
Once they decided to preserve and renovate the original building, they began their search for contractors to help bring their vision to life, and reached out to our partners “Bronze Connection” for windows and doors. Upon seeing our corten steel windows, they instantly knew these were perfect for their project. Jennifer admired the metal’s rusty, aged look, describing it as “warm, very old, but modern.” They would, she knew, perfectly complement the building’s character.
The original storefront windows were small, allowing very little natural light into the long, narrow building. The solid wood door, which featured very little glass, also blocked light, contributing to an uninviting appearance. The owners felt the existing windows wouldn’t showcase the cozy interior they wanted to create.
Understanding their concerns, we proposed large, slim-profile steel windows to maximize natural light. We also designed solid oak doors with plenty of glass to further brighten the space. White oak was chosen, stained to complement the corten steel windows, enhancing both functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Corten steel is remarkable for forming a layer of rust that protects against corrosion, ensuring long-lasting durability and structural integrity. This protective layer forms faster when treated with a special solution that accelerates the oxidation process. The evolving façade changes with exposure to weather, adding unique character and depth to its surroundings.
It was for these reasons that Jennifer and Udi were excited to choose corten steel. “We wanted to have a rustic feel,” Jennifer explained. Also, by using the pre-existing building, the couple had an interesting foundation to work with. Udi, whose background is in real estate and property management, saw in the building the potential to create a modern restaurant that retained the warmth, charm, and feel of an older era.
To create this atmosphere, the pair didn’t stop with corten windows. Inside, inspired by the windows, they designed a drop ceiling with steel paneling, which they impressively treated themselves to resemble the corten steel windows. They sourced antiques and repurposed items to complement their vision, designing custom pieces for anything they couldn’t find. A New York blacksmith crafted the restaurant’s many metal fixtures, adding a unique touch to the interior. In the kitchen, they installed a stunning copper-topped French oven and built a German meat-ager using repurposed Belgian black stone. Custom blocks of Himalayan salt were embedded into the meat ager.
The finished product speaks for itself. Stunning corten steel windows with clean, precise lines, offering an arresting view into the restaurant’s uniquely interesting interior.
To explore more about corten steel you can here.
If you have a project in mind, or would simply like to know more about our range of windows and doors, please feel free to give us a call today at 718-403-0300 for a free consultation.
With all of the work that goes into ensuring you get the perfect windows and doors to suit your home’s exterior, it can be easy to overlook your home’s interior. Although ultra-slim profile windows and doors will help bring light into your home, without the right interior doors, that light won’t be distributed evenly throughout your home. This is where interior steel doors and partitions come in. Not only will they brighten it up even further, interior doors and partitions offer additional privacy as well as a greater sense of space within your home.
Whether it’s to add a modern element to a more traditional home, or to add an industrial finish to a more modern style of home, interior steel doors and partitions can be a great way to transform the feel of your home’s interior. This article will give you some helpful tips on what to look out for when it comes to considering interior doors and partitions for your home.
Aesthetically, slimline interior steel doors and partitions, which feature large glass panels and minimal sight lines, offer unrivaled potential for your home’s interior.
As a result of this, they have seen a massive increase in popularity in recent years and it’s not difficult to see why. Steel-framed interior doors and partitions are an exceptionally versatile way of doing more with less in your home.
Steel’s strength means that slimmer and sleeker frames and sight lines can be achieved easier than with wood for example. Smaller frames mean more glass on display. More glass means more light, which means a brighter home that looks and feels more spacious.
This not only suits modern homes, but also homes with industrial or even mid-century looks.
An ideal way to maximize space and light within your home, our sleek interior Steel Door will open any space up. Interior steel doors look at home in every environment. Whether it’s to separate the living room from the kitchen; to seal off and display your walk-in wardrobe; or even just to bring some much-needed light into a room.
These doors are available as hinged, sliding, or as bi-fold (sliding-folding), or pivot. Each has their own unique benefits and appeal based on your tastes and the amount of space available in your home.
Sliding doors are an excellent choice where space makes a hinged door difficult to open.
Assembly brackets can be built into the wall, ensuring that the door can be seamlessly incorporated into any living space. Perfect for both classic and contemporary homes, our slimline, powder-coated steel-framed interior doors create privacy without sacrificing any natural light.
Our doors are custom-designed to suit your home’s aesthetic or specific needs and and can be finished in any standard RAL colour.
Perfect for a walk-in wardrobe or simply to brighten up and connect spaces. Click to enlarge
Our custom-made, ultra-slim interior steel room partitions are the ideal way to separate spaces within your home. Furthermore, whether it’s to add light into a hallway or a room, or simply to add a sense of privacy into a bathroom, interior steel partitions enhance every environment.
Everyone knows that custom-made is better made. Open Architectural Windows and Doors work with each client to design doors and partitions which reflect their unique tastes. We don’t believe you should have to settle for a cookie-cutter approach to interior doors and partitions. We value your tastes and our goal is to help you create doors and partitions which reflect that. Available in a variety of metals, our doors and partitions are completely customizable. This includes everything from the style of door, down to the type of metal, glass, muntin, and handle.
Available in Powder Coated Galvanised Steel, Stainless Steel, Corten Steel and Bronze. Learn more about our most popular types below.
For many years now, powder coating has been the preferred method for finishing aluminum entry doors.One of the most popular and effective methods of finishing entry doors, powder coating is a polyester-based coating method that uses consistently sized, dry polyester microbeads, which have an electrostatic charge, that enables them to adhere to base materials.
Powder coating creates a stronger, more durable and more resilient finish than paint and is useful on products that will need to stand up to harsh weather conditions. It is an excellent way to protect and ensure the longevity of your door.
An increasingly popular finish for all types of doors is VEROmetal.
Vero metal is available in up to 20 metal variations—each of which can easily be sprayed, rolled, poured, or applied by hand to windows and doors. The metal of your choice is bonded with a resin to form a liquid metal that, once applied, can provide additional protection against corrosion to the unit, extending its life even further. Its lightweight nature, as well as its physical and metallurgical properties, means that it is a uniquely simple way to improve the quality of windows and increase the fire resistance, and UV protection of your windows and doors.
Notably, the metal can be applied to any material, including aluminum, steel, vinyl, and more. Vero metal can elevate vinyl or aluminum windows with the addition of steel; or elevate steel windows or doors with a layer of bronze or copper.
We offer a vast selection of sleek and elegant door handles for your interior door. Custom-made to suit your interior. We also offer a variety of locking systems. Below is simply a selection of some of our handles. Click to enlarge.
There are certain styles, and colors that will be more suitable for certain rooms and home. For example, rooms in which children play, or the risk of falling is greater (bathrooms and showers), it is important to choose doors or partitions with child-friendly (safety) glass. Similarly, with regards to wine cellars or cabinets, where room temperature is a concern. We can help you find the right door or partition for your home.
Below you can see a selection of photos of recent custom profiles designed for our clients. As you can see, each unit has exceptionally slim sight lines. Elegant and sleek, our custom-made interior steel doors and partitions can be tailored to suit any environment. Click to enlarge
Another recent custom profile, a shop drawing, and a rendering. Click to enlarge.
We know that no two people have the same tastes which is why all of our interior steel doors and partitions are customizable. From the style of door, to the frame material, everybody wants to find the find right one for their homes. For more information about steel in general, you can read our article on steel windows here.
Contact us today or send us an email to set up your free consultation.
OPEN Architectural Windows and Doors: Making your architectural plans a reality.
Although ultra-modern, groundbreaking design isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you mention Upstate New York, we were very pleased to work on this unique project. Designed by HGX Architect, the project was a striking combination of glass, wood, and steel. We designed a unique curtain wall system for the front elevation featuring a series of floor-to-ceiling 4×13 ft units. To complement the wooden siding, we also designed a custom wood-clad door.
You can read more about the beauty of slimline steel windows here
| Architect: Jason Goldstein, LLP |
| Location: Germantown, New York |
| Area: 3200 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2020 |
This Manhattan East 62nd Street townhouse entry door was one of our favourite projects to work on. As traditional, solid wood doors become less common, we wanted to create a door which looked both as elegant and as sturdy as the classic entry doors seen around parts of New York City. Wooden entry doors are timeless and there’s a good reason why they’ve been popular for centuries. Now, however, advances in technology mean they can be as efficient as other metals and composite materials. The owner opted for wood type. To finish, we helped the owner settle on some ornate, decorative accents as well as understated but distinguished brass features.
Explore a wide range of entry door types and materials in the Entry Doors catalog.
| Architect: Sandra G. Lawson, Hugh J. Lawson |
| Location: New York, NY |
| Area: 35 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2020 |
Luxury Car Dealership, situated in Midtown Manhattan, this was the first car dealership for which we created a custom steel and glass curtain wall system. We designed 15,000 sq ft of oversized units to complement the building’s sleek, minimalist aesthetic. Open AWD also designed custom paneling as well as a custom awning to sit atop the revolving entry door.
| Architect: SLCE Architects, LLP |
| Location: New York, NY |
| Area: 1600 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2021 |
The Fitzroy West 24th Street, located within reach of the iconic Highline, is a striking residential building featuring a terra cotta façade and Open Architectural custom copper-clad oak windows. This building is a collaborative effort between legendary design team Roman and Williams and developers JDS Development Group. The striking copper-clad oak windows bring the building’s façade to life. This large-scale project boasts over (200) custom copper clad windows, and numerous other copper finishes. The beautiful copper windows do not sacrifice function. The double and triple glazed glass and superior installation ensures that the windows are soundproofed from the busy exterior, and allow for energy efficient heating and cooling.
| Architect: The Vilnits Group |
| Location: New York, NY |
| Area: 7733 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2019 |
Nestled in the cobblestone streets of Northern Tribeca, 440 Washington is a new mid-rise residential building. Open Architectural supplied hundreds of windows and doors for this new build project. The oversized windows and slim profiles offer unbroken views of the city. In keeping with the aesthetic of the neighborhood, Open Architectural supplied oversized arch-top windows for the top floors of the complex.
| Architect: Oaklander, Coogan &Vitto, PC Architects |
| Location: New York, NY |
| Area: 11984 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2018 |
This home on Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn is a landmark Queen Anne-style carriage house that, in the 19th century, housed horses and coachmen for a large estate. The unconventional shape of the home, which features a distinct Flemish Gable, is a nod to the rich history of the neighborhood. The unique home allowed us to design unique circular windows, arched windows, and large arching steel doorways. The factory finished steel windows and doors bring modernity to the landmark house, all while preserving its magnificent history and charm.
| Architect: N-Plus Architecture and Design RSVP Architecture Studio PLLC |
| Location: Brooklyn, NY |
| Area: 624 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2018 |
Worcester Art Museum, designed by WHY Architects, includes an elegant new staircase with granite steps and a steel frame. The main concept of our project was to use modern aluminum windows to replicate the geometry of the existing windows, including thermally efficient exterior and interior custom made extrusions. For installation of oversized IGUs we used a combination of lifting equipment such as cranes, glass manipulators etc.
| Architect: Joshua Fiedler, AIA, Fieldworkshop |
| Location: Worcester, MA |
| Area: 8799 sq.ft |
| Year of completion: 2020 |
For over 14 years, Open AWD has been trying to right this wrong by supplying first-class Double-Hung Windows to homeowners and architects seeking to restore landmark projects to their original beauty.
The United States is a country where landmark buildings are highly esteemed yet it’s not uncommon to see neglected brownstone townhouses scattered throughout New York, Boston, or San Francisco.
Take, for example, an old townhouse in Brooklyn Heights. The owner is tired of drafts and leaks, and they would like to replace them. No element of renovation – or even construction – is harder than choosing which windows are right for your home, and there is much to consider.
In many towns and cities, there are areas where double-hung windows are required due to each city’s historic zoning regulations. In many cases, only double-hung windows are permitted, and local landmark commissions strictly enforce this. It is crucial to understand your local zoning regulations before ordering anything.
Windows and doors on the front facade should be designed to complement the architecture of the building and the surrounding subtly and effectively. You can read more on some design options for double-hung windows below.
To explore more about New York Landmark Preservation Movement and Our Landmark Projects follow the link
True Double-Hung WIindow
The original design and functionality, combined with the modern capabilities of the IGU double-circuit seals and hardware, are both classic and modern.
Single-Hung Window
Based on our opinion and our research, people often only use the lower sash. As a result, if the upper sash is rarely used, a single-hung window is a much better idea. In terms of soundproofing and energy efficiency, it will require less hardware and, as a result, will come with a lower price.
Simulated Double-Hung Window
We developed a combination of traditional-looking windows and technical European style. Because of their construction, simulated-hung windows can actually be more energy-efficient than true double-hung windows. This is because they have more moving parts, which increases the likelihood of air leaks. The sliding sashes allow air to enter or escape, especially if the windows are older and have not been properly maintained or weatherstripped. A huge difference is a sach multipoint locking system where the sash is pressed tightly against the frame along the entire perimeter and does not slide along the guides in the frame. This allows us to achieve the best thermal and sound proofing performance. We use limiters, which ensures safety; all our windows comply with the New York code requirements.
Insect screens are available for any opening types.
The main advantage of using wood for landmark windows is that it can be customized to match the exact measurements of the original window. Firstly, there’s wood, a classic choice with various types such as Scandinavian pine, ash, and oak. Also, we use teak, mahogany, and other exclusively sorted woods.
However, it’s important to understand that a wooden window with glass is always a wise choice.
For a more modern look, a combination of wood with metal cladding can provide both coziness in the inside of the house and style on the outside. Seamlessly blending with the architecture, wood-clad metal windows are also resistant to environmental challenges.
You can learn more about this type of windows and the available hardware by downloading the detailed catalog here.
Balances: Balances are mechanisms within the window frame that help counterbalance the weight of the sash, making it easier to open and close the window smoothly. There are various types of balances used in single-hung windows, including block-and-tackle, balances (also known as coil spring balances).
The world of windows can be daunting and overwhelming with technical jargon and many, many different parts to choose from. With this guide, we’re going to introduce you to some of the more common types of window balances, explain how they function and give a brief overview of how to replace them. If there isn’t a direct replacement, as is common, we will discuss newer, modern technology that you can convert your windows to.
Balances: Traditional double-hung windows are counterweighted, using two window balances concealed within the window frame. The weight of the balances help offset the sash’s weight, making it easier to open and close the window.
A window balance (sometimes called a sash balance, window spring, or window “balancer” is a somewhat hidden window component sitting inside the window frame. Window balances are only found in double-hung or single windows and counterbalance the weight of the sash assisting you with opening and closing your windows. Window balances are found in both residential and commercial windows.
There are four common window balances found in residential windows. We’ll introduce them to you from the oldest to the newest.
The cord and weight balance system was the first type of balance system installed in sash windows. If your home has older wood windows they may operate with a cord and weight or chain and weight balance system.
Fun Fact: Prior to the invention of this counterbalance system, the operable sash had to be propped open with sticks, hinge systems↗
How do cord and weight window balance systems work?
Windows with cord and weight balance systems have a box built into each side of the window (the jambs) where cast iron or lead weights are suspended. The weights are attached to a cotton cord that extends up the jamb, over a pulley, and onto the operable sash.
In order to counterbalance the weight of the window, the weight in the jambs has to match the weight of the sash. Equal weight creates a perfect balance and allows the window sash to move smoothly.
In order to counterbalance the weight of the window, the weight in the jambs has to match the weight of the sash. Equal weight creates a perfect balance and allows the window sash to move smoothly.
Rope and Pulley Window Balances
This is the original window balance system. This type of window balances uses large weights to counterbalance the sash. These weights are hidden in cavities beyond the jambs. The weights are connected to ropes or chains and travel up and down as the sash is raised or lowered. The most common problem with this type or balance system is that the ropes will fray and break over time. The most common solution to this problem is to simply replace the chains. Depending on your window you may be able to upgrade to a newer balance system.
How do constant force window balances work?
Constant force window balances work by using a stainless steel rolled coil spring. The spring is similar to a tape measure that extends and coils and, like other balance systems, it’s located in a pocket in the jamb. Manufacturers use a computer program to provide the perfect counterbalance for each window based on the window’s dimensions. The window’s dimensions determine the number of coils used in the balance system.
The spring in this system should hold its tension forever, in fact, most windows with this balance offer lifetime parts warranty. This system doesn’t use cords that can wear and tear or parts that can rust.
Coil spring window balances are a type of constant force window balance. These balances work by using stainless steel, coiled spring as a counterbalance. This type of balance system is designed to be more durable and quieter than other balance systems. There are several parts to a coil spring balance system: the coil, the balance spring cover, the balance drum, and the pivot lock shoe. To find replacements for your balances it is best if we have pictures of your current balance system along with your sash weight.
Clock Spring window balances are an older style window balance, often found in older wood windows. This type of balances is similar to the previously mentioned coil spring balances in that they use a coiled metal spring to counter balance the weight of the sash. There are a two ways these balances can be mounted in your jamb, overhead or side mounted.
6 Jambs: The jambs are the vertical parts of the window frame that help hold the sashes in place when the window is closed. They play a vital role in providing a secure seal to prevent drafts, water infiltration, and noise from entering the building.
9 Locks and Latches: Single-hung windows come with locks or latches that secure the window when it is closed. These locks are essential for ensuring the window remains shut and also provide an added layer of security to the building.
Sash locks are mechanisms located at the meeting rail that secure the two sashes together when the window is closed. They ensure a tight seal and improve security by preventing unauthorized access from the outside.
In modern double-hung windows, jamb liners are often used instead of traditional window balances. Jamb liners contain the window balances to aid in the smooth movement of the sashes.
Understanding the various parts of double-hung windows not only enriches your knowledge of architecture but also empowers you to make informed decisions when maintaining, repairing, or replacing these windows.
Whether you are preserving the historic charm of an old home or seeking to enhance the beauty of a new one, double-hung windows offer timeless elegance and functionality that continues to withstand the test of time.
Still have questions about double-hung windows? Contact the OpenAWD Team! We’ve got experts ready to give you answers.
