Glass

Certain trends come and go. Every now and then, however, when a truly phenomenal trend surfaces, it sticks around. Such is the case when it comes to homeowners’ desire to invite an abundance of natural light inside their home. The way to do that, of course, is by installing massive and plentiful windows and doors.

“It’s all about the glass,” says Cori Brown, CEO of Franklin Window & Door and Co-Owner of the Glass House Gallery by Franklin Window & Door. “Homeowners want to make a seamless transition to the exterior, morphing the inside and outside together.”

You know what they say: bigger is better, and that mantra certainly holds true here as more and more homeowners are requesting even bigger glass. In fact, they are designing their homes around glass by installing massive glass window walls that showcase the beauty of pure glass, and, by extension, provide uninterrupted views. Basement-to-second-floor all-glass windows are popular as are all-glass stairwells that serve to brighten up multiple levels.

“We’ve seen contemporary houses where you can see all the way through, from front to back, because it’s complete walls of glass,” says Brown.

Last year Scott Campbell, owner of Scott Campbell Custom Homes and Development, built such a home for Home-a-Rama (HAR) that everyone referred to as the “glass house.” The name was apropos given that as you step inside, you look straight through the entry to a tower of glass. The same is true of the great room, which features floor-to-ceiling windows. Even the stairwell, itself, is all within a solid wall of glass.

“It’s extraordinarily dramatic,” says Campbell. “The windows really are the jewel of that house.”

The Glass House Gallery by Franklin Window & Door, located inside the Indiana Design Center, offers all who enter a personalized and professional solution to any design issue that has to do with windows, doors, and door hardware.

“We offer a team approach unlike any other,” says Brown. “We are a design-centric firm, which is why we chose the Indiana Design Center to house our showroom.”

A handful of members from the Franklin Window & Door team meet with the architect, builder, interior designer, and clients for each and every project.

“That’s a much different process than your typical building experience,” says Brown. “We are not order takers. We help in the design and build phases, literally working hand-in-hand with all of these people throughout the building process.”

“When packages get expensive, Scott and Cori Brown are good at coming up with value engineering,” says Campbell. “They still achieve a worthy look but help their clients get a lot of bang for their buck.”

Emerging Trends

Brown states “a noteworthy trend to highlight is in narrow stiles and door rails.” Traditional doors had five-inch sides and a 12-inch bottom. With contemporary construction, however, homeowners want to show as much glass and as little wood as possible.

“Steel is the look that everyone picks out for doors,” says Brown, noting that they offer phenomenal real-deal steel entry systems imported from the Netherlands that come with a much higher price point. For homeowners who are interested in a more costfriendly option, they offer wood-clad Marvin doors that are wood on the inside and aluminum-clad on the outside. All around the door is only three inches so it gives the appearance of structural steel without incurring the high price point. The 2022 HAR in Chatham Hills included a home built by Carrington Homes that featured this unique front entry door.

Luxury door height used to be 8 feet tall, but now it can go up to 10 or 12 feet. The Glass House Gallery has done a lot to bring these trends into reality by offering options that aren’t available elsewhere.

“Scott, Cori, and their team do a great job providing high-end window and door options for our clients who are wanting the best that is available,” says Carl McIntyre, owner of Carrington Homes. “Windows and doors are a challenging category so it’s really nice to be working with such a great team.”

Campbell wholeheartedly agrees.

“I love working with Scott and Cori because they make every project fun,” says Campbell. “They not only bring their expertise to every project, but they also think outside the box, which I do, too.”

Franklin Widow & Door also imports top-of-the-line pivot doors from Italy. Brown warns that pivot doors must be installed correctly to ensure no issues will arise down the road.

“You have to remember that wood is a natural substance that’s going to expand and contract in heat and cold, which causes warping,” says Brown. Fortunately, at Franklin Window & Door, they offer several solutions. For example, they have drop seals in addition to deadbolt activated multi-points, which means the door locks in three locations to keep the head and the foot in alignment to prevent warping.

Another growing trend is to have big sliding wall systems that open to create a wide-open indoor/outdoor entertainment area.

“We’re doing those on almost all of our luxury residential homes,” says Brown.

Pass-through systems that allow the homeowner to literally pass food or drinks from an indoor to an outdoor space are also popular, both in basement bars and kitchens.

“We’re always going to be faced with some headache that will surface, whether we’re doing new construction or remodeling. That’s the nature of building,” says Campbell. “Scott and Cori have a wonderful team and service department that’s so accommodating and at our fingertips anytime we need anything.”

If you’re ready to take your home to the next level with glass, visit the Glass House Gallery Showroom.

Walk-ins and/or appointments are welcome five days a week. Learn more about their entire product suite and hours of operation by visiting theglasshousegallery.com or franklinwindowanddoor.com.