Subwindow furniture

Exploit the space under the windows

The windows are those elements through which our house breathes and they serve as a filter with the outside world.
When open they allow the entry of natural light and air, when closed they shelter us from the cold weather or from the extreme heat of the hot summer days.
Through proper shielding, they allow the use of the landscape, but protect us from any prying eyes.

In short, the windows are one of the most important elements of the structure of our house.
Their positioning may vary depending on the shape of the house itself: we find the most classic placed at about 1 m from the ground and with a height that varies between 0.90 and 1.20 m; they can be long and narrow, so-called ribbon windows or, alternatively, if we are in an attic, they can be placed in the roof.

In the article we will deal with the first case, the classic windows, to understand how to exploit the space between the decking and railing.

In the space under the windows are frequently housed the radiating elements, the so-called radiators, but thanks to the spread of the thermo furniture, which are to furnish the house and, at the same time to warm it up, the classic positioning of radiators under the windows is gradually disappearing.
We see, then, with what to decorate and how to take advantage of this space.

Furniture under the window

The best way to exploit the area under the window is by accommodating the furniture; but it must have some very precise characteristics: height must be such as to enable the door opening and a complete visual enjoyment of the exterior, as well as having a depth as to facilitate the opening of the doors themselves, without having to bend with the body excessively.
Therefore it will place a specially designed furniture, with a depth not exceeding 50 cm.

If below the window there is the classic recess, the best solution would be to design a custom furniture, designed specifically on the space to be filled; nothing prevents, however, to collect the chosen furniture, clearly with the size such as to fit the space. If instead we have a continuous surface, there are many solutions on the market to be taken to make the most of this area.

The most suitable furniture to occupy this type of space is the kitchen cupboard, the piece of furniture equipped with doors and floor to be exploited for the housing of books, vases, frames and ornaments of any kind.



The first product we present is a kneading trough by Cattelan Italia: designed by Alessio Bassan is a cabinet in matt, lacquered wood in white or oyster color. It features top in extra clear white painted, varnished or oyster or gray colors. Inside it has internal shelves in clear glass and is available in different variants: the most suitable for the requirements described above is the version with a thickness of 46 cm and a height of 50 cm. This will make it possible to place even furnishings without obstruction problem.



Another valid and original alternative would be to house a hanging unit: in this case the cabinet is perfect to fill the space at the bottom of a ribbon window. An example is given by Aly Glass by Bontempi, matt lacquered wooden cabinet with glass doors top and shiny.
From the line are available versions with matching lacquered feet with retractable socket or, in fact, hanging at a height of about 30 cm from the ground.



Very interesting, because very original in the forms and finishes, are the cupboards produced by Doimo Idea: one that lends itself well to the housing under a window is designed by One Interno75design. It is a cabinet with three or four lacquered doors or four doors and open compartment; the height is 87 cm and the depth is 49 cm.

Together with cupboards, depending on the space available in the sub-window space, can be accommodated even a desk, a bookcase, a sofa, the kitchen sink and a counter top: in short, depending on the environment, different solutions may be adopted.

We want to give you just a last design idea: if the conformation of your house allows it and you want to configure the sub window area in an unusual way, because not rooted in our tradition, you can place there a bench.
The image that immediately comes to mind is that of the typical Victorian houses in which, below the windows, had placed comfortable chairs to enjoy the view.
The construction of a bench, together with some pillows, will provide a comfortable place to relax; at the same time, the bench will accommodate objects and furniture storage.