Transom windows always make us think of the doors in the turn-of-the-century building where we attended primary school. But you'll spot the feature in homes of that period, too:
They've got a great vintage-y vibe. Not only do they look cool, but operable ones are functional too, moving air around in high-ceiling-ed spaces and providing shared natural light between rooms. Any readers out there have transoms in their homes? Wish we did...
- 1 from Domino's how to: add a transom window
- 2 a modern transom from ATNY's House Tour: Gil's Path to Enlightenment
- 3 a transom above a kitchen range from Sunset's gallery of condo design tips
- 4 from Ohdeedoh's Violet's Urban Tree House
- 5 AT Chicago's Vintage-Style Bathroom
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (10)
Architectural Digest doesn't seem to care whether I'd like to know how to add a transom window. Stupid jerks - they probably think I should hire an architect and a properly-licensed contractor.
My mom has a very old house in New Orleans with a few transom windows in it. They're beautiful and really add to the character of the home.
That Domino link isn't going to work. :(
They finally shut down the website.
My old 1912 house has transom windows over the front and back doors. I love the borrowed light they provide to the inside.
I was just thinking of adding some transom windows in my second floor to pull light into the hall. I was having a ridiculous time remembering what they were called though--"You know, those windows inside with the, you know, pulley things, you know?" just wasn't yielding any google results.
Thanks ApartmentTherapy!
My boyfriend and I rent a 100-year-old row home in Philadelphia, and we've got transoms all over the place. Our neighbors have them, too. I absolutely adore the dynamic quality they bring to a doorway. Horrifically, one of the previous owners of our building filled the one above our bedroom door with corrugated plastic (!). Tragic. And another is painted shut. The rest of the house is beautifully renovated. This post inspires me to begin prodding our landlord to restore the transoms back to their original charm. He would probably be more open to the idea if we offered to do the installation, though... anyone know how involved this might be? I'm pretty handy.
My childhood home has transom windows. (1860s Alabama) A lot of the places with high ceilings from that time period have them.
Elizabeth
http://emblemorstain.blogspot.com
Our 1880's Victorian family home in Galveston has transoms above every door. I was always told that they were to aid in the air circulation both in summer and winter.
many of the homes/apartments in my area have transoms and i absolutely love them aesthetically! i miss them now that i have an attic apt.
never had any that weren't painted shut unfortunately, so not sure about the air circulation thing. but the light flowing from room to room is lovely!
Hmm, but do any of these actually open? They used to be used to let hot air vent out of the building before AC. Same with double-hung windows (which could open from the top or from the bottom.) It would be cool to see a resurgence of these now that people are becoming more concerned about conservation.