“Diversity cannot be taken for granted.”
Window consultant Lorraine Elsman: choice
You don’t buy windows off the shelf. You plan windows individually. They are after all supposed to match the architecture of the house and its style of decor. Window consultant Lorraine Elsman advises house-owners how to design the perfect Finstral window and knows what to look for when choosing the frame shape, colour and material.
Maximum design freedom – what is so special about that?Lorraine Elsman: true diversity and freedom of design cannot be taken for granted. Anyone working with windows will quickly notice that. On the one hand, you learn about a wealth of possibilities: modern all-glass looks, clever solar protection solutions, various security fittings… that all sounds great at first. However, once you start planning your window, you realise that many features and design options cannot be combined. This is because most custom-made windows ultimately consist of prefabricated modules.
And matters are different with Finstral?Yes, we are one of the very few manufacturers to develop almost all individual components ourselves. For our customers, this means that every detail is conceived and constructed so that everything can be combined with everything else. At least as long as it produces a reasonably practical combination. That is what we mean when we speak of maximum design freedom. And that makes our range into something truly special.
What is typical of Finstral windows?Slim frames. Of course, this varies according to the design style. But, if you compare our windows to other manufactures, you’ll always find that Finstral frames are among the slimmest. This makes our windows appear more elegant. But, above all, they allow much more daylight inside. Because the slimmer the frame, the larger the glass area. This can soon mean comparatively 10 to 20 percent more glass area.
How important are material and shape for the spatial effect?That’s a very personal choice. We believe it is important that you don’t have to decide for the whole house, but rather that you can rethink and combine things room by room. Finstral lets you freely vary materials from floor to floor, room to room and even from window to window. For example, you can choose oak frames for the living-dining area, all-glass sashes for easy cleaning in the kitchen and robust PVC in the bathroom. While on the exterior the windows are all framed in a uniform dark aluminium. So you achieve maximum impact for each room in your property.
Do you have any tips for choosing colours and surfaces?My tip is very simple: think of windows as part of the design. The choice of colour and surfaces should match your style of living. Finstral considers a high-quality finish for surfaces to be hugely important. Our wooden frames are treated exclusively with natural, water-soluble paints. All aluminium surfaces receive a powder coating that meets the demanding and particularly robust Qualicoat-Seaside standard. And Finstral is the only manufacturer to compact all PVC surfaces by means of a special process. This closes the micropores that otherwise act as dust traps while significantly reducing unsightly traces.
Do you use other frame materials besides the classic PVC, aluminium and wood?Of course there are different possibilities. On the one hand, we can conceal the frame behind the glass. On the outside we call this very modern look Nova-line, while on the inside it is called Cristal. But if you are looking for a really new and sustainable material, have a look at ForRes. This material is a genuine innovation by our company. ForRes is made of recycled PVC and rice husks, a residual product of agriculture. The result is an extremely robust and durable material that is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. ForRes has very similar product characteristics to PVC, but has its very own warm, pleasant feel. Window frames made from this material are truly eye-catching.
Maximum design freedom – what is so special about that?Lorraine Elsman: true diversity and freedom of design cannot be taken for granted. Anyone working with windows will quickly notice that. On the one hand, you learn about a wealth of possibilities: modern all-glass looks, clever solar protection solutions, various security fittings… that all sounds great at first. However, once you start planning your window, you realise that many features and design options cannot be combined. This is because most custom-made windows ultimately consist of prefabricated modules.
And matters are different with Finstral?Yes, we are one of the very few manufacturers to develop almost all individual components ourselves. For our customers, this means that every detail is conceived and constructed so that everything can be combined with everything else. At least as long as it produces a reasonably practical combination. That is what we mean when we speak of maximum design freedom. And that makes our range into something truly special.
What is typical of Finstral windows?Slim frames. Of course, this varies according to the design style. But, if you compare our windows to other manufactures, you’ll always find that Finstral frames are among the slimmest. This makes our windows appear more elegant. But, above all, they allow much more daylight inside. Because the slimmer the frame, the larger the glass area. This can soon mean comparatively 10 to 20 percent more glass area.
How important are material and shape for the spatial effect?That’s a very personal choice. We believe it is important that you don’t have to decide for the whole house, but rather that you can rethink and combine things room by room. Finstral lets you freely vary materials from floor to floor, room to room and even from window to window. For example, you can choose oak frames for the living-dining area, all-glass sashes for easy cleaning in the kitchen and robust PVC in the bathroom. While on the exterior the windows are all framed in a uniform dark aluminium. So you achieve maximum impact for each room in your property.
Do you have any tips for choosing colours and surfaces?My tip is very simple: think of windows as part of the design. The choice of colour and surfaces should match your style of living. Finstral considers a high-quality finish for surfaces to be hugely important. Our wooden frames are treated exclusively with natural, water-soluble paints. All aluminium surfaces receive a powder coating that meets the demanding and particularly robust Qualicoat-Seaside standard. And Finstral is the only manufacturer to compact all PVC surfaces by means of a special process. This closes the micropores that otherwise act as dust traps while significantly reducing unsightly traces.
Do you use other frame materials besides the classic PVC, aluminium and wood?Of course there are different possibilities. On the one hand, we can conceal the frame behind the glass. On the outside we call this very modern look Nova-line, while on the inside it is called Cristal. But if you are looking for a really new and sustainable material, have a look at ForRes. This material is a genuine innovation by our company. ForRes is made of recycled PVC and rice husks, a residual product of agriculture. The result is an extremely robust and durable material that is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. ForRes has very similar product characteristics to PVC, but has its very own warm, pleasant feel. Window frames made from this material are truly eye-catching.
It is not just the size in terms of square metres that determines whether or not we think a room is large. The colour scheme also influences our perception.
As a window consultant in direct sales in and around the Dutch city of Apeldoorn, Lorraine Elsman knows what her clients expect of a perfect window.
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