What are Clerestory Windows?
Look up to see this window or group of windows above eye level in homes, churches and more
While the clerestory has come to mean any window set high up — say, above eye level — in a wall, it was originally a set of windows placed above the roof of the level below. Think of the interior of a Gothic church; the windows above the main floor are set in the clerestory, derived from combining the words “clear” and “story.”
The clerestory here is the space between the lower ceiling of the kitchen area and the higher ceiling of the main living space. A clerestory is typically filled with windows to let light into the interior while affording privacy and views of treetops and sky.
By separating the upper and lower ceiling planes with transparency and light, the clerestory here seemingly makes the upper ceiling float. The effect is especially pronounced when the clerestory windows are designed to be out of sight.
Clerestory windows set directly under the eaves of a roof can also make the roof seem to float and hover above the house walls. This visual effect of defying gravity is why clerestories have been used so much in religious buildings, where a lightness and reaching up to the heavens is a driving force of the design.
Clerestory windows aren’t just for contemporary styling. In fact, placing a window or clerestory windows up high in a wall can provide extra light and a view no matter what style the house is. Typically in more traditional styles, the windows are less ribbons of glass and more individual windows.
See more pictures of these windows
See more pictures of these windows
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