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Sure, unloading a dishwasher is easier if there's a cabinet right there so you can easily put away those dishes. But why not use an adjacent storage cabinet or dish drawer? That way you can have glorious windows like these to capture the light.
by Studio Sarah Willmer  
Lots of windows are especially nice when there's a spectacular view. This one big sheet of glass makes standing at this sink to clean the dishes a joy.
by ACANTHUS Architecture & Design, San Francisco, CA
Just in case you think a large window is for big kitchens only, here's proof that even a small kitchen is well served by having an extra-large window above the sink and stretching across the countertop.
by Joan Heaton Architects  
Certainly making the windows all operable will allow you to extend the space of the kitchen out to the yard and beyond.
by ARCHIA HOMES
This design approach can be anything from traditional to contemporary.
by Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects, Inc.
Transform your sink area into an aerie from which you can view the horizon and up to the treetops and clouds. My sense is that a lot of dishes get hand washed in this kitchen. Even I'd be tempted to stand there at the sink and wash a few.
Contemporary Kitchen
What about if you want all of those wonderful windows, but you don't want to loose any cabinetry space? Try some glass-front cabinets that let the sunshine in while showing off some of your favorite dishes. The trick is to make sure you get all of that window geometry to align with the cabinetry design.

Of course, all of this glass means you'll want to have plenty of glass cleaner around.
by Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects LLC
If having all of that glass to clean seems a bit much, try a simple bank of windows flanked on each side with cabinetry. You can make this a real focal point of the kitchen with a valance between the cabinets that ties everything together.
by Jessica Williamson  
Or go all out and make the window something amazing. Big, bold, arched and full of style, this window creates a focal point and enlivens the kitchen. Of course, the bigger and bolder the window, the less space flanking it. But don't worry; just take the cabinets to the ceiling or, better yet, take the cabinets from counter to ceiling. Have something big and bold and stylish, just like the window.
by deakins design group  

Comments

Stone & Land, LLC Really nice ideas. Here is another photo from a Houzz article. Its a smaller kitchen but I really like window backsplash.
[houzz=
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5 months ago · ·
midmodfan So beautiful. I love overlooking the garden while cooking or doing the dishes.
This is the kitchen of our previous house.
5 months ago · ·
lyvia I like the idea of two dishwashers, where the common dishes move from one to the other and never see a cabinet. That fits under a long windowsill. Plus two 18 inch DWs would be the right size for a couple, and for Thanksgiving.

Another thought is a movable dish cabinet- roll it to the dishwasher, then back to its home. You could roll it to the table as well.

Another option is to make the counters a little higher around the sink. Six inches would allow an extra row of storage drawers. It means the counters are high for workspace, so it depends on what else you have and what you want.

But actually in my plan, I save the big window for prep space, because prep is more often done in daylight. Cleanup for us is often after dark. The dish sink faces inward, with a view of four other rooms, so helpers cannot hide! LOL
5 months ago · ·
Bud Dietrich, AIA @midmodfan - you have a really nice kitchen!
5 months ago ·
Erin Lang Norris Love this one! I've been thinking about this very issue quite a bit lately. We have a large yard with 2 beautiful crabapple trees and a firepit that I built [and did a write up for on Houzz!], but just a small window with the sill high above the sink. While I *can* see everything when I'm doing the dishes, the view of the yard just isn't framed the way it should be. If I'm going to spend that much time on my landscape, I want to see it! Hoping that these huge windows can find their way into my house at some point in the near future. :)
5 months ago · ·
Bud Dietrich, AIA @Erin Lang Norris - I hope so too.
5 months ago ·
writercook I'd really like to hear from people who have kitchens like those pictured here about two issues:
1. Do you miss the upper cabinets?
2. Do you spend lots of time cleaning glass around the sink, particularly? (I have a son who CANNOT wash dishes without spotting the typical kitchen sink window we have.)
5 months ago · ·
patscats2 If I had some of these views, I'd be living in my kitchen!!! All of my adult life I lived in apartments, then my first home and none of them had a window in the kitchen. So when I built what is our retirement home I insisted on having a window above the sink. Well that definitely screwed up where to put the stove, but in the end it went in the counter/island and I'm so glad because that faces the great room and cooking is really enjoyable now. I don't feel cut off and can watch TV or talk with my husband in the family room while I'm cooking. BTW, the window I insisted on over the sink has no view, but I do like the open feeling of having a window there.
5 months ago · ·
Bud Dietrich, AIA @writercook - Though I've not had windows like these in my kitchen, the clients of mine who have found them to not require anymore cleaning and have been really happy with the light and view, not missing the storage at all.
5 months ago ·
frenchdecor I love outdoors and could live in a "fishbowl", but my kitchen window face neighbors plain brick wall, I keep pot flowers to avoid unpleasant view. I am satisfied by dining & living room big windows in open concept. My dream kitchen should face backyard, and I want glass sliding doors out. I have no health issue, but wall cabinets I wouldn't give up. I had knee injury skiing two y. ago (first time in my life) and it was wake up call for me, not to rely on best time in home design. Also my husband has back pain from time to time. We are not getting any younger.
5 months ago ·
maggiesetler In my last house I put a bay window over the sink. I had a large area to fill with plants , we had a great view of the gardens and the window never got splashed. We still had room on each side for a cabinet to keep all the every day dishes. Sorry I don't have a photo anymore
5 months ago · ·
Claire Drouault I tore out my wall cabinets because I was starved for windows even though part of my view was blocked by a sound barrier. My new windows made my kitchen a joy to work in. I replaced the wall cabinets with a walk-in pantry and an island with slide-out drawers for dishes. Never missed them a bit!
5 months ago · ·
Amanda Simons Yes I think this article has made my long-contemplated decision for me. More windows in the kitchen remodel!!
5 months ago · ·
Bud Dietrich, AIA @Amanda Simons - Go for it!
5 months ago ·
wantsideas The kichens just blew past me............the views!
4 months ago ·
kmacwhirter While a window over a sink makes sense in houses without dishwashers, I always wonder why modern architecture continues to have one window only over the sink when most people who work in the kitchen now probably spend most of their time either over the stove or chopping vegetables in the blank expanse of counter space. Even a small window over your main workspace would make more sense than a window over the less used sink.
4 months ago · ·
elizabeth22 In our previous kitchen remodel, we put the sink and the cooktop in the corners and had an eight-foot wide counter for workspace. The workspace had the window looking into the forest, and I always wished I had given up a bit of cabinet to make the window even larger.
4 months ago · ·
sherrielbarger I'm wondering who made the stools?
2 months ago ·
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