Canberra made •
The final weekend of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival is a good excuse to pay closer attention to the materials around you. The same habit pays off when choosing aluminium window frame colours for a Canberra home. A finish that looks quiet on a small sample can stand out across a wall of glazing. Start with the surfaces you can see from the opening, then look at how the sample changes through the day.
For a renovation, take photos of the brickwork, roof, gutters, doors and interior trim before you visit a showroom. Pick one or two surfaces you want the frames to relate to. Charcoal frames can draw attention to the shape of an opening against pale render. A softer neutral can sit closer to the tones of brick or stone. Decide how much definition you want before narrowing the palette.
If you’re replacing windows in stages, work out how the new frames will sit next to the existing ones. Photograph both sides of the house and make a note of any front-facing elevations you want to keep consistent.
Hold the sample vertically against the wall where the frame will sit. Look from the street, then from inside the room. Check it in sun and shade, ideally at two different times of day. Put your sample next to a real piece of the cladding or brick if you have one. Phone photos are useful for keeping track of options. The sample in daylight should guide the final choice.
Look at gloss and texture while you’re there. Two finishes with a similar colour can reflect light differently. If you’re considering a darker frame for a wide bank of glazing, place the sample near a corner or mullion so you can picture how the repeated lines will read across the elevation.
Ask which powdercoat finishes are available for the exact system you’re considering. Check the visible pieces separately, including the door handle, screen frame, sill and any trim. Agree which parts will match and where a contrasting finish makes sense. Write down the supplier’s colour name, code and finish before the order is finalised.
The dark-framed windows and entrance at the Evatt residence in the featured photo offer a starting point for thinking about contrast. Bring a photo of your own elevation and a sample of the material you need to match. That gives the showroom team something specific to work with.
Matching the gutters can help tie the exterior together. A different finish can also work if you repeat it on the entrance or another prominent detail. View the colours together on the same elevation before deciding.
Ask what finishes are available across the specific products you are choosing. Bring the colour code to your appointment and compare samples of each component under the same light.
Bring an exterior photo, samples of any new cladding or brick and the colour codes for existing finishes you want to keep.
Send Performance Windows a façade photo and tell us which colours you’re considering. We can help you narrow the finishes for your windows and doors.
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