Custom French Style Windows
Made to your architecture, not to a catalog
Few elements define a home the way a French window does — the tall proportions, the paired sashes opening without a center post, the quiet authority of a cremone bolt turning in solid brass. But the homes that call for French style windows rarely call for anything standard. The openings are arched, oversized, elliptical. The divided light patterns follow a façade that was drawn once, for one house. The wood species was chosen to match a mantel or a stair. Nothing comes from a catalog, because no catalog anticipated the building.
That is the work Chablais was built for. We source fully custom French style windows from premier European workshops — each unit made to your exact dimensions, your exact profiles, your exact architectural intent. Round tops, gothic arches, elliptical transoms, oversized pairs, asymmetric compositions: if your architect can draw it, we can deliver it, in the material that suits your home best.
What makes a French style window
French style windows — also called French casement windows or fenêtres à la française — are defined by a few essential details that set them apart from every other window type.
Two sashes meet at a narrow center astragal and open together, giving you a full, unobstructed opening with no bulky center post breaking the view. The frame and sash sit perfectly flush. Traditional hardware — the cremone bolt — locks the window with a single lever that drives rods top and bottom, sealing the sash tight against the weather. The proportions are taller than they are wide, following the rhythm established in French residential architecture centuries ago.
What separates a true French style window from a standard paired casement is the integration of these details: the flush surfaces, the slim sightlines, the cremone or espagnolette hardware, and the refined meeting rail — the gueule de loup — where the two sashes interlock. It is a complete design language, not just a configuration.
At Chablais, we call our French style window La Française, and we offer it in inswing and outswing, in every material we carry — because French architecture appears across climates and contexts, and the window must perform as well as it looks.
Why custom matters for French style windows
Standard-size French casement windows exist — every major American brand offers one. But the homes that call for French style windows are almost never standard.
A château-inspired estate might have twenty different opening sizes across its façade, with arched tops on the ground floor and rectangular headers above. A French country home in Napa Valley might need windows that match an existing stone surround to the millimeter. A manor-style residence in Texas or Connecticut might require divided light patterns that follow a specific historic reference — six-over-six here, eight-over-eight there, with a round-top fanlight above. A modern interpretation of French design might want the proportions and cremone hardware but in clean, minimal profiles with no divided lites at all.
This is exactly where custom wood windows change the equation. When every opening is made to order, the architecture leads and the window follows — not the other way around.
Chablais specializes in this kind of work. We have delivered projects with dozens of unique window positions — each one a different size, a different shape, sometimes a different configuration — all sharing the same profiles, the same sightlines, the same hardware language, so the façade reads as one coherent composition.
Hardware — the cremone bolt and beyond
The cremone bolt is not decoration — it is the soul of the French style window. Originally, the cremone rod ran the full height of the sash, turning to lock the window top and bottom in a single gesture. It is how a tall French window stayed sealed against wind and rain, and it is the hardware detail that tells you a French window is real.
Today, Chablais offers both functional and decorative cremone bolt configurations. On windows with concealed multi-point locking (driven by modern European lever hardware from partners like Roto and GU), the cremone rods can remain as a fixed decorative element — the beauty stays, the performance is thoroughly modern. On projects that require full traditional operation, we source working cremone bolts and espagnolette hardware from French and Italian specialists.
Beyond the cremone, every window includes full-perimeter multi-point locking, fully adjustable European hinges, solid brass lever operation with a range of finish options, and integral friction sash stays. Hardware finishes are coordinated across windows and doors so the entire home reads as one.
Materials
Every custom French style window we deliver is built from three-ply laminated solid timber — the European standard for dimensional stability and long-term performance. The material is yours to choose:
Solid wood — Mahogany, French oak, walnut, teak, cherry, alder, ash, and other species. Each is selected for its grain, its workability, and its suitability to the project. For interiors where the wood will be seen and touched daily, species choice is a design decision, not just a structural one.
Wood + aluminum cladding — The warmth and beauty of real wood on the interior, with an extruded aluminum exterior in any RAL color. Low maintenance, weather-resistant, and available with the same custom profiles and cremone hardware as all-wood units.
Wood + bronze cladding — Solid bronze exterior cladding that develops a living patina over time. Reserved for the most exceptional estates, bronze-clad French windows are a statement of permanence and craft.
Custom steel — Slim steel sightlines with authentic cremone bolt hardware. For projects where the window’s visual weight needs to disappear into the architecture, steel delivers profiles that wood and aluminum cannot match.
How we work — from drawing to delivery
1. Your project, your requirements
Every project starts with your drawings, your reference images, or simply a conversation about what you are trying to achieve. We work directly with architects, builders, and homeowners — no dealer network, no layers between you and the people who understand the product.
2. Custom shop drawings
We prepare detailed shop drawings for every opening — confirming dimensions, profiles, hardware, glazing, divided light patterns, and finish. You review and approve before anything is built.
3. European fabrication
Each window is manufactured in the European workshop best suited to your project — selected for its expertise in the specific joinery, hardware, and material your design requires. Every surface is factory-finished: interior, exterior, and behind all hardware and glass.
4. Shipping and delivery
Chablais manages ocean freight, customs clearance, and delivery to your project site anywhere in the United States. The complexity of importing custom windows from Europe is ours to handle, not yours.
5. Installation support
Our founder built an entire house by hand — including making and installing the windows himself. That builder’s perspective informs how we support your installer: with clear documentation, direct communication, and the kind of practical guidance that prevents problems before they start.
Custom shapes and configurations
Round top and arched French windows
Arched and round-top windows are among the defining features of French residential architecture — from the full semicircle of a château ground floor to the segmental arch of a Normandy manor. We produce custom French style windows with integrated arched tops in any radius, as a single factory-assembled unit. No site-built combinations, no mismatched profiles between the arched head and the casement below.
Elliptical and gothic tops
Beyond standard arches, our European workshops produce elliptical, gothic (pointed), and compound-curve top windows. These shapes are CNC-machined from solid laminated timber for precision and long-term stability — the kind of accuracy that hand-built site work cannot match.
Oversized and jumbo French windows
French style windows were historically tall — floor-to-ceiling openings that doubled as access to balconies and gardens. We build to those proportions. Custom French casement windows and doors up to twelve feet tall, in solid wood, with the hardware engineered to carry the weight smoothly for decades.
Divided lights — simulated and true
Divided light patterns give a French window its period character. We offer simulated divided lites (SDL) with interior and exterior applied bars and a spacer bar between the panes — providing the shadow lines of true divided light with the thermal performance of a sealed insulated glass unit. True divided lites (TDL) are available for historic restorations and projects where absolute authenticity is required.
Custom muntin widths, custom patterns, and custom configurations — including radial patterns for arched heads — are standard practice for us, not special orders.
Custom French style windows — common questions
What is the difference between a French style window and a standard casement?
A standard casement is a single sash, typically operated by a crank, with a fixed center post when paired. A French style window is two sashes that meet at a narrow astragal with no center post, opening together for a full, unobstructed opening. The flush frame, slim sightlines, and cremone bolt hardware complete the distinction.
Can you make any shape?
Yes. Round tops, elliptical tops, gothic arches, trapezoids, raked heads, and compound curves are all within our capability. Each shape is CNC-machined from laminated timber for precision and stability.
What wood species are available?
Mahogany, French oak, walnut, teak, cherry, alder, ash, Douglas fir, European pine, and others. If you have a specific species in mind, we will work to accommodate it.
What is a cremone bolt?
A cremone bolt is a traditional French locking mechanism that uses a single lever to drive rods to the top and bottom of the window, locking it securely in one gesture. It is the signature hardware of authentic French style windows.
How long does a custom order take?
Typical production time is 10 to 14 weeks from approved shop drawings, depending on project complexity. Shipping from Europe adds approximately 4 to 6 weeks. We provide a detailed timeline at the proposal stage.
Do you deliver across the United States?
Yes. We handle freight, customs, and delivery to projects anywhere in the US, and coordinate with your builder or installer through final installation.
How do custom French style windows compare in cost to standard American casement windows?
Custom European wood windows are a premium product — they are not priced against mass-market vinyl or fiberglass. They are comparable to other high-end custom wood window brands in the US market, with the advantage of true European joinery, authentic French hardware, and the ability to execute shapes and configurations that most American manufacturers cannot.
Where are the windows made?
Each window is made in Europe, in the workshop best suited to your project’s specific requirements. We source from multiple European ateliers to ensure the right match of craftsmanship, material, and value for every project.
How we work — from drawing to delivery
Bring your project to Chablais
Whether you are building a French château from the ground up, restoring a manor, or designing a modern home that deserves the proportions and hardware of the French tradition — custom French style windows from Chablais are made for exactly this kind of work.
Tell us about your project. A few photos, a set of drawings, or a reference image of the look you want is enough to start. We will help you choose the material, the configuration, and the right path for your budget, and prepare a proposal built around your home.