A sidelight or sidelite in a building is a

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent ma ...

, usually with a vertical emphasis, that flanks a door or a larger window. Sidelights are narrow, usually stationary and found immediately adjacent to doorways.Barr, Peter.
Illustrated Glossary
", 19th Century Adrian Architecture, accessed June 17, 2009.The College Hill Historic District
", Community Partnership Center, accessed June 17, 2009. While most commonly found as supporting elements emphasizing the importance of a primary entrance, sidelights may be employed at any interior or exterior door where a visual emphasis is desired, or where additional light or visibility is needed.

Design

Sidelights are often found in tandem with transom windows and generally the pane size in the sidelights matches that of the transom.Wilson, Steve. ''Exterior House Trim: Creative Ideas for the Exterior of Your Home'',
Google Books
, Creative Homeowner, 2006, p. 63, (). Typically narrow, sidelights can be placed on both or just one side of a

door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide securit ...

and can include a sash or have glass that is stopped into the frame.Mouzon, Stephen A. and Henderson, Susan M. ''Traditional Construction Patterns'',
Google Books
,

McGraw-Hill Professional McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2004, p. 47, ().

Security and privacy concerns

While transom windows generally do not have any privacy concerns associated with them because of their height, sidelights usually need to be covered to ensure privacy. Any number of

window treatment Window coverings are considered any type of materials used to cover a window to manage sunlight, privacy, additional weatherproofing or for purely decorative purposes. Description and design Window coverings comprise materials used to cover ...

s can be employed to enhance privacy in doorways with sidelights.

Miniblind A mini blind is a type of horizontal window blind made of long, narrow slats held together by string. Each slat is less than half the width of that in a regular venetian blind, measuring or , and often made of aluminium. The slats are opened and ...

s, micro-miniblinds, and shirred

curtain A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain) water. Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building's windows to block the passage of light. For instan ...

s are among the window treatments that offer an increased level of privacy. Another choice is stained or beveled glass, which can offer some privacy while also contributing to the overall beauty of a building's design.Nielson, Karla J. ''Window Treatments'',
Google Books
,

John Wiley and Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company was founded in 1807 and produces books, journals, and encyclop ...

, 1989, pp. 92-93, (). When approaching building security sidelights can factor into entrance security. For instance, for proper security a sidelight should only be installed on the side of the door without the

door knob A door handle or doorknob is a handle used to open or close a door. Door handles can be found on all types of doors including: exterior doors of residential and commercial buildings, internal doors, cupboard doors and vehicle doors. There are ma ...

or handle. Sidelights provide people on a building's interior with a narrow view of the outdoors and as such doors without sidelights, especially in

apartment building An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement ( Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) ...

s, should be equipped with a

peephole A peephole, peekhole, spyhole, doorhole, magic eye, magic mirror or door viewer is a small, round opening through a door from which a viewer on the inside of a dwelling may "peek" to see directly outside the door. The lenses are made and arr ...

.Atlas, Randall I. ''21st Century Security and CPTED: Designing for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Crime Prevention'',
Google Books
,

CRC Press The CRC Press, LLC is an American publishing group that specializes in producing technical books. Many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics. Their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information technol ...

, 2008, pp. 248-49, ().

References

{{reflist Architectural elements Windows