If You’ve Ever Wondered Why Some Window Grills Curve at the Bottom—Here’s Why

Architectural trends have changed a lot over the years. If you head over to a neighborhood like Cape May, N.J., you'll see a ton of Victorian-era homes. Trademarked by dollhouse-esque fixtures often sporting ornate brackets and cornices, they're a stark contrast to something you'd see in a newly developed housing development in a place like Kearny.

The boxy, modernized, utilitarian designs are quite different from these more traditional, old-school aesthetics.

One such architectural fixture folks might see while out and about are window grills. And if you've ever seen one of these in the wild, you may have asked yourself: Why do they curve at the bottom?

Window grills obviously serve a functional purpose: They offer additional protection to expensive panes of glass folks use for their homes. If you live in an area that's prone to being subjected to particularly gnarly storms, they can help prevent foliage and snapped tree branches from crashing into your windows.

Or maybe there's a zombie apocalypse that breaks out—you're going to be glad that you have these fixtures affixed to your home for an added layer of defense.

The "curves" at the bottom of these aforementioned window grills are sometimes seen on these fixtures. At the bottom, they even look like the top of a competitive ski/snowboarding slope that gracefully cascades down to the top of the grill. Sometimes, the very tip of the grills will have pointed ends, usually as a way to ensure no birds or other critters get too comfortable staying perched on top of them.

But what's the deal with the curve? As it turns out, it's not just a stylistic choice, although some may argue that it undoubtedly adds a touch of character to an otherwise ominous-looking fixture to a building.

Well, ominous if your intentions are to try and break into someone's domicile.

Worthy Shared writes that the curve, which is often referred to as a "potbelly" serves a variety of different purposes. Homeowners can put potted plants in them to ensure that they get plenty of sunlight during the day. Furthermore, watering them is easy—all a person needs to do is crack open the window and pour some H2O onto their foliage.

This also ensures a cleaner watering process for those who want to look after their plants as well.

Furthermore, these potbelly spaces give homeowners some room for air conditioners. The curvature ensures that they can have a window unit jutting out of their home, but still maintain security. Additionally, it helps to protect the AC from torrential weather.

Also, if you're worried about someone potentially entering your home or stealing your air conditioner from right outside of your window, these window grills can help prevent that from happening, or give whoever is intent on entering your house a really difficult time in doing so.

According to Homemaking, a variety of different home improvement and fixture stores sell these window bars. So if you're interested in purchasing some, there's no shortage of options that should suit your abode's aesthetic.

However, if you are thinking of putting them on your house, be sure to have them professionally installed, or if you want to DIY it, get ready beforehand and ready the proper tools and protocols so that you don't cause any inadvertent damage to your house.