A sidelight is a tall, narrow window fitted beside a door. It brings daylight into your hallway and makes the entrance feel brighter and more welcoming. At SparWindows, sidelight windows are made to measure in uPVC, Nordic pine or alu-clad timber, with or without glazing bars and panels, and built in our own factory.
Sidelight 1 light
Sidelight with crossrail 2 light
Sidelight 3 light
Sidelight with crossrails 3 light with crossrails
Sidelight 4 light
Sidelight 5 light
Sidelight 6 light 1x6
Sidelight 6 light
Sidelight 8 light
Sidelight 10 light
Sidelight 1 panel 1 light
Sidelight 1 panel 2 light
Sidelight 1 panel 3 light
Sidelight 2 panels 1 light
Sidelight 2 panels 2 light
Sidelight 2 panels 3 light
Sidelight 3 panels 1 light
Sidelight 1 panel
Sidelight 2 panels
Sidelight 3 panels
Sidelight 5 panels
Sidelight 4 panels
A sidelight is a tall, narrow window fitted next to a door, most often a front door. You can have one on a single side, or one on each side. It is fixed glazing, so it lets light through without opening.
The job of a sidelight is simple. It brings daylight into the hallway right behind your door, which is often the darkest part of the house. That light makes the space feel larger and more welcoming the moment you step in.
Some people call it a side window, or a window next to the front door. They all mean the same thing.
Sidelights earn their place for three reasons: light, space and kerb appeal.
First, light. A door on its own lets very little daylight into the hall, so you reach for the switch even in the daytime. A sidelight changes that, and your entrance stays bright without the lights on.
Second, space. Natural light makes a narrow hallway feel wider and more open, with no building work and no lost floor space.
Third, kerb appeal. A door flanked by matching sidelights looks balanced and inviting from the street, which lifts the whole front of your home.
There is a practical bonus too. Compared with fitting a wider French door, a sidelight adds light while taking up less wall space, so it works where a bigger opening simply will not fit.
These terms overlap, so here is the quick version. A sidelight sits vertically beside a door. A transom, sometimes called a fanlight, sits horizontally above a door. A side window is just an everyday name for a sidelight.
Knowing the difference helps when you plan your entrance. Many homes combine the two, with a sidelight on each side of the door and a transom across the top, for the most light around the whole doorway.
You can choose from more than 20 sidelight designs, so the window matches your door and the style of your home.
The light count tells you how many glass panes the sidelight has, from a single-pane 1-light window up to a 10-light design. Fewer lights give a clean, modern look. More lights, with glazing bars or crossrails, give a traditional, period feel.
You can also choose designs with solid panels below the glass. A one, two or three panel layout puts light at eye level and keeps a solid, private base near the ground. That suits homes that want daylight without a full-height view into the hall.
Finally, decide whether you want a sidelight on one side of the door or a matching pair on both. A single sidelight suits a tighter opening, while a matched pair gives a symmetrical, feature entrance.
Your sidelight comes in the same three materials as our doors, so it matches whatever you fit it beside.
uPVC is the low-maintenance choice. It keeps its looks with an occasional wipe using pH-neutral soap and lukewarm water, and it never needs painting.
Nordic pine gives you natural, painted timber with a warm, traditional finish. Check the paint from time to time, and more often on the sides of the house that catch the most sun.
Alu-clad timber gives you the best of both. A pine core keeps the warm look inside, while an aluminium outer shell takes the weather and needs very little upkeep.
Whichever you choose, your sidelight comes in white as standard, with other colours available, and is covered by up to 12 years' warranty depending on the material.
Privacy is the question most people ask about sidelights, and the answer is in the glass you choose.
Clear glass gives you the most light and an open view, which works well where the sidelight faces a private garden or porch. Where it faces the street or a path, an obscured or textured glass lets light through while stopping anyone seeing straight into your hall.
You can also choose double or triple glazing, so your sidelight holds heat in as well as the rest of your windows do.
The result: bright daylight by your front door on your terms, without needing blinds or curtains across the glass.
Sidelights do not come in fixed sizes at SparWindows. Each one is made to measure, so it fits the exact space beside your door instead of forcing you to work around a standard size.
To start, measure the width and height of the space beside your door, then enter those dimensions when you design your sidelight online. If you are fitting beside a door you already have, measure the gap between the door frame and the wall.
Not sure your measurements are right? Send them to us and we will check them with you before you order.
Sidelights are usually fitted alongside a door, and you can pair them with several types.
Add them to a front door for a bright, welcoming entrance. Fit them beside a patio door to pull more light into your living room while saving wall space. They also work with a stable door or a double front door.
Would you rather buy the door and sidelight as one ready-matched set? See our front doors with sidelights and front doors with an opening sidelight. This page is for the sidelight window on its own.
Ordering is simple, and you see your price before you commit.
Choose your model, material, glass and colour, then enter your dimensions. Your price appears online straight away. Buying more than one? Complete one sidelight at a time and add each to your basket.
Every window and door we make is UK-CA marked. You pick the options that meet UK Building Regulations for your home, including toughened safety glass where the rules require it, so your sidelight is compliant from the day it is fitted.
Each sidelight is built to order in our own factory, so you order direct from the people who make it.
You can easily design your own sidelights by choosing the model you require, after which you have the option to choose between different types of materials, colours, types of glass, etc. As soon as you’ve completed your specifications, your price and discount will appear online. If you wish to purchase several different sidelights, just complete one sidelight section at a time and add it to your shopping basket.
Sidelights are often installed with a main door, in order to create a pleasing aesthetic and inviting entrance. However, sidelights can also be installed with a patio door, to allow more light into your living room, whilst at the same time saving wall space when compared with a wider french door.
You can find a wide range of low priced front doors that can easily be combined with sidelights. If you are looking for a front door - sidelight combination, you will also find an extensive range of options at SparWindows.
A sidelight is a tall, narrow window fitted beside a door, usually a front or patio door. It lets natural light into your hallway and makes the entrance feel brighter and larger. At SparWindows, sidelight windows are made to measure in uPVC, Nordic pine or alu-clad timber, with or without glazing bars and panels.
They describe the same thing. "Sidelight" is the term for a narrow, fixed window set beside a door, while some people simply say side window or window next to the front door. A transom is different: that is the window that sits horizontally above a door rather than beside it.
Yes. A sidelight fits into the wall space beside your door, so you can add one next to a door you already have, as long as there is room in the opening. Because ours are made to measure, you order the exact size to suit the space. Ask your installer to check the opening first.
Most sidelights are fixed, so they bring in light without opening. If you want ventilation as well, choose a door and sidelight set with an opening sidelight instead. The sidelights on this page are fixed windows, made to measure to the space beside your door.
You control privacy through the glass you choose. Clear glass suits a sidelight facing a private garden, while an obscured or textured glass lets light through where the window faces the street. That way you get daylight by the door without needing blinds or curtains over the glass.
The price of a sidelight depends on the model you choose, from a plain 1-light window to a multi-panel design with glazing bars, plus the material, glass and made-to-measure size. Design your sidelight online, enter your dimensions, and your price appears before you order.
