A window, at first glance, might seem like a solely practical physical object that lets in light and air into our buildings and allows us to see what is happening outside. However, due to its ability to connect inside to the outside, it has acquired a deeper meaning, especially in art and literature where an opening in the wall symbolizes communication, liberation, hope, opportunity, and even escapism.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was confined between four walls, a view from a window could suddenly provide people with all of this and more. Seeing an opportunity to connect people during trying times, Barbara Duriau created the Facebook group ‘View From My Window,' encouraging its members to capture scenes from the comfort of their homes and share them with others so they could vicariously travel through them and break out of their isolation. Now there are more than 3.8 million people who continue to share the most incredible views through their windows, which you can find in the list below!
While you’re taking in their beauty, make sure to check out a conversation with founders of WindowSwap, Sonali Ranjit and Vaishnav Balasubramaniam, who kindly agreed to tell us about the inspiration behind their project, where people are also invited to share their views from their windows.
#1 Ravensdale - Ireland. Sunset, Our First Neighbours, Literally Our Window View!
Image credits: Lily Walker
#2 Sydney, Australia
Image credits: Dianne Markus
#3 West Cork - Ireland
Image credits: Alexandra Keane
WindowSwap, similar to the Facebook group ‘View From My Window,” is a project created by two founders, Sonali Ranjit and Vaishnav Balasubramaniam, that allows people from around the world to share the views from their windows and help someone else relax, focus, meditate and travel without moving.
The co-founders told Bored Panda that it started in May 2020, during the strictest period of the Singapore lockdown.
#4 Easter. Ombo. Norway
Image credits: Kjetil Grøtte
#5 Today’s Sunset @ Xlendi Gozo Malta
Image credits: Monica Farrugia
#6 Backyard View Murree, Pakistan
Image credits: Hassan Shafi
“We were feeling a little cooped up and antsy in our little one-bedroom apartment in Singapore. It had a nice but bland view overlooking a reflective glass building—not the most interesting of views. And like us, our friends in lockdown around the world, were tired of their views.
One of them in Barcelona posted an IG story of his gorgeous view, talking about how tired he was of it. We were joking about how we wished we could just swap places with him. And that’s when we came up with the idea—if we couldn't swap places, perhaps we could swap window views and pretend we were somewhere else for a while. The website launched on June 5th, 2020,” recalls Sonali and Vaishnav.
#7 Good Afternoon. This Is My Backyard Scenery Today. +3c And 60cm Snow. Believe It Or Not, Summer Is Soon. Selkie, Finland
Image credits: Ari Savolainen
#8 Sunset, From The Balcony Of My House. Gandosso, Italia
Image credits: Cinzia Manenti
#9 My Current View, Loen , Vestlandet Norway
Image credits: Anja Vie
Now, 4 years and one pandemic later, they keep the WindowSwap alive so it could continue to be a tranquil oasis of calm on the internet. “There are those who visit WindowSwap to get rid of anxiety, teachers who use it to help students focus and learn, and those who come just to relax,” they tell us.
#10 Look At My Fantastic View Outside The Kitchen Window. This Is My Cat Akira
Image credits: Ellen Sørensen
#11 View From My Livingroom Window This Morning. I'm Not So Good At Taking Pictures, So I Didn't Manage To Capture The Total Beauty Of The Colours. Sunnmøre, Norway!
Image credits: Hilde Solibakke
#12 Beautiful Morning From Wicklow, Ireland
Image credits: Anita Gibney Ryan
“It’s the opposite of TikTok and the rest of the manic internet, which is just one constant stream of dopamine hits. We have created a place on the internet that’s making people around the world calmer, stiller, inspired, and relaxed. What started out as a way to travel without moving has changed. Our users come to WindowSwap for various reasons—to fight anxiety, unwind, travel virtually, get inspired to travel, focus, and learn about different places and cultures,” share the creators.
#13 View Of Perth Australia From My Bedroom Window
Image credits: Yasmin Zara
#14 My Window View Rituvík Faroe Islands
Image credits: Elna Johannesen
#15 View From The Windows At The Back Of My House In The Villages, Florida, USA
Image credits: Lori Heithoff
WindowSwap differs from Facebook groups like "View from My Window" by showing 5 to 10 minute videos of window views of people from around the world, along with ambient sounds of their lives. “We don't just showcase views. We showcase slices of people's lives,” say Sonali and Vaishnav.
#16 View From My B&b Window In Bluff, Durban, South Africa
Image credits: Heyns van der Merwe
#17 First Thing I See When I Open My Eyes In The Morning. New Jersey
Image credits: Laura DeCroce
#18 Taken On A Visit To Caernarfon, Wales
Image credits: Barbara Truman
Anyone who wants to submit their own window view can do so by recording a 5- to 10-minute, clear, high-quality video of their window view, preferably with a bit of their window frame visible. Then, find the 'submit’ button on the WindowSwap page on the bottom left, fill in the details, choose the file, hit upload and it’s done.
#19 This Was The View From My Room At Ponte Winery Inn In Temecula, California
Image credits: Kim Gonzales
#20 A View From My Window Last Night. Northern Norway
Image credits: Grunnfoss
#21 View From My Window, Slovenia
Image credits: Vesna Babič
“We hope WindowSwap gives our visitors a sense of connection and a fresh perspective on the world,” say Sonali and Vaishnav. “Our goal is to provide a moment of calm and escape while fostering empathy and understanding across cultures. We want people to experience the beauty and diversity of global views, reminding them that despite our differences, we share a common human experience. Ultimately, we aim to inspire joy, curiosity, and appreciation for both the familiar and the unknown.”
#22 Sitting On The Verandah Enjoying The Sunset - Murrurundi, Australia
Image credits: Holly Clark
#23 View Of The Old Town Of Trogir, Croatia From My Hotel Room Balcony
Image credits: Samana Agha
#24 The Day Will Be What You Make It, So Rise, Like The Sun, And Burn. Phuket, Thailand
Image credits: Mirasol Mosura Ranario
In the last four years, they’ve built a vibrant community of people from all over the world who return regularly to their site, and they couldn’t be more proud of it. “We've created a simple yet powerful platform that allows people to connect and share their window views, fostering a sense of global community. Our goal has always been to provide a moment of calm and escape, while also nurturing empathy and understanding across cultures. It's heartening to see how WindowSwap has evolved from a 'quarantine project' into a meaningful space for people worldwide to experience the beauty and diversity of humanity,” say Sonali and Vaishnav, signing off.
#25 "Chapel Of Christ By The Lake" In St. Arnaud/New Zealand
Image credits: Heiko Meserle
#26 View From My Hotel Room In Wengen, Switzerland
Image credits: Reema Patel
#27 This Is My View Of My Back Garden In Tiverton, Devon U.k
Image credits: Gwynnie Horwood
#28 Autumn Dawn In The Cariboo, British Columbia, Canada
Image credits: Marilyn Buyar
#29 View Last Night From Front Window Weston Super Mare
Image credits: Dean Gough
#30 Coucher De Soleil . Chambord, Lac-St-Jean, Québec, Canada
Image credits: Patrice Villanueva
#31 View From My Window Rituvík Faroe Islands
Image credits: Elna Johannesen
#32 View From My Kitchen Window, When The Wisteria Is About To Bloom. April, Novato, California USA
Image credits: Sally Carlile
#33 From Our Teracce, Hungary, Balaton Highlands
Image credits: Ágnes Horváth
#34 From My Front Window. March 30, Reno, Nevada, U.s.a., Where We Can Have 4 Seasons..in 1 Day! I Guess No Yard Work Today
Image credits: Karen Short-Steinacker
#35 I’ve Lived In My Narrowboat For 11 Years. Each Summer I Take It Out Of Town To Hertfordshire Where We Can Swim In The Lakes And Pick Apples. It’s Great To Take Your Whole Home On Holiday With You, No Packing! Also I Love That The View From The Hatch Changes As You Move From Place To Place
Image credits: Jo Hunter
#36 View To Central Park From My Living Room Window In Helsinki, Finland, A Few Minutes Ago. It Is Getting Dark Fast, But The Colors Of The Sky And Trees Were So Beautiful For A While Before That
Image credits: Tuovi Tolonen
#37 Mount Shasta, California This Afternoon. Such Cool Friend-Ships Here
Image credits: Kathy Maloney Mathieu
#38 Prague, Czech Republic
Image credits: Traveler's Corner
#39 Bodø, Norway
Image credits: Martina Lintervo
#40 Fall In New England, USA
Image credits: Caroline O'Brien
#41 Sunset At The Loire River In Blois, France. View From Our Appartment (Airbnb)
Image credits: Mira Bleeker
#42 Hi All! I Just Wanted To Introduce Myself And Share A Photo. Brighton, Tasmania, Australia
Image credits: John Lampkin
#43 View From My Stateroom On The Douro River In Portugal
Image credits: Antoinette Acone
#44 This Is The View From Our Front Door At Our Last House. I Miss It! (Mount Vernon Il USA)
Image credits: Dontrell Black
#45 My Saturday Coffee Morning View From Home
Image credits: Kelly Scott
#46 Spring In Full Bloom
Image credits: Lise-Mari Goosen
#47 View From My Window This Evening In Asiago/Italy
Image credits: Silviu-Cornel Iancu
#48 Hunza, Pakistan ( In View Rakaposhi Mountain Karakurum Range, 27th World Highest Peak)
Image credits: Safder Karim
#49 Sunset In Southern California. I Could Never Get Tired Of This
Image credits: Kathy McCown Gierucki
#50 Ofriniou,greece We Are Building A House For Sale With The Same View 100km From Airport Macedonia, Thessaloniki
Image credits: Svetlina Deleva-Hristova
#51 View From The Window Of Our Apartment In Valloire, France. Dreams Stay In The Moutains
Image credits: Isabelle Marchal
#52 The View From My Train Window White Pass Railway Skagway Alaska
Image credits: Joanne Stucken
#53 Beautiful Fall Day In Syracuse NY, USA
Image credits: Anthony Monteleone
#54 Beautiful Hunter's Full Moon From My Window
Image credits: Steve Platthy
#55 View From My Window
Image credits: Neha Kumar Baser
#56 Waikiki Beach!
Image credits: Stephanie Alexander
#57 View From My Tent…. Home For The Night On June 26, 2024 Emerald Lake Near Schofield Pass, Colorado. 10,340ft. Above Sea Level
Image credits: Troy M. Romero
#58 I’m Italian And This Is The View From My Hotel Room In Karpathos Greece. I’m Here In Vacation With My Daughter
Image credits: Desi Daria
#59 Evening From My Car Window. Carolina Ave. Bluefield, West Virginia
Image credits: Justin Simon
#60 Where The River Meets The Sea. Veleka Beach, Bulgaria. Breathtaking View From The Sunset
Image credits: Tanya Newell
#61 Sinaia, Romania
Image credits: Tamara Ogrean
#62 The View From My Window Just After 5am This Morning In Aberdeen, Scotland
Image credits: Natalie Hood
#63 Bran , România
Image credits: Nicoleta Leiba
#64 View From My Balcony Near Stuttgart, Germany
Image credits: Mirela Bursan
#65 Port Elizabeth. South Africa
Image credits: Tshiamo Motlhale
#66 View From My Bedroom Window Right Now. No Filter. Ålesund, Norway
Image credits: Monica Juliebø
#67 View From My Window. Aoraki/Mt Cook New Zealand’s Highest Peak. With Mt Sefton In The Foreground
Image credits: Rob Poole
#68 Night View From My Holiday Apartment In Trentino Alto Adige, A Mountain Region In Northern Italy, Just Below Austria
Image credits: Alessandro Melillo
#69 View From My Tent On An Overnight Hiking Trip To Trolltunga In Norway
Image credits: Deborah Brooks
#70 View From Parking - Ferragudo, Algarve, Portugal
Image credits: Liivika Marmor
#71 View From My Hotel Window, Niagara Falls, Canada
Image credits: Barbara Allan Cooper
#72 Vancouver, Canada Skyline At Night. Coloured Sails Of Canada Place In The Background
Image credits: Joanne Horsman Fulton
#73 Yesterday Morning. Hungary Budapest
Image credits: Krisztina Ágnes Szabó
#74 Wekiwa Springs, Florida
Image credits: Rhiannon Krist
#75 Still Beautiful Even On A Cloudy Day
Image credits: Michele Tesoriero
#76 No Filter, Batumi- Georgia Tonight, View From My Balcony
Image credits: Marta Khavshabova
#77 View From My Window In Sarasota Florida, USA
Image credits: Alicia Dawn King
#78 Falltime Is Here! Syracuse NY USA
Image credits: Anthony Monteleone
#79 Aya Napa. Cyprus
Image credits: Krisztina Hujberné
#80 View From My 51st Story Apartment In The Heart Of The Cbd In Melbourne, Australia. Blessed To Wake Up To This Everyday
Image credits: Hannah Griffin
#81 The View From My Apartment Balcony Tonight In Chicago, Illinois USA ... Hard To Beat This View From 27 Floors Above The City!
Image credits: Alex Songaila
#82 View From My Room At The Resort I'm Staying At Different Times. Phuket, Thailand
Image credits: Mirasol Mosura Ranario
#83 From The Window Of A Seaplane. Up Close To Denali Mountain, Alaska
Image credits: Renee Shubert Spenny
#84 A View From My Balcony After Overnight Rain In Gurgaon, India
Image credits: Neha Sharma
#85 View From My Balcony, Wanchai Hong Kong
Image credits: Joe Susie
