“The Elusive Quality of Home” 

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Have you ever walked into a home and immediately felt a sense of welcoming? That warmth of fellowship when you pull up a chair at the dining room table. The relaxation as you sit in the easy chair by the living room fireplace. It’s that curiosity of investigating hallways and siderooms; admiring the collages of family pictures, lines of bookshelves, and toy boxes. As children, when we enter a new home we feel a natural sense of welcome and wonder. When we become adults, we begin to recognize the design and intent behind those familiar feelings and fond memories.

 

The execution of good design principles create this welcoming impression; it’s what distinguishes a home as more than just a shelter.

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However, putting a ‘feeling’ into practice can be challenging. There is a disconnect between what our gut tells us and what our mind knows. In her book Home by Design Sarah Susanka points out that “...these principles [of build design] have rarely been committed to print in language that nonarchitects can understand” (7). For example, when home-shopping, most homeowners are aware of the value of space as square footage, but sheer size does not guarantee the design’s appeal. We have the sense for what they want in a new home or project, but we don’t often have a framework by which to set our design goals or criteria. The goal of this article is to equip homeowners with both the knowledge, and the language to build that framework. Like any building, this framework starts with a solid foundation. In this case, it is the three core concepts of build design.

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The art of designing a functional, yet elegant home boils down to three core principles: 1) Space, 2) Light, and 3) Order (for clarity, reference to these design principles are capitalized).

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Space

Space is a seemingly obvious concept, and it is important to keep square footage in mind when designing a home. Square footage is a good starting place to help estimate costs. Not only that, but a real concrete figure to the actual amount of space your house will afford you. At times, Space purely in numbers can be misleading; a number does not necessarily paint the whole picture. Do the larger rooms feel spacious? Do the smaller rooms feel cramped? The answers may surprise you.

 

Adjoining connections and overall size of different rooms can play a vital role in how we experience and perceive Space. When we design a home, the ‘how’ is just as important as the "how much". Susanka uses the illustration of asking a child how many pieces of bread he or she wants for breakfast. “When you cut one slice into four pieces, the child assumes she’s getting more than if you were to leave the bread uncut. The eye recognizes multiple segments whether it’s slices of bread or chunks of space and reads more” (8). When we’re thinking about use of space for build design, quality is just as important as quantity.

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Let’s look at a few examples of space-related design. Quite fittingly, the principle of Space takes up the majority of the book’s volume. Therefore, Space will encompass the majority of this article.

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Entering the Home

It is good to begin things at the start, or in this case, the entrance. An attractive home strikes a visitor the moment he sees it. He hasn’t even seen the inside, but he already wants to enter. 

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You drive to the address and pull up the driveway. As you exit the vehicle, you feel a mix of excitement and anticipation. There’s a cobblestone pathway branching from the driveway. The path leads through a front gate into a courtyard area with some flowers and pleasant landscaping. You enjoy the sight and smell of the flowers and continue to the front porch, a raised platform framed in beautiful stonework. Toward the far end, a porch-swing with fat cushions sways idly in the summer breeze. You return your attention to the entrance as you ascend the steps. The door is beautiful. It’s a walnut-finish with a centered window view of leaf-pattern art glass. You knock, admiring the wood stain. Perhaps the interior continues the wood motif? Your anticipation to see the inside builds as you wait. While admiring the refractions and patterns in the glass, you notice the obscured silhouette of someone coming to answer. Taking in a breath, you return your attention to eye level. You’re excited, and you greet your friend with a smile as he welcomes you inside.

 

The home we just imagined utilized several design subconcepts: (1) “path and place,” and (2) “front porch” (22-23). The wood door and the wood in the interior also touch on “repeated material,” (203) a subconcept from the core principle of Order, which we’ll dive into later. ‘Path and place’ mark the beginning of the “process of entering.” A concrete walkway, a gravel path, or cobblestones–a path plays an important role in guiding unfamiliar guests, and complimenting your home’s overall look. ‘Front porch’ is self-explanatory. A front porch serves as a room outside of your home. Susanka calls it ‘gracious,’ as it extends a home’s welcome to those outside; however, it also serves as another layer of separation between the outside and inside, which increases the sense of intimacy of the home’s interior (23).

 

Sequence of Places

In modern home design, we enjoy a far more informal and open approach to structuring our homes. This contrasts homes built a century ago, where kitchens were a smelly area to be isolated from the main living space. We now observe many activities happening within or near such rooms; people doing homework, playing games, having conversation, etc. This informal approach extends to the layout and connections of rooms as well. Therefore how we connect spaces becomes a key part of how people interact with our homes. We’ll call this sculpting of space the ‘sequence of places’ (37).

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Alcoves off a Central Space

Alcoves are a great way to maximize space. Alcoves are [definition]. Building an alcove into a larger space adds functions without the need for walls or entire separate rooms. For example, a larger living room alcove with couches and a fireplace can offer two functions as a cozy inglenook (explanation) or a guest bedroom. [find image of example and describe]. This is called ‘alcoves off a central space.’

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Alcoves off Circulation

Following this logic, ‘alcoves off circulation’ span an entire length of home, sharing open access in a progression. These alcoves are practically small rooms, yet they don’t feel small thanks to their open connections. The progression creates a feeling of collective openness and largeness of space.

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Connecting Views

The sharedness of places should be visual as well as spacial. If people can see/hear into adjacent rooms, they feel that beckoning feeling. They feel that openness of space. Creating these ‘connecting views’ can be as simple as an arched opening or large doorway.

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Nooks and Crannies

This technique takes ‘maximizing space’ literally. Many homes have very small gaps of space sectioned off by studs and wallboard, often an economic choice for the builder. However, these ‘nook and crannies’ are often latent pockets of space. When repurposed, they can function as small alcoves, pantries, workspace, etc. adding distinction to your home.

 

[Photo]

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Layering

When admiring a home, people often look for views into other rooms. As we covered in the ‘sequence of places’ paragraph, open access can maximize space. Connected views create this openness. However, each room should be distinct from the other. Implied boundaries and visual cues define where each space begins and ends–these can be partial walls, wooden beams, etc.. This ‘layering’ effect engages the eye and provides some stunning views.

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[photo example]

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Public to Private

With these previous explanations of room connection and openness, it’s important we don’t neglect privacy in home design. 

Homes without ‘getaway’ rooms or discrete side areas can cause some people anxiety and stress.

Some modern homes suffer from this issue. 

Conversely, older homes have the opposite issue; overly formal room layouts and isolated kitchens were the norm. However, for the sake of maximizing appeal and comfort for a variety of individuals, it’s important for today’s homeowners to strike a balance between space openness and isolation. 

There should always be at least a few rooms of varied intimacy to facilitate multiple activities: open areas with arched entrances, and discrete alcoves leading to studies or guest rooms. (Need pictures. Very technical language, but needs to be accessible to everyone.

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Focal Gathering Place

Every home has a heart–a central part that circulates vibrancy and life into the rest of the home. It could be the living room around a fireplace or TV, an informal dining room, a sunroom, and even a kitchen. This place is often visible from many other parts of the house. It is a great focal point for new guests to orient themselves. This focal point also breathes life into the rest of the home, as its centered activity radiates communal energy to adjacent rooms.

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[Photo]

 Alcoves off Focal Gathering Place 

Of course, sometimes people want to find a cozier, quieter room to get away from the central activity of the main room. A smaller area such as a study, computer room, or reading area provides the space for secondary activities. These rooms allow personal space to recharge, and eliminate distractions to facilitate activities such as reading, studying, or using the computer.

[Photo]

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Place of Your Own

On the spectrum of public to private, this type of room is the closest to private aside from something like a bedroom. Rooms of this kind are rather uncommon in modern homes, but the need for a private retreat should not be overlooked. Having a peaceful space for either a hobby or just meditating adds greatly to a home’s comfort. It can be as simple as an alcove with a comfy chair, or as elaborate as a complete loft area with a futon and bookshelf.

[Photo]

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Enclosure

Room connections, layout, and openness. These principles give us context for how important Space is in design. This section elaborates on our newfound knowledge of Space, emphasizing the need for enclosure. Today, many modern homes have more volume per room than ever. However, when combined with the trend of blurring boundaries between rooms, this ballooning of size can hinder a home’s sense of enclosure and security. In home design, enclosure refers to a home’s boundaries and spacial closedness. These aspects instill feelings of security and wholeness. A common worry for homeowners is that room closedness will make their home feel too stifling. Sometimes this is the case. However, as we covered previously, there are degrees of openness and closedness between rooms. Applied with good home design principles, enclosure can enhance any space.

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Containment

In the previous section, we looked at the differentiations of closedness between rooms. Main rooms for groups of people should be more open to allow easy circulation and visual access. Meanwhile, alcoves and smaller rooms should provide varying levels of privacy to accommodate certain activities. For example, when you’re trying to sleep, light or visual access to other rooms is disconcerting and uncomfortable. It is crucial to designate several spaces with complete enclosure, or containment. Bedrooms and bathrooms universally require containment. That said, such a room can facilitate less private activities: a small bedroom may serve as alcove to a main area. However, even when serving other purposes, such rooms should generally allow for containment: i.e. shutting doors or sliding partitions. As a rule, when designing a new home or remodeling, make sure every member of the home agrees which rooms need to provide containment.

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Partially Hidden Room

If containment, or complete enclosure is a necessary design for private rooms, then partial enclosure creates more accessible spaces. A partially hidden room uses partial walls and openings that are larger than standard doors. These rooms have a twofold purpose. 1) They are open enough to facilitate group activities. Wider openings and archways allow visual access from other rooms. However, partially hidden rooms also maintain a strong sense of protection. Even a partial wall can be very effective at distinguishing a space (such as a secluded library or playroom alcove).

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Implied Walls

You don’t always need solid walls to give a sense of enclosure. Seeing ‘through’ walls can actually create enclosure very effectively. Think of boundary markers that divide up a room (wooden lattices, standing beams, etc) yet allow visual access to adjacent rooms. Seeing your surroundings gives you a better awareness of the current room’s boundary and relationship to the greater area.

Beyond complete-, partial-, and even implied enclosure, there are many in-between design choices. You may decide your home needs an open kitchen, and a secluded sunroom. Maybe your dining room needs partial walls for a more formal experience. Remember, both preference and good design go hand-in-hand.

Whatever your decision in your next renovation project, what ultimately matters is your vision. Hopefully this first section has equipped you with some helpful designs and techniques for effectively shaping the Space of your home.

 

Read on to PART II - LIGHT

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