Thoughts on design

Musings on architecture and landscape design

A great home at only 600 square feet!

I designed and built a guesthouse many years ago.  Is was quite small, only six hundred square feet.  The land was heavily forested but we opened up and expanded a clearing to the south of the house as well as a garden site to the west.   The road in was off to the north and the main house was to the east, so those sides were left alone to provide privacy.  Actually, the east side was a bit too open and we ended up transplanting a few shrubs and trees to that side to increase the sense of privacy.

Albion Interior View

We were in need of extra income at the time so we ended up moving into the guesthouse and renting out the main house.  It turned out to be one of the most comfortable homes I’ve lived in.   When we eventually moved out, we rented to an older couple who were in the process of purchasing land to build themselves a retirement home on.  They were planning on spending a year on this process but stayed for three years.  They told me during this time that they simply liked the little house so much that they really didn’t feel any hurry to speed their own project along.  We had a similar sentiment from our next tenants who stayed until work pulled them out of the area.

We built this home for very little, about six to seven thousand dollars, and a summer of work.  Now not every thing turned out perfectly, but the feel of the home was very comfortable and attractive.

I should make a full disclosure here before continuing on to specifics. I could not find any pictures of the home, so when I decided I wanted to discuss the makings of a small home I decided as well that I would make a model of it to give some images to my words.  Now since I was starting from scratch I couldn’t resist fixing a couple of the things that were not all I wanted them to be on the original.  But the substantial majority of the model is true to the original, or at least, my memory of it.

So let’s take a look at what made this little home so comfortable.

Albion plan

Layering space:

This is the key element.  You need to provide enough space so you don’t feel hemmed in.  To make that work in this home we made most of the spaces interconnected so you would feel like you where sharing the whole volume.  The first part of that was to share the roof throughout the home.  With the exception of the bathroom, all the walls stopped at 7’-4”.  This gave room for a standard door and a header across the top.  The exterior walls where set to the same height, which gave the small rooms a better felling of scale.  This worked because the ceiling went up to 10’-4” at the center, and the rooms actually felt quite expansive.  Also while the plate height was 7’4” the rafters where exposed, so our ceiling was actually another 7” or so higher giving us more visual height even at the low end.

Layering can make a space feel larger, it affects our sense of scale and can make a space feel bigger then it is.

Having a ceiling plane with depth, I.E. the open rafters, gives your eyes two perceived planes or layers to look at, the bottom of the rafter plane, and the roof-decking plane.  Laying is an excellent way to make small spaces seem more generous. Similarly using a series of wall niches in a shower seems to make it feel more generous then if you simply use applied shelf ledges to the same space.

The carving out of space seams to key your mind into the existence of more room beyond the face of the wall in front of you.  So in regard to the whole home, the ability to see above and around all the walls gave each individual space a layered connection to the rest of the home, and gave us the perception of  larger rooms then we where actually in.

The bedroom was just big enough for the bed and some storage but it opened onto the main living space with a double wide opening.  The opening was intended to be closed off with sliding doors but we never felt the need to go beyond putting in the track for them.  While the bedroom it’s self was small, the connection to the main living space allows it to function well.  Kitchen dining and living room all shared the main space and while none were generous, they all functioned, and the room felt good-sized.

Between the open ceiling plan and alcoves off of the main space you always had a sense of the whole home around you regardless of where you were.  Actually, the bathroom really was quite tight, but with a large skylight overhead, and a window with a view into the trees it was still an interesting little room.

Albion Entry View

Windows!

The light coming in was really wonderful.  The south wall was mostly glass, and there where four generous skylights on the south slope of the roof as well.  The walls above plate height were glazed to the east.  During the day you were always connected to the light pouring in and reflecting off the walls and floor.  I should note that this was in northern California, on the coast, and getting too much light was not an issue in that climate.

Rhythm.

We had quite a few rhythms going on, and they worked well together, giving a pleasing complexity to the space.  The exposed rafters at 2’ on center provided the base beat as it were.  The supporting posts marching down the center of the space created a colonnade like feel. The skylights mirrored this march and added to it.  And the use of double posts and beams added a nice undertone to the whole assembly.  Window and door mullions, tile patterns, and built-in shelving, all had reoccurring rhythms, which added to the lively and attractive feel of the spaces.

Connection to the outdoors.

To start with, as I said above, we had light coming in from all directions and that provided a constant feeling of connection.  The widows out the front opened onto a continues patio across the whole south side of the house, which was about 8 or 9 feet deep.  With the double doors open, the rooms felt like they simply flowed out into the patio, and from there into the clearing beyond.

The living room bay was a key part of this it was fully glazed on three sides and even when not opened up provided a welcoming threshold into the patio and yard.  Another point along this line was landscaping.  We left a few bushes growing right at the patio edge, which provided a nice sense of containment before the clearing started.  So the patio felt like a well-defined zone of space adjacent to the house.  And was a certainly a great spot to sit and read on warm days.

And a note on the clearing as well. We did not clear-cut the area but rather did selective removal to leave a picturesque dappling of bushes and trees with open space framing the clusters.

In summery

Elements that made the home work:

• Transitions
• Defining layers
• Creating interconnections
• A sense of rhythm through multiple elements
• Great natural lighting

These were the elements that made this home work so well.  This is true for any home, but with the small scale of this one, the elements were distilled into a necessary and very cohesive whole.

Light for Garage

I love Ironwork!  We are putting up new outside lights for the garage and barn.  Finding a large scale good looking light is next to impossible if you are anywhere near as picky as I am. So I drew up this one and a couple other similar ones for the project.  This is the first one, which is almost complete for the steel work. Some parts for the next three are sitting on the table behind it.  Oh and the wire mesh head on the wall is a dragon he has been working on. I’m heading down to Denver tomorrow to pick up amber art glass for them.

Entry sketch

There are many ways to enter a building.  Personally, I like to have a place to hang my coat, a place to toss all the stuff from my pockets, and to otherwise divest myself of the baggage I have brought in, whether groceries or work angst.

The mudroom.  It is good to think about the implications of this word, you, your guests and certainly your kids will often be coming in with something less then desirable on their feet when the weather is wet outside.  Having a room to contain that mess is I think a good first defense from getting it tracked through the rest of your home.  A good loud voice and remembering to yell at the kids is also generally required, should you have any inhabitants of that age group around.

What is the weather like outside.  Do you open the door and deside maybe two layers are better then one?  I like having a coat closet near the entry. It’s the place you need them after all, you are either trying to get them off or find the one you need so it’s the most efficient place to store them.

Having a mirror on the wall to check your appearance before leaving is a convenient feature as well.  My son who couldn’t be bothered to comb his hair last year is forever checking and messing with his hair before he leaves now, something about middle school and girls I guess.

A front porch.  This is also a good spot to consider.  Where do you put your cup of coffee, or groceries while getting your keys out and opening the door?  Can you put a bench there to get off those messy boots before even going inside?  Do you or your guests have room to shake off an umbrella while comfortably under cover?  A porch deep enough for these functions will also make for a graceful and welcoming entry.  A ledge to place items while getting your door open is a handy feature.  A bench or chair can be handy for removing mud-encrusted footwear or it can simply be an inviting place to sit for a while.

If you design around accommodate some or all of the above activities, you will be going quite a long way towards making a graceful and inviting entry.

Beyond the functions you would like to accommodate, there is also the experience of the entry.  A deep entry, one that gives you a deep but semi screen view into your home is a good way to make an inviting impact.  A shallow entry though a connecting bar can also make for a great impact on first arrivall.

Generally speaking creating a room of some sort is a graceful and elegant way to enter a home and accommodate the functions you would like to have available.  Even if you don’t go with a room creating some sort of definition between the entry space and the rest of the area will create a nice moment of pause while you are shedding the accoutrements of your day.

Elements of a great stairway:

• A view ahead

Forest Drive Stair

• Transitions

• In between spaces

• Light to draw you forward

A great stairway should consist of a mix of many elements working together to create a graceful transition from one part of your home to another.

These four make a good place to start,  and are found to one extent or another in most inviting stairs.   Think about homes with stairs that seemed really interesting, and added something to your experience of the house.  If you think about it probaly most of these elements where there.

When considering a stair think of the mental transition you would like to experience when going from a more common public part of your home  into a more personal and private area.   How can the journey help that change in outlook?

So lets look at them one at a time.

Stair landing study

A view ahead:

In any area of your home or yard providing a glimpse of where you are going will make for a more inviting and interesting journey getting there.  If the glimpse is just that a small piece of it offering a taste of what is to come but not the whole view so much the better.  A teaser look lets use know there is something special up ahead but we know there is more we have not yet seen, or would like to experience more of, having seen it before.

Transitions:

A space that is nether here, where you are, or there, where you are going. This can be a change in level of a step or two with a landing or well delineated edge between two rooms.  It can be a change in the width of a hallway, widening out before you get to your room.  The key to transitions is that they allow, even encourage, non-commitment.  You may take a step or two onto the landing to get a better glimpse of what is up ahead.  You may use the steps and seating while taking with your kids in the hall, or step up them to get a better view over guests at a party.  A little short landing makes a great multi-use area, inviting a slue of casual uses.

In between spaces:

This is taking the simple  landing described above and adding some small amount of function to it.  Is there room for a bench, a bookshelf, some object that could be of casual interest or usefulness.  So now the transition area is a space with some use, but it is still a very casual and inviting accidental leftover bit of stuff,  inviting you to take a perusal of a bookshelf or maybe do some minor rearranging of flowers in a vase.

Light to draw you forward:

Natural light is a wonderful, substance, warming our hearts and homes.  We are all attracted to natural light.  When you provide light from above people will be positively drawn to go up and to see where the light is coming from.  We can make great use of it to draw us from and into different parts of our home or yard.

Putting the elements together, an illustration.

• Open the floor plate so the stair becomes an object within its own space.  Allow a view to balcony rails above so a conversation can be freely held with the participants within  easy view of each other.

•  Provide a gradual two step rise up to a generous lading where you can set some piece of furniture, a writing desk, bookshelf, something like that. With more room you might consider an alcove off the landing with a setting nook with an inviting looking chair and side table.

•  Keep the stair runs short and possibly add a turn to them at a generous midway landing.  Make this landing less grand then the lower one, but still consider providing a space for a bench or table to help create a sense of pause where you can appreciate the setting and maybe give you a moment to catch your breath as well.  A grand window with light poring in filling the space with a warm glow would be well placed at this landing as well.

•  Day light; windows twisting up the stair will enliven your journey and draw you upwards along the stair.  A more distant light at the top of the run is also good, it hints that there is an extensive, and possibly interesting space we are headed towards.

•  The top landing like the bottom should be a space of multiple activity’s  and views.  It could be a common area before you enter the bedrooms or some other semi private function.  Think of it as the lobby for milling about in before settling down.  If it has a function or two such as being a study area or exercise area so much the better.  If you can give it a view and a place to sit and read it will be better yet.

All the elements listed are highly interconnected and work together to make an interesting and Inviting event out of moving from one level of your home to the next.

… and a concluding  thought

In more general terms the advantage of creating these transitions, and places to get away from others while yet not be completely separated, is that they provide a useful middle ground.  Marginal spaces, those that are nether here nor there, the in-between unclassified areas, offer a sense of refuge but not total isolation.  They help the house perform on more levels and create a  more complex and welcoming sense of space and enclosure.

Stair landing

An important character of a graceful house, one that separates them from those that feel tight and cramped, is the sense of transition from one space to the next.

Think of a gateway into a garden, possibly with an arbor overhead. Is there a stone pathway that leads up to the arbor? What is the fence like to either side of the gateway, can you see though it, is it a picket fence, an ivy covered stone wall? How do you perceive the garden before you pass through the gateway, can you see flowering plants or a small pond? When you pass under the arbor how does the sunlight filter through it? When you enter the garden do you feel different then you did approaching it?

Questions like these can and should be asked for most transitions. Is there a cased opening between the dinning room and kitchen? How deep is it five inches, a foot? Could you have a comfortable conversation between people in the two rooms with some visual connection through it? What is next to the opening? Is there room for furniture or wall space for artwork? Is there a change in floor level or the ceiling height? 

Often creating some sort of pause between space’s is desirable. A widening of the hallway with room for a side table before you enter bedrooms creates a nice pause between the feeling of being in your own private sanctuary and the more public feel of the family common.

Gradual change further emphasizes the sense of transition from one space to the next. Adding in-between spaces such as a work area, a generous stair landing, or some other semi private function will help in easing transitions. It helps to heighten the mental distance between functions.

There are many ways to achieve a graceful sense of transition. The key is to create in-between spaces, to create half steps allowing you to gradually transition from one environment to the next. To this you add visual connections between adjacent spaces so you have a good feeling for the total environment.