Introduction

• Many recognize the new home today as “too much space, too little substance.”
• Design in the quality and character of an older home but aim at today’s informal lifestyle.
• Shift from the “bigger is better” approach to designs of quality, substance and beauty.
• Need to develop a language that describes the quality of a home not just the quantities.

• A rule of thumb is to design with 1/3 less than the original square footage.
• Keep the price target the same so money can be used for detail and character.
• Rooms of substance feel more spacious than physically larger rooms in a big house.
• Every room should be in use every day, eliminate special purpose rooms.
• Design spaces to share functions so that rooms do double duty.

• This is used to differentiate rooms (living, dining, kitchen, entry) from a large space.
• The “pod of space” separator can be a walled-in refrigerator, a fireplace, etc.

• As children we like cozy spaces.
• As adults we gravitate to room corners or alcoves to look at the larger space.
• Design these spaces in and create a special space for each adult to be alone.
• A “fear of too smallness” can produce oversized rooms too big to settle in to.

• Differentiating ceiling heights defines and enlivens individual spaces.
• Proportion ceiling heights to the other dimensions of the room.
• The scale of ceiling height in proportion to human height is important.
• Size ceiling heights for beautiful proportions and comfortable nooks.
• A 6’ 10” ceiling can make a cozy alcove for reading or watching TV.

• Design with interior views in mind as well as exterior views.
• Arrange spaces to view along diagonal lines for the longest interior views available.

• Smooth, flat, light-colored ceilings feel taller than textured, beamed, dark-colored one.
• The darker and more textured the surface the heavier it appears.
• Heaviness feels lower because it is more present even in our peripheral vision.

• A trimmed opening gives the places on either side their own separate identities.
• This can be used when defining kitchen, living and dining areas in a great room.
• The wider the molding, the more prominent the differentiation.

• Like framed openings, this uses a series of openings and surfaces to break the space up.
• A great room has no walls to obstruct view, but columns, beams, etc. differentiates areas.
• Each space feels larger because multiple zones are perceived through the openings.
• A walkway from a kitchen through a dining into a living room also extends these spaces.

• Adopt a few shapes and materials that are repeated throughout the home.
• If overdone, this will make a house feel clunky and make you feel “enough already.”
• If done in moderation and with variation, it will feel like a well-composed piece of music.
• Themes play an integrating role and most people won‘t even be aware of them.
• A “not so big house” exemplifies the idea “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”