Flatland

Spaces and House Design
We are used to speaking about our homes as a series of rooms - living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and so on. By using these terms, we limit the scope of what we can do in our homes. In the book The New Natural House Book by David Pearson he explores the home in terms of "activities" and "processes" rather than "rooms". He asks to consider instead of thinking "bathroom", think "bathing and cleansing". Instead of "bedroom", think "peaceful sleep". Consider your lifestyle, how can you use the spaces in your home to enhance your lifestyle, and how can you move to a healthier and more conserving lifestyle.

Also he asks us to consider the transitions between spaces in the home, how space can overlap and be combined. Doorways and windows are also transitions between different spaces, between inside and outside spaces. Consider having spaces that cross traditional boundaries, between inside and out, such as a bathing space linking indoors and out. Try to create intermediate spaces too, such as glazed porches or sunrooms that extand the living areas to the outside but also add another layer - a buffer if you like - between the private space and the public space.

posted by Pete Gilbert @ 11:27 am