Open Floor Plans, Windows, & Skylights
Big possibilities come to small rooms.
Maximize space and create interest in otherwise narrow, boxy or tapered areas: open floor plans, inventive windows/skylights and creative architectural finishes make small spaces capacious and inviting.
In rooms with limited square footage, an open floor plan encourages flow, flexibility and utilizes the space at hand. Within an open layout, the choice to vary floor levels and finishes produces “zones”, which help divide a smaller space into several charming (and highly functional) nooks and crannies. In addition, “dead spaces” – prevalent in slender-framed rooms – present fantastic opportunities to create additional alcoves and niches for built-in storage. Broadly speaking, an open floor plan advocates flexibility – with regards to a room’s physical space as well as its design and function.
Feeling cooped up? Windows and skylights act as perfect antidotes to cabin fever. Floor to ceiling windows help blur indoor and outdoor environments by opening up an interior to its expansive surroundings. Dormer windows make great use of space while adding character – building into dormer windows fashions interesting and unique niches (such as space-saving, built –in sleeping area). Skylights create a sense of drama, add high-end detail, and bring much – welcomed light into small-scaled rooms.
If a bright, airy feel isn’t completely effective in opening up a small space, creating a loft area might do the trick. Installing a loft helps take advantage of the otherwise empty space between a room’s ceiling and the top of a home’s roof. When used as guest quarters, work spaces or additional storage areas – lofts bring sophistication to rooms of all sizes and purposes. Details within and around a loft space help distinguish the area – an additional window adds light and charm; a winding staircase or ladder incorporates oodles of character.
Building or remodeling? When approaching architectural details in a modest space, remember to emphasize horizontal lines (ex: along stairs, walls, shelving and built-ins). Horizontal lines helps to create the illusion that a space is wider (and therefore larger) than its actual size. In addition, multiple points of view can be achieved in a small space by constructing half-walls, raised floors, lowered ceilings and shelving of various levels in designated areas. Varied-leveled molding throughout a space aids in creating perspective and a sense of the room’s scale, which does wonders to make a space feel more substantial. Likewise, translucent doors and double arches open up views between sectioned-off areas.
By incorporating an open layout, a judicious use of windows and creative building choices, a modestly sized room can easily become the flower of a home’s spaces.
