Found on many a homeowner's wish list, the clerestory window is one which is placed above an abutting roof line and, as such, is well above eye level. We designed small, square, awning clerestory windows for the Brewster Long House, pictured here, which draw daylight from above, deep into the dining area below. One of the beauties of the clerestory window is that it can welcome daylight and views of treetops, mountains, and sky, but typically not views of neighbors or a home's occupants.

Clerestory windows are often confused with transom windows. Transoms are ganged directly above a door or window. Both admit daylight from above. Clerestory windows generally draw daylight deeper into a space since they themselves are usually positioned deeper within a space.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

This is a rare two-photo Design snapshot. Pretend for a moment that you hadn't yet seen the title of this post or the thumbnail photo below. Would you think, as I did initially, that the structure to the left in the image above is a home addition with an entry? Maybe an in-law suite or a home office? Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner and saw four garage doors. A garage? With such a nice sheltered entry and lattice-edged stoop? An entry more inviting than the workaday entry to the far right?

Then I began to wonder if perhaps the space behind the double windows, just to the right of the sheltered entry, functions as a mud room. And perhaps the garage isn't an addition, but an original cottage turned garage once the rest of the house was added to the right ? Or perhaps it was once a free-standing carriage house that was later absorbed by the larger house to which it is now attached? These kinds of narratives about how a dwelling was or may have been shaped over time can inspire the design of an addition (whether the addition is a garage or a larger house). What ever the true narrative for this property, this side-facing garage is particularly homey.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast