Learn to modulate this potent design factor

You would think it would be obvious, but sometimes it needs to be said: attention to the third dimension is critical to shaping space. All too often in a rush to plan room-to-room adjacencies and sequencing on a particular floor level, treatment of the third dimension becomes an afterthought. The common default of endless flat ceilings is a missed opportunity. So is circulation between full-height walls in lieu of passage through capped doorways. Even worse, the third dimension is frequently manipulated in a misguided attempt to meet so called “market demand”. Real estate listings boast double-height entries and “great rooms” as assets when often such spaces are poorly designed and prove overwhelming and discomforting. They needn’t be. Spatial variety in the form of interludes with lower ceilings in which to pause or take personal shelter can relieve otherwise tall, open spaces.

The tendency to think in two dimensions, rather than three, means many are only addressing two-thirds of our spatial experience. We can do better. In this primer we’re going to look at everyday outdoor examples in which the third dimension is tempered to create different effects which support different activities, expectations, and moods. I’ll translate those examples to simple diagrams to apply to our indoor environments. With a little thought and common sense, we can begin to harness the rewards of varying the third dimension in our homes.

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Click on this photo to see it in the note cards/prints gallery.Last weekend I scanned the vast panorama that surrounded me as I approached the beach; then I peeked into a nearby shed and marveled at this window that captured the setting concisely. I stopped and drank in the multiple framed views composed by the individual window panes. I had just been looking at the same beach grass and body of water seconds before I spotted the shed window, but it hadn’t riveted my attention until I saw it from within the shed, through the frame of the window. What had appeared boundless and somewhat unfathomable when outside was parsed into distinct intelligible moments inside, thanks to the modest double-hung window with six lites over six lites. Surprisingly, this type of parsed view can be far more rewarding than a gaping one.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast