Another idea, called “house as town”, that architects often use with public or commercial buildings can also work on a large house, particularly good for family houses in America which tend to be bigger than European homes. It means getting to know your house through the lens of public space versus semi-public and private spaces (like bedrooms).
Imagine the great room, kitchen, living, dining as your city squares, boulevards and plazas – where everyone meets, and larger events take place. Your hallways, landings and circulation areas are the avenues and streets through which you pass, but can still meet and be in contact with others, while your master suite, bedrooms and other single activity rooms are more like the private spheres (the houses) of your town.
How does this help?
It’s another tool that presents a new way of thinking about your home and it will give you ideas that may help you see your space differently. Ask yourself. ‘is it clear where is public, where is private? Are these spaces set up as well as they can be, location wise, particularly in terms of furniture and relationship to the outside? Does my private zone (bedroom suite) feel like a refuge or does it have a ‘street’ passing through or close to it? What changes can you make in your room to mitigate the noise/traffic from the nearby ‘street’? Are the zones clear and understandable?’ If the answer to any of these questions is no, try some of the ideas in the following blog posts to solve the problem.
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