The Emotional Component of Good Residential Architecture
Often, when planning a renovation or a new home, clients sometimes neglect to consider the idea of how the architecture relates psychologically to human scale.
For example, a couple had lived for several years in a Bronxville home that was filled with what most people would call charm – interesting cozy nooks and spaces. For business reasons they sold this house and moved to a very large brand new home in Connecticut. This new residence had very substantial expansive rooms with soaring spaces including a cavernous two story entry hall, a huge master bedroom and other enormous rooms. After living in this new residence a couple of years the owners are looking to sell. Why, when this new residence seems to be so impressive? The family reports that they missed the feeling of coziness that they had experienced in their old home. This house, while beautiful on a grand scale, made them feel like they were bouncing around in a huge box and it lacked the sense of hominess and comfort that had existed in their former residence. In other words, this current house was missing human scale. Instead of a warm, welcoming feeling, the house had rooms that almost echoed and no amount of decorating could soften the edges.
There is almost an emotional and psychological aspect to architecture, especially in residential design, which many people fail to take into account. Successful residential architectural design is actually a melding of art, functionality and psychology. Some architectural features, like huge foyers, while initially imposing, do not deliver the sensation of ease and relaxation that most people seek as a respite from the stresses of everyday life. While difficult to articulate, owners sometimes don’t even understand why the perception of coziness is missing. Architecture in one’s home should contribute to that sense of refuge. More and more families are seeking a space to return to that restores the spirit, away from a hectic world. Residential architecture that is devoid of detail and incorporates architectural features such as soaring open spaces is frequently out of human scale and can convey a sense of discomfort and uneasiness for the occupants.
An architect must endeavor to be more than an artist capable of understanding the methods of construction when designing a residence. An architect must also be a skilled listener, actively questioning the clients as to how they envision using the proposed space. The architect must also understand the client’s lifestyle to successfully design a space where the clients and their family will experience comfortable surroundings. Even if the client is requesting a grand impressive space, the architect must be able to translate that concept into good design and still leave the client with a space where they feel a sense of contentment and have a place that can restore the spirit. Architectural details, such as the scale of the doors, the height of the ceilings, the arches and the hierarchy of moulding must be aligned in good residential design to achieve a beautiful space while giving the occupants the awareness that their home is a restful sanctuary.
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