When planning a home, many homeowners dream about the kind they can grow old with, that adapts over the years. To further that dream, it’s important to spend time considering specific design functions for a house. Known among architects as "contemporary," this style emphasizes a thoughtfully-designed building that can change how it functions as the homeowners’ needs change.
Contemporary home design principles have evolved over the past century to reflect this – rather than taking its cues from historic procedures or precedent, contemporary home design is rooted in the belief that a home should be a "machine for the living."
Contemporary design means no opportunity for utility is overlooked, and that includes windows. Visible from both inside and out, the size, placement and function of each window is a critical factor in defining the home and its many purposes. As you plan your next improvement project, it helps to recognize how windows contribute to the evolving functionality of spaces within a structure. Some guidelines to consider for incorporating contemporary style into your next project include:
1. Deliver light as far into the space as possible: When utilized correctly, the constantly changing light that flows through windows can transform an interior. Balancing the placement of windows to deliver natural light as far into a built structure accomplishes one of the primary principles of contemporary design: serve a utilitarian purpose, not a decorative one.
2. Promote indoor air quality: Proper ventilation for a home goes beyond opening a window or two. Stacked ventilation, for example, utilizes roof windows in combination with wall windows, creating updrafts that funnel warm air outdoors and away from living areas. Interior window openings can help channel fresh air to a home’s more remote locations.
3. Minimize ornamentation to maximize impact: With the right positioning, spectacular scenery can become the focus of a room, even the focus of a home. Whether as a huge picture window or a perfectly aligned group of smaller windows, this reinforces a home’s connection to its surroundings and is commonly referred to as managing the view.
4. Erase the divide between interior and exterior: Walls of windows or patio doors can help connect the interior of a home with the immediate surroundings. Thresholds are minimized, rooflines blend into tree lines, and outdoor spaces become your expanded living space.
Knowing which windows match a contemporary style is key to achieving that contemporary look. To that end, this free site connects home styles and the proper windows based on architectural need.
A contemporary style can live and flourish within any home, as architects and builders have proven time and again. With the right architectural anchors such as windows, your dream of a contemporary home is close to reality.
Guest Blog By Jay Libby. With more than 30 years of experience in product design and design research, Jay is the Creative Services Manager at Andersen Windows.