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Classical Proportions, Modern Practicality: A Style That Makes Sense
This Baldwin Park, Fla., house reflects architect Geoffrey Mouen's use of classical proportions.
(By Michael Lowry)
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Cusato would also eliminate another hallmark of the McMansion, the dramatic, 20-foot, columned portico that showcases a huge window above the front door and the pricey chandelier in the two-story entry foyer. It's more practical, she said, to lower the portico so that it actually protects a person at the front door from the elements. If an owner insists on the two-story foyer, she would put a smaller window above the portico while suggesting that incorporating this volume into usable space on the second floor is more sensible.
What happens when you cross the threshold and go inside? Geoffrey Mouen, another modern classicist, said he emphasizes clarity, preferring rectangular rooms so that sizes are "easy to read." The Celebration, Fla., architect avoids the diagonal walls used by many builders to make a room feel bigger because these can complicate furniture placement. But he's not averse to all angled walls; he occasionally uses angled but symmetrical five-sided bump-outs as breakfast areas off family rooms.
Mouen said that classic proportions such as 1 to 1.6 or 1 to 2 are a useful tool for ensuring that room sizes feel comfortable. A room that is too long can feel like a tunnel; one that is too square makes it harder to arrange furniture.
Mouen uses vertical windows because they reflect the human form and people instinctively prefer them. He provides generous views to the outside, but always through the framed opening of a window or a French door because these do not blur the line between "in here" and "out there," as do sliding glass doors with their minimal frames.
But Mouen cheerfully admitted that he's not averse to a 21st-century window feature that allows a homeowner to fold back an entire wall so that a living space is completely open to the outdoors. In some houses he has used folding French doors that can create openings as large as 9 by 27 feet.
Mouen also noted that simple details can have a profound effect. A six-inch to nine-inch wall base, deeper than the three- or four-inch ones that many builders use, and a simple six-inch crown along the ceiling line can transform a room, subtly making it feel both more comfortable and more spacious.
While all these subtleties sound good, do they really make a difference for the average person? These modern-day classicists say yes.
As New York architect Richard Sammons put it, "Most people don't know anything about architecture, but they can tell if something's out of proportion, just like you can't carry a tune but you know it's out of tune."
Katherine Salant can be contacted via her Web site, http:/
© 2008 Katherine Salant
