Pattern 127
Intimacy Gradient
Context Wings of Light107 · Number of Stories96 · Main Entrance110
Problem
When a house offers no clear step-down between public and private, visitors never know how far they may go, and the household never feels quite sheltered in its own rooms. Without a path leading gradually from the open to the intimate, the world outside collides directly with the family's innermost life.
Solution
Lay the rooms out in a sequence from public to private, starting at the entrance and ending at the innermost sleeping and retreat spaces, so that a visitor is only ever drawn as deep into the house as the occasion calls for.
Usage Common Areas at the Heart129 · Entrance Room130 · A Room of One's Own141 · Bathing Room144 · Sequence of Sitting Spaces142 · Reception Welcomes You149 · Half-Private Office152