Stunning Shadows in Modern Homes

Looking at beautiful photographs of homes is all well and good, but often it's the intangible, ephemeral things that give a home its unique character. We're always drawn to the way light and shadows play out over the course of the day...

These modern homes provide a fairly blank canvas for daylight to paint. In a Chicago loft by Studio Gang, a catwalk enclosed in a perforated screen creates a pattern of circular shadows, while a linear garden trellis in Arizona transforms the harsh sun into a high-contrast pattern of diagonal lines.

If your home doesn't create particularly great shadows on its own, Delia Shades sells patterned blinds that look amazing when lit by daylight.

The other option is to move into a home with huge windows. We've shown two examples: one from Sweden and one from Maine. Both demonstrate the power of natural light to transform a room.

SHOWN ABOVE
• 1 Maisonette by Studio Gang Architects
• 2 Patio in Phoenix, Arizona
• 3 Delia Shades
• 4 The World's Most Beautiful Window Seat?
• 5 James and Rui's LVL Home

Photos: Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing, cobalt123 licensed via Creative Commons, Delia Shades, Alvhem, Traci Roloff

Comments (3)

Brilliant! Shadows are free art!

posted by GreatFriend on September 30th 2009 at 2:50pm
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I agree with GreatFriend. Shadows have been a long time obsession. I have an electric pole across from my living room (not so pretty to look at), but it does create a giant cross shadow on my living room floor. Pretty crazy, but cool.

posted by MODERnestS on September 30th 2009 at 3:38pm
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When in film school, I couldn't believe how one of my professors could just stop and marvel at a shadow that I otherwise would not have noticed. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to work with his because now shadows absolutely fascinate me. They inspire me in my filmmaking, photography, painting, and home design. Now I' the "weird" friend who points out cool shadows to other people!

posted by islek on September 30th 2009 at 4:24pm
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