For a compromise between walls to grant privacy and having a floor plan with an open feel, an indoor window might just strike the right balance.
This apartment in Paris started out as a space for a young couple, Véronique and François, but as they expanded their family, they also expanded their apartment, taking on other units and making structural changes to adapt the space to their new needs.
To create a more open feeling while maintaining the space dividing function of the walls, the couple built in windows into the walls of their apartment.
• See the Rest of their Home and Learn More: Marie Claire Maison
(Images: Marie Claire Maison)
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This is one of my projects: building this kind of industrial/factory style separation between the kitchen and living-room. This is a way of keeping the functional spaces and merging natural light sources....
aahhhh I love that stove/oven!!!
Definitely incorporates natural light sources so I can appreciate the usefulness. Not a fan of a 'window wall' in general unless it simply encloses an office space where privacy is sometimes necessary. The glass wall in the kitchen makes me antsy. Plus it kinda defeats the purpose of an open flloor plan, imho. Beautiful space overall. Like.
Yep, window partitioning says " corporate office" to me. Can't get past that to like this.
Not sure I can see the point, in this case. Why would you need privacy in the kitchen? I just...yeah, I don't like it.
Well, the issue is the cooking odors in a small apartment such mine. And in another situation, I got a wide/large kitchen compared to a small living-room. I don't have bought the coach/sofa yet but anticipating its location, it seems once seated you just feel being in the kitchen... Making this kind of separation helps give a better feeling, not living in the kitchen... I moved in last September and still got boxes to unpack and works to do. I hope I'll soon be able to apply at any "Small Room" event or House Tour to show you.
I really like it - anything that keeps kitchen smells in the kitchen. I think it's a great solution, if a little "corporate". (Which is "united or combined into one," so, must work to unify, right?)
In addition to odors, it would also keep cooking heat from spreading to the rest of the house. And it could keep sound in (or out). You could still keep an eye on the kids without involuntarity memorizing episodes of Dora.
Call me old-fashioned -- please, go ahead, do it -- but I applaud the fact that this "defeats the purpose" of an open floor plan. If that were my home, I'd also want to differentiate rooms a little more. I LIKE rooms. I don't need to "flow" from one part of the house to another, and I like having a dining room that's the most elegant area of the house, a living room that's good for socializing or reading, and a TV room that's casual and comfortable. Why would I give that up to have an open plan? Granted I do risk hearing people say "Ugh, you still live in ROOMS? Eww."
My girlfriend and I live in a professional recording studio that we converted into a home. There are large (5'x8') windows between the office, bedroom, and living room. Each window is actually two double-pane installed with a few inches of space in between, and installed at different angles. It is kind of neat to be able to see almost the whole house from the bedroom. It definitely makes it a conversation starter when we have guests over.
When we first started the conversion, I bought blinds for all the windows. We decided never to install them, because we fell in love with the open feeling.
QUOTE: You could still keep an eye on the kids without involuntarity memorizing episodes of Dora.
LOL @ BEE FOR BRIAN. I hear ya, loud & clear. The 'don't need to flow' part cracked me up. Really, just a few short yrs ago, I would have agreed. Our needs have changed. (Thanks for the chuckle & the memories:)