Architecture/Windows

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Expert: - 12/22/2009


Question

From the hallway
I have a 11' by 14' room with a window on the 14' wall which is 32"H by 70"W, with the bottom of the window at 46" from the floor. Eight foot ceiling. I know - it sounds like a trailer home with the high window.
The window faces north, at the center of the wall. The entry to the room is south west corner. I want to put a full wall bookcase on the 11' east wall, but I am not sure what to do with the window wall to mitigate the 'high window' look. I am laying bamboo flooring as a start. any ideas? This is going to be my 'finally all of the kids are gone and I get a den'.
Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Uncle Zip

Answer
Mike - thanks for your question!

The high window in your room is probably entirely appropriate for the style of the house - I'm guessing it's a mid-century ranch of some sort.

In that case, trying to disguise the "high window look" isn't necessary; in a small room like that you don't want a tall window anyway - it throws off the proportions of the room.

So let's work with what we have, ok?  The key here is to use the horizontal lines to build the design, and use the space as efficiently as possible.

First, let's get rid of the full-wall bookcase.  It's going to dominate the room visually and force you to shove all the furniture to one side.  Instead, several smaller countertop-height bookcases would be more appropriate.  Plan these around how you use the room - keeping in mind where your chair, desk, computer, etc. are going to go.  As much as possible, use the built-ins instead of "furniture" - you don't have much room for stand-alone desks, credenzas, etc.

For example - although you could put your desk and computer under the window, with the SW exposure you'll have too much sunlight in your eyes to make it comfortable to use.  You also don't want the computer screen directly across from the window - glare and reflection will be a problem.

That leaves only a couple of options for where the desk and computer go, so start with that.  If you can, place your desk so that you can glance over your shoulder to the view outside (as small as it is!).  Draw the room out on paper and plan how you'd work there - forget about how it looks for the moment, concentrate on where stuff needs to be for you to work efficiently.

The wall under the window is a great place for low bookshelves.  The top should be at about 34" so you can use it as a countertop (you may want it a little higher or lower).  I'd make the shelves a good 18" - 24" deep so you can have some useful workspace above.  You can never have too much table top space in an office!  

Some of the bookshelves could also be cabinets with doors - giving you a place to hide/store the less-attractive stuff you accumulate in an office.

Next, unify the walls, door, and window with an inexpensive band of trim that connects the top of the window with the top of the door and wraps all the way around the room.  This will give the room some visual unity, and help make the window look like it belongs there.  Now you see why we don't wall a tall wall of bookcases!

The space between the trim band and the top of the bookshelves is where you're going to put photos and such - again, by creating a specific place for them, you've unified the design.

Finally, keep the color palette on the lighter side - no strong contrast, no dark colors - to keep the room from "closing in".  You're already on the right track with the bamboo floor!

Hope this helps,

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtastudio.blogspot.com
www.rtaplans.com

Richard Taylor, AIA

Expertise

Ask me about all aspects of house, remodeling. , and room addition design and construction. Ask me about historic homes, renovation, and restoration. Ask me about materials and techniques, and about how you can get the best value for your design and construction dollar. Ask me how you can make your home a very special place. I can't, however, answer specific structural engineering questions in this forum - that's something you'll need on-site observation for.

Experience

I own a full-service residential architectural firm, and have been designing custom homes, remodelings, and room additions across the country since 1983. Check us out at Richard Taylor Architects and RTA Plans. I have written and been published extensively on the subject of residential architecture.

Organizations
American Institute of Architects, City of Dublin Architectural Review Board, Vice Chair of City of Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission, American Planning Association, Board Member Historic Dublin Business Association, Past Editor of SPLASH (a software forum), Past Editor of Open Directory Project, Assistant Scoutmaster, Boy Scouts of America

Publications
Business First of Columbus, Suburban New Publications, About.com, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch Residential Architect Custom Home Architect Remodeling Architect

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture) Miami University 1983
For more about home design, check out my blog at Sense Of Place and join the conversation on our Facebook Page.

Awards and Honors
2010 Dublin Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year

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