PERFECT LIGHT
Good homes only get better when they take advantage of light. Sunlight is often employed to create an image of perfection. A minimalist, modern interior lined with beautiful materials depends on the sun to achieve its purposes. Without the distrac¬tions of decorations, the light of the sun, ever changing through the day and across the year, brings to life magnificent and ani¬mated interiors. The power of the sun has a similarly magical effect on simple mod¬ern exteriors composed of strong volumes and clear profiles. Owners are known to walk outside at dawn or at sunset to observe the perfect lights effect on their homes, just as other people would head out to view the ocean.
Windows in a modern house can be strategically posi¬tioned, sized, and detailed to bring the right effect to bear on the exterior and interior and to manipulate the flow of sunlight into specific patterns and environments. Unlike traditional houses, modern dwellings allow almost com¬plete flexibility in the size, type, and placement of windows. The ability to create the sense of perfect light does not depend on expensive materials or complicated construction. The progression of light across a yellow pine floor, as modulated by the pattern of the windows, can be enough to make a simple room look and feel wonderful. Rooms that are positioned and fenestrated to radiate with the dappled light of a woodland setting will be no less wonderful whether they are lined in birds-eye maple or plywood.
The evening sky, with the light of the stars and the moon, can make homes even more enchanting than they are in the daytime. Artificial lighting can make every home a jack-o-lantern. Striking compositions of windows that please or challenge the eye during the day can present a fascinating display of planes of light at night. The archi¬tecture of a romantic home is often defined by a few dramatic details that are blended into the overall composi¬tion of the house by limiting the colors and materials. With perfect lighting, these details can be highlighted at night, allowing them to stand out as theatrical sculpture.