BOLD SHAPES

Modern houses shy away from traditional embellishments. Instead they rely on bold shapes to make an impression. The more dramatic the shape, the more expressive the design is likely to be. A greatly simplified version of a traditional house shape can, for instance, make a strong visual impact and yet convey associations with the past. In New England, one possibility would be to use the shape of a colonial-era saltbox, without any of its historical trappings. Even when stripped of old-fashioned details such as small, multiple-pane windows, the saltbox form powerfully communicates a sense of "home" and affinity with its region. The design of a modern home may be composed of a number of minimalist shapes. The bold shapes could be drawn from residential architecture, but they don't have to be. They might be fantastic, almost surreal; in some instances, they appear to defy gravity or to be unrelated to the house's construction system. Bold shapes can make for a house with a unique relationship to the landscape. Dramatic shapes have the ability to float over their adjacencies; a house with a large roof and giant overhangs can appear to hover above the first floor and the landscape. A crisply shaped house may seem to sit lightly on the land, looking as if it could easily be removed.

Boldness may also be achieved by giving a traditionally detailed house a remarkably steep roof or an oddly shaped footprint. You might enlarge the scale of traditional details, for instance employing an oversized chimney or extra-large dormers. The strong shapes used in a home's exterior and interior are often symbols that can relate to the house's setting. A towering chimney may remind you of nearby trees or of the history of the region. Dormers may have shapes that are exaggerated versions of a local tradition. They may also reflect the predilections of the owners for a particular profile, such as that of a barn. The modern romantic will balance the composition to consist of just a few strong shapes so that the house is expressive without being too confusing or showy.