Scale is important in designing any home, but is critical in designing timber frames. Those soaring ceilings, so lovely in the glossy magazine photos, can easily be overwhelming. The vastness of open living spaces needs to be brought to a human scale. Balance in designing these spaces is critical.
We’ve seen the too small space with the too tall ceiling. Makes you think of a rocket ship or maybe Rapunzel’s tower. Then you have the too large space with the vast, vaulted ceiling. Maybe nice for a pavilion or barn, but maybe not so nice for a home. Bringing it all together, capturing the grandeur while not letting it overpower the home and its occupants, is challenging.
Your designer should bring this to your attention and engage you as you work to design just the right home. Experience in designing timber frame homes and in good building concepts is critical. Designing a wonderful, beautiful timber frame is not quite the same as designing wonderful, beautiful timber frame homes. A timber frame can stand alone, majestic. However, the same frame, when inside a room can make the occupants and furniture seem insignificant.
Scale is the crucial element. The heavy timbers should enhance the room and bring warmth and shelter to all who enter. Changing the style of the timber frame and mixing room heights works well. The bents, trusses, or assemblies should accent the room, not detract from it. Scaling the timber frame to the room size will help to make that happen.
Your timber frame designer can offer a 3D walkthrough of your home. This interactive walkthrough will help you to “feel” the timber frame and how it relates to the windows, doors, and layout. While it may have the feel of a video game, it works to help determine whether the room will bring the warmth and character that you are seeking.
So step back. Soaring ceilings, with properly scaled rooms, right-sized fireplaces, proper placement of doors and windows, can offer the most magnificent of homes. Vast rooms and towering ceilings that don’t “fit”, can leave you cold.
As you design your home, recognize this as an issue to be addressed and ask your timber frame designer to help you with scale.
And, as you build, don’t forget to build boldly.
Tags: design/build, Timber Frame Design, timber frame homes, timber frame plans, timber frames
