We consider The Not So Big House Book required reading for our clients. We want clients to think about ways to reduce their square footage through good design. One encouragement that author, Sarah Susanka, provides that I question is the use of Built-ins.
Space should be more versatile than what is presented with built-ins. We have ripped out many a built-in. At times it breaks our hearts because they are well crafted and simply do not fit the needs of the current owner. At other times we gladly deconstruct ghastly forms more faux than functional. It is wise to think of a home through the span of a family’s life. This does not lend itself well to spaces that are not flexible. Americans tend to live by the values of disposability. We tend to change things before they are worn out. Think wall colors, cabinets and countertops. Far better to change out a piece of furniture that can be reused by someone else, than to rip apart something that has been built in and send it to the landfill.
Built-ins often evoke imagines of good design and great masters such as Greene and Greene. But there is also a great tradition of designers who integrated interior design to architectural design, designing furniture, wallpaper and even silverware. The art of design must lend itself to the landscapes of our lifestyles. For most Americans, and especially for most American homes, this should exclude built-ins that will inevitably fall victim to whim or fashion.
I find built-ins to be a wonderful expression of living that can be flexible without compromising hidden storage IF done correctly. I'll use for example the built-in on an airplane. They provide a necessary function without compromising the flow of space and I think this is what "built-ins" should achieve. We all have "things" to store and part of designing a space is to provide for this storage in a way that is unobtrusive and at the same time practical.
ReplyDeleteIf a wall of "built-ins" can serve as both a load-bearing wall AND a storage place (weather hidden or open) I think that is a great use of space. Imagine all the storage space interior walls are taking up in your house. Walls that are not insulated for sound, but are simply partitions between spaces should do more, in my opinion. This is what “built-ins’ serve.
+pablo