Sizes of spaces and internal dimensions on residential house plans

Architects and Interior desigers everywhere grapple with modeling of space to conform to a user's needs and aspirations every day. The factors that influence space quality are varied, and creatively using these elements is what gives spaces their individual flair and interest. Of these factors, probably one of the most obvious ones that affect the quality of a space is its dimension and proportion.

Spatial dimensions of a space, that is its height, length and width, go a long way in defining the spatial quality of a room or space within  residential house plans. The mental images that we get and the feel of space is based on this sense of our understanding of the volume and size of the space. Indeed when people are inside a room, they feel completely different things with regard to that living space - its aura and ambiance are heavily influenced by its dimensions. Individuals may feel dwarfed by a large space, or may feel constrained by a compact space.

Depending on the objective of the space's designer, negative or positive emotions as regards the space can be achieved. For example, the feeling of intimacy and privacy may be preferable in an eating establishment that is interested in creating romantic and private eating areas. To achieve this, the restaurant can be characterized by private eating booths and niches which will provide patrons with privacy and intimacy, even within a public establishment.

However, creating good sized dimensioned spaces or residential house plans gives a sense of grandeur and pomp to a space. Large rooms have wide volumes that create a sense of spaciousness. The end effect of this is that large spaces can give a user a sense of anonymousness or being dwarfed by the spatial volume. This feel may be ideal in a public room or hall, where the supplemental quantity of air occasioned by the larger space is required. One may remember how in meeting halls for example, there are high volumes with high ceilings. In residential house plans, this feel may be exploited in the larger sized, more public rooms of a home, especially the lounge and perhaps hallways. If a home is large enough, a designer can choose to create the living spaces with higher ceilings having a double volume. This allows various spaces adjoining to the living space to look into it, which can create interesting visual drama in a design composition.
It is thus seen that by manipulating the surfaces enclosing a volume, a designer can manipulate the sense of space that an occupant feels when they are in the space. For example, if the floor plane surface is recessed lower than other levels around the it, that space takes on a different intimate character in contrast with spaces adjacent to it.  This is the idea behind the sunken lounge in residential house plans, hence their popularity with those who are interested in creating a feel of intimacy in their living rooms.
A similar effect can be experienced when modeling residential house plans by simply playing with the ceiling plane of a building. One can lower the ceiling in certain areas where an intimate feeling is desired, creating a feeling of enclosure and humanness of scale. However the opposite, raising the ceiling, creates a larger volume which gives a feeling of public space as the volume dominates the individual within it. It may give a greater volume of air, but the scale of the space makes it feel public and open.

The influence of light and air on spatial quality in residential house plans
The quality of light and air that is experienced within an internal space in residential house plans also goes a long way in defining what the feel of a place is.  Having good amounts of both is an advantage, and is sure to lead to better user experiences within the space. Having less means that a space or even entire house plan may fail to be approved by a municipal council.
A space having plenty of light creates a feeling of openness and a sense of a larger volume. This can be especially pronounced when the light is coming from natural sources, such as sunlight. Day lit spaces will tend to have a large volume feel, and are great for public spaces with more occupants. For example, in shopping malls that have a high level of internal focus, a designer is able to create a feeling of openness within simply by creating a roof light with an atrium that circulates light into the whole of the space.
In residential house plans with high degree of enclosure, one can use creatively placed lighting to create a greater sense of openness in a space, especially by using indirect lighting techniques. Placement of light sources in a line at a ceiling architrave or molding can create a nice light wash feel on partition walls, and can make the space have an illusion of being larger than it actually is.
Having less light in contrast creates a sense of intimacy and enclosure in a space. This is the same effect that some eating places striving to create a more cozy ambiance try to create by dimming lights or using different colors of light that have a lower degree of brightness. Having said that caution needs to be taken that a reasonable level of lighting is achieved, as failure to do this can result in having a dreary, dingy looking internal space.