A House That Fits

"Sometimes, you walk into a building and you just feel at home" (Lauren Winner).

I figure this is due to our past positive experiences in similar buildings. But in her book, House Thinking: A Room-by-Room Look at How We Live, Winifred Gallagher argues that there is more to this sensation than individual experience. We share a common set of emotions and behaviors depending on the room space and contents around us (see Winner's review at the link above).

Gallagher describes Grant Hildebrand's work on these common factors: prospect and refuge, enticement, peril, and complex order. I'm sure someone has debunked of all of this. But it does help me describe why I like the varied ceiling heights and 3 sets of French doors in my house.