I wonder about not only the stairs into the high-ceiling LR/DR. I've begun questioning double height spaces in homes in general. It's a combination of the increased heating/cooling volume and, to my eyes, the fact that many high spaces don't actually add comfort and many, in fact, end up feeling overwhelming and cold (figuratively, thoug…
I wonder about not only the stairs into the high-ceiling LR/DR. I've begun questioning double height spaces in homes in general. It's a combination of the increased heating/cooling volume and, to my eyes, the fact that many high spaces don't actually add comfort and many, in fact, end up feeling overwhelming and cold (figuratively, though maybe literally as well).
I'm lucky in that my apartment (in a gutted 1904 tenement building) has roughly 9'+ ceilings. Those do indeed feel better than cookie cutter 8' ceilings. But I don't feel the need for anything higher - or to pay for heating and cooling it. Mind you I grew up in a 1980s modern house with cathedral ceilings throughout and big triangular clerestory windows. The design was dramatic, but I don't miss the high ceilings at all. And I find high flat ceilings even colder and less appealing.
Don't get me started on McMansions with pointless two-story entry halls.
I wonder about not only the stairs into the high-ceiling LR/DR. I've begun questioning double height spaces in homes in general. It's a combination of the increased heating/cooling volume and, to my eyes, the fact that many high spaces don't actually add comfort and many, in fact, end up feeling overwhelming and cold (figuratively, though maybe literally as well).
I'm lucky in that my apartment (in a gutted 1904 tenement building) has roughly 9'+ ceilings. Those do indeed feel better than cookie cutter 8' ceilings. But I don't feel the need for anything higher - or to pay for heating and cooling it. Mind you I grew up in a 1980s modern house with cathedral ceilings throughout and big triangular clerestory windows. The design was dramatic, but I don't miss the high ceilings at all. And I find high flat ceilings even colder and less appealing.
Don't get me started on McMansions with pointless two-story entry halls.