Is your house introverted and your site extroverted? No, I didn’t ask if you are introverted or extroverted, but if your house and your site were. Take a moment to consider what I could possibly be talking about. While you do that, also consider if your house’s personality suits your own. Does it suit your lifestyle or do you find that it requires too many compromises to create a private and comfortable feeling inside?
I think the way we live and, by their own nature, our houses tend to be intrinsically introverted. All activity in them is centred around us and our families. There is little engagement with the street, our neighbours or even our own yards.
Once we enter the outer skin or walls of our home, we disregard everything else on the outside of those four walls. From cooking dinner, watching television and doing homework, all of our activity happens indoors with little interaction outside.
Introverted House
Being an introvert myself, I am comfortable with concentrating all of my activity to within the walls of my home. I like my home to be a place where I can retreat to. It is where I can totally be myself.
But, like my own introverted personality, though I enjoy my privacy and seclusion, I also like seeing and being outdoors. I like to see trees, plants and other aspects of nature. For this to happen it requires opening a door or window. However, I feel that to open a window or door will sacrifice some of my privacy. That is because of how my and many houses in the region where I live are sited.
Extroverted Site
Open boundaries with little to no opaque fencing are common, especially to the front and sides of the house. These are where public rooms like the living and dining are located. They also include some private spaces such as bedrooms and even the bathroom. I can be taking a shower and watch (as well as be watched by) my neighbour going by. Only from my shoulders up will be visible, but it is still an uncomfortable situation.
Once the window curtains are opened, I can see into my neighbour’s living room and bedrooms, and they can see into mine. As such, being the chronic introvert that I am, my curtains are usually only opened slightly to allow light and air through. This blocks their view of me and my view of them. But it also blocks most of the view to outdoors. I, therefore, lose most of the view of any vegetation that I enjoy.
I sometimes wonder how persons in contemporary modern homes manage with their large picture windows and glass sliding doors. As much as I like to see and even design such homes, I am afraid that they can sometimes seem a bit too extroverted for my personality.
Combining Introverted House With Extroverted Site
The situation, where I feel forced to keep my doors closed and curtains pulled in order to maintain privacy, is not ideal as an introvert. I would want the site where my home is located to be open to me but secluded from my neighbours and people passing by on the street.
However, many of our traditional approaches to design in the Caribbean region often forces us into a specific mould of what a house should look like.
If you are an introvert or just generally prefer your privacy, here are some things you can consider, so that your extroverted site relates better to your introverted home and personality.
Create Boundary Walls or Fences
I would consider creating a solid fence or boundary wall that you cannot see through. If you have a fence that you can see through, like a picket or chain link fence, then you can also plant dense vegetation next to it, to reduce visibility through it. This will extend the privacy of your home to the property surrounding it as well. Not only would this allow you to open your home more to the outdoors, but you are likely to use more of your property as functional spaces as well.
A high enough wall will prevent neighbours in their yard or in their home, from seeing into your interior spaces.
Once the wall is far enough away from the wall of your home, natural breezes would still flow in.
You would be able to open your home with larger openings like sliding or bifold doors. The space between your boundary fence and the wall of your home could be filled with plants, shady trees and furniture. Hence it can be used as an extension of your rooms.
Hide Approach To Your House
Consider screening the front approach of your home with a fence, wall or vegetation. In my current home, when my door or the windows next to the door are opened, a passer-by on street can see right through the living room, dining room and the kitchen.
A screen wall would prevent this from occurring and allow you to feel more at ease with having the windows and doors to the front of your home open.
Turn Front Door Away From Street View
Alternatively, you can consider having your front door not facing the street.
It is traditional to have the door of your home face the street. Many persons building a home request this as it is customary. They see it as a clear indication of the entry of the home. In addition, the front door is often a special feature of the home, providing an identifying character and aesthetic.
But as mentioned, once that door is open, it is possible to stay from the road and see inside. This is dependent on the layout of your home.
Having the front door facing the side of your property rather than to the street at the front could prevent this problem.
Foyer With No Direct View Into Your Home
Many middle-income and higher-income homeowners often incorporate a foyer into their home. This provides a space to receive guest before they enter any formal spaces.
This helps to maintain privacy to the rest of the house when the front door is open. It also provides a space to greet anyone who may not need to enter all the way in or are not staying long. This means members of your home need not be impacted every time a visitor comes to the door.
Window Locations
As much as we may like our privacy, we still need to see out. You may like to see the activity on the street, watching cars and people as they go by.
In these situations, high-level windows could be located so that you can see out when standing. However, a person walking by on the street would not be able to see activity going on in your home.
According to your situation, there may not be any activity to look out at or this may not be your preference. Instead, you may prefer to see the plants and shrubs in the garden outside your home. Low-level windows may be more suited in this situation. You would be able to look out into your garden while persons passing by would not be able to see directly into the house, at eye level.
Add A Courtyard
A courtyard could be a great way for you to create a private outdoor space, that is filled with lush vegetation but well protected from prying eyes. The entire interior space of your home could open to the courtyard.
Courtyards also have the added benefits of introducing additional natural light and increasing natural ventilation into your home.
Conclusion
Your home should be designed to suit your needs. Part of this is ensuring that it, as well as the site it sits on, are designed for your personality and requirements.
Very often we see introverted homes located on extroverted sites. That is a home where all activity occurs within the house. However, where the property around it is open and exposed to the street and neighbours.
However, if you are an introvert or just value your privacy, consider introducing a boundary fence or wall that has little or no visibility through. You can also, hide the approach to your home or position the front door that it does not open in the direction of the street.
A foyer can be useful in offering privacy to your main spaces when someone visits. You can also consider introducing a courtyard that the interior parts of your home can open on to.
High or low-level windows can also be used to maintain privacy while being able to look outside.
To ensure that you and your family feel you have a good sense of privacy in your home, these points could be considered. It will also create and make better use of the property surrounding it.
Featured image by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash