Columns, either round or square, are
a common exterior design element,
most often used to hold up porch roofs.
Bring them indoors, though, and they
can be useful for solving two seemingly
opposite space problems.
Used in place of full-height walls, interior
columns can open up a dark or confining
plan and create spaces that flow
together visually. On the other hand,
used within a vast, ambiguous space like
a modern "great room," columns can
create focus and definition, resulting in
smaller, more comfortably scaled spaces
that people relate to better.
Opening up a Cramped Plan
In a traditional floor plan, rooms are
typically enclosed with four walls and
have one or more doorways for access.
Often, a lot