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
