Collection by Heather Corcoran
Creative Ways to Bring Light Into the Home
With glass-enclosed atriums, skylights, and interior courtyards, these houses let the sunshine in.
When Molly Alexander and Graeme Anthony were looking for a house to renovate for their growing family—including five-year-old Chloe, seen here—they didn’t expect to find it right next door to Alexander’s own childhood home. The light-filled sanctuary they created features vintage Singer sewing stools at the American walnut–topped kitchen island and hanging lamps from Ikea.
Linda Hutchins and John Montague hired Works Partnership Architecture to turn a former warehouse and auto repair shop into a versatile live/work space. The building is full of natural light, thanks to 11 skylights and a glass atrium in the center of the space, where a hammock and a vine maple tree sway in the breeze.
Cutouts in the concrete slab floor allow for an indoor forest of taro, fig, and bamboo—and a subsurface drain connected to a perforated underground pipe slowly filters out excess moisture to the groundwater. The cabinets were custom designed by Nick Damner, while the refrigerator and dishwasher are by Thermador.