Home Sweet Home
“Vitruvius advises the practitioner to study regional variations in architectural requirements and in human personalities.”[1]
Most designers began their careers designing single family homes. Nearly every collection in the Environmental Design Archives contains numerous designs for both home owners and developers. In addition to residences that reflect regional climate and lifestyle, these renderings particularly serve as documents of social history illustrating lifestyle, gender roles, family life, relationships, domestic desires, and the use of residential spaces.
The Edwardian sketch perpetuates the belief that a man’s home is his castle, while the mid-century modern drawings delineate the men’s and women’s spheres of “influence.” Women are often shown indoors while the men and boys are outside.
[1] Architects People