Beauty or Functionality – That Is the Question When Choosing a Design

You’ve probably read many articles offering advice on how to choose the design of your future home. There’s no shortage of such articles online. However, most authors focus primarily on technical specifications and economic benefits, dismissing the visual appeal of sketches as secondary.

In this article, we’ve set ourselves a different goal – to highlight the importance of aesthetics when selecting a house design, the kind of pleasure you get from admiring the unique facade of your home.

Aside from smaller decorative elements (like stucco, columns, or stone figures), the exterior can be transformed by more familiar features such as loggias, balconies, and bay windows. The key is that these features are tastefully incorporated into the design.

Let’s talk about loggias... This decorative element is widely used by architects in Italy and Spain. White-facade buildings with elegant loggias look stunning under the sparkling rays of the warm sun. If you're planning to build a large house and your architect agrees, definitely include a loggia in the design. And if your house will be modest in size but you still want to enjoy nature from your loggia, promise yourself you won’t glaze it and turn it into a storage room.

Bay windows are exterior elements that perfectly blend functionality and visual appeal. They protect the building from precipitation and simultaneously increase the usable interior space, allowing architects to creatively play with light and shadow.

And finally, let’s not forget balconies. This familiar architectural feature is widely used in both standard and custom cottage designs. A building with a balcony not only gains functionality (extra non-living space, a summer terrace, etc.), but also amazes neighbors and delights relatives with its stunning beauty – be it an ornate, rounded, or marble balcony with columns.

In short, explore the options and enrich a standard house plan with elegant and multifunctional elements.