Inside and Outside: A Study in Scale

When I reimagine a space, I always start with the light—and how the windows mediate it.

In this design concept I created, the window treatments were never secondary. They were the starting point.

The Mounting Play: Inside vs. Outside, Small vs. Large

The room has three windows of different scales: two smaller ones and one large opening. I chose soft, textured fabric Roman shades for all of them, and then deliberately varied how they sit in relation to the architecture.

The two smaller windows are mounted inside the frame. The shade sits within the opening itself, allowing the surrounding wall and trim to remain fully visible. The large window is mounted outside the frame. The shade extends beyond the window’s edges, covering the trim and giving the treatment greater presence on the wall.

This is a quiet but intentional play with scale and placement. Inside mount on the smaller openings keeps them precise and contained. Outside mount on the larger window allows it to claim more of the wall and feel more substantial. The same soft fabric is used throughout, so the contrast comes from positioning and proportion rather than material.

A Sanctuary for Solitude: The Interior Concept

To echo the tactile quality of the soft linen window shades, I chose a sculptural rattan armchair paired with rich bouclé upholstery. The organic, sweeping curves of the rattan bring an unexpected handcrafted element that breaks up the architectural lines. Grounding the nook on one side is a deep, dark ceramic vessel holding a few olive branches, balancing the delicate brass floor lamp and side table on the other.

Opposite the window, the large textured artwork—with its deeply textured, sculptural plaster surface—catches the natural daylight as it cascades across the wall, creating a tactile dialogue with the rest of the room.

Everything is intentionally spare and object-driven to transmit calm authority and refined restraint.

Creative Liberties: The Perimeter LED Reveal

You will notice a soft ribbon of illumination glowing at the base of the plaster walls.

This is a creative liberty I took here to illustrate the possibilities of architectural lighting. True recessed floor lighting of this kind must be planned during construction; it cannot be added afterward without significant disruption. I included it here to show one possible way the architecture and lighting could support the furniture, not as a realistic post-construction addition.

This concept is about holding two ideas in balance: the precision of how a window treatment meets the architecture and the warmth that soft materials can bring to a room.

The windows remain the quiet framework. Everything else grows from them.