Playing with blocks. (part 1)

When I was in kindergarten, one of the most popular toys was an enormous pile of blocks. These didn't just include the alphabet cubes, but a whole range of blocks with different architectural shapes. Miniature child-wrought architectural wonders were created until accidentally (or purposefully) knocked down. Some of us never really outgrew that, because in architecture and interior design you must play with these forms, in essence, to create the structures and spaces clients desire.

The basic building blocks are called primary solids. They are forms that arise from primary shapes, discussed in my previous posts. Triangles become cones or pyramids. Squares become cubes. Circles become spheres or cylinders.

Use of primary solids isn't confined to creating spaces; they can be found in elements of an interior, such as furniture and lighting. They can enhance the utility or aesthetic of such pieces.

Image credit: Bernstein, Fred. "Naturally Perfect." Metropolitan Home. April 2007. 107 (Overlay mine.)

In the above images, using a conical form for the pendant lights enhances both their aesthetic and utility - the light generated will overlap and spread outward over a greater area, concentrating the light in that part of the room.