The Winter Light Room
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
In northern climates, the quality of winter light is fundamentally different from summer light — lower angle, warmer color, present for fewer hours, and psychologically precious. When interior spaces ignore this difference, they are either too dark in winter or too bright in summer, because the same room cannot serve both extremes without adaptation.
Evidence and Discussion
The winter light room is distinct from the solar gain room (which is primarily about heat). This is about *light quality* — the warm, raking light of a low winter sun entering deep into a room through south-facing glazing, reflecting off warm surfaces, creating the long shadows and rich colors that make winter interiors beautiful.
Therefore
design at least one room to celebrate winter light specifically — south-facing, with a low sill height (below 600mm) so the low winter sun enters at floor level, warm-colored surfaces (wood, plaster, warm paint) that reflect and diffuse the light, and deep reveals that frame the light as it enters. This room should be at its most beautiful in December, not June. Orient the primary seating to face the winter sun.