The quiet discipline of light

It is tempting to fill a coastal house with glass. But more glazing is not more light — it is often just more glare, and less calm.

We prefer fewer, better openings: a tall slot that tracks the sun, a low window framing the shoreline, a rooflight that washes a wall. Each is placed for a reason.

Discipline gives light somewhere to land. A room with one perfect window will always feel richer than a room that is merely bright.