Do you ever feel like you're on the cusp of understanding something, but not to the point where you have the language to express it? In Philadelphia, I picked up a wonderful little book called 101 Things I learned in Architecture School, by Matthew Frederick. I've learned so much about design from the simple insights he shares on each page.
In one such insight, he says, "True architectural style does not come from a conscious effort to create a particular look. It results obliquely -even accidentally- out of a holistic process." He uses American colonial houses as an example. A builder in 1740 did not think "I really like colonial houses, I think I'll build one." Houses in those days used small panes of glass because that's what the technology of the time could produce. Shutters were not decorative, but functional, used to keep the sun out. Colonial architecture simply resulted from the materials and technology available at the time.
That relates to what I was trying to say at the end of this post, but I still can't figure out quite how to explain what I'm trying to say.
