Indoor Atriums

I'd settle for a small one like this.

I think that was a Southern California thing. Are you in Southern California?

I love them

Get a backyard, much better.

Nope. No where near Cali.

You can have a backyard and an atrium.

There is a fabulous atrium in that movie When a Stranger Calls. Loved it.

Yes! They even have a koi pond. Love that design. The movie, not so much.

I like them in theory - but whenever I see a house with them, it just seems like it doesn’t work. Nicer in concept than reality.

Seems like you’d get bugs.

I'm sure there are ways to control pests.

There are Eichler homes built in the Bay Area and in the San Fernando Valley, primarily in Granada Hills, where the main feature are front courtyards or atriums encircled by sliding glass doors that lead to main parts of the house. As a kid, I'd always wanted to live in one of those because I thought they were so cool.

I recently read thought that a lot of these atriums have been concretized and turned into additional rooms to accomodate extended families or renters. Sad, but that's what happens when housing costs are so high.

/though

I like the indoor atrium in that Greencard movie.

I was once in a doctor's waiting room leafing through one of those celebrity gossip rags (Us Weekly? People? Don't remember), and there was an interview with Taylor Swift that mentioned her having an indoor atrium with a koi pond inside her NYC high-rise.

Not sure if there are any pics of it on the web, but it sounded fabulous.

I don't give a shit about TS or her music, but I must admit that she has some pretty good eclectic taste in homes and interiors for someone her age.

they looked at you like you were insane because there are probably a few thousand homes existing in this country with a feature like that.

find a single story ranch with an interior room and install a big skylight.

Indoor atrium is still popular in India. My parents have one in their house along with a huge garden separately. They are also thinking about a koi pond but they live with a huge dog who would most certainly try to attack the fish. Let's see what they decide.

The atrium is making a comeback. People are bored with the same old floor plans.

Eichler houses often have atriums. They look amazing.

I really love the idea of an atrium, as in Moroccan houses, so beautiful.

R19, that’s not an atrium — that’s a courtyard

You can't just take a room in a ranch house and add a skylight to make an atrium.

R20. Semantics....it’s very much an atrium, a central room, open to the sky, with other rooms opening off of it.

There was a builder in Oregon who built homes with an atrium. I've been in a few and liked the layout. They are called Rummer Homes, named after the builder.

Get some plants and cut a hole in your ceiling. You're welcome.

Atrium!

I’d rather have a lanai, obvio.

My cat Floyd would love an atrium.

Looks like our best bet is going to be an Eichler home. Thanks for the recommendation. Will post updates of what we end up with. So excited!

It was a fad in commercial buildings in the 70s. Houses, not so much--I can't even recall seeing one in southern California or Florida.. Having a sunroom with a lot of plants has been a thing in northern climates for ages.

My mom's best friend - and her son, my best friend - lived in a 70's modern house with an atrium. In fact, the mom still does to this day. I thought it was incredibly cool at the time. Someone mentioned upthread though, that they often don't quite look great and are better 'in theory'. I tend to agree. I think having an atrium essentially means having a Japanese-style garden, even if the actual design style isn't Japanese. It means you'll be spending a lot of time keeping it looking absolutely pristine, which is the only way an atrium looks good.

My reading comprehension is slipping. I still don't understand the difference between courtyard and atrium. Either way, I love them. It's a nice retreat.

Those Eichler houses look great.

They are a maintenance nightmare, water and sun damage. Plus, no one uses it because either too hot or too cold, or you are fucking getting rained on. Get a backyard.

r19, stunning

I liked the one in the original Parent Trap

i can be in a room like r19 and feel completely at ease.

I like indoor courtyards where at least one side is a wall with a gate like the haciendas of yore. I do not like smaller atrium like in R1's photo. There are some in older homes in San Francisco where I grew up, the homes with above-ground basements below and living areas above. I remember them as being inadequately kept and often damp and moldy. Maybe people are more creative with them today.

How about a riad?

I prefer Orangeries myself, if have enough space and still have a decent amount of garden left.

When I was a kid, my relatives owned a huge Victorian mansion that had a conservatory. Now, I have an enclosed sun porch on the front of my tiny suburban house, and that fills the same role.

Op your signed name made me laugh out loud.

R11 that house is fantastic.

It has always been my goal to own a house that would support some kind of water feature in it (a pond, fountain or stream running through it. It would cause mold but it would be so cool.

R13 was just about to post that same thing.

she did not have a really job, and labored in that garden full time. I am telling you, an atrium, is a maintenance nightmare.

Make your Midwest dreams come true!

Indoor plants are creepy

OP, have you ever visited the Hyatt hotel in Greenwich, Connecticut? It has a huge atrium where you feel like you're really walking outdoors in a park.

I went to a public high school in California during the late 70's that had a tiny Atrim where all the teachers were located. Just big enough for a bench and some plants open to the sky but it was so small it was like why bother?

Why, indeed.

Does a reflecting pond in your entrance count? I always wanted something like this when I was a child.