Windows as the
(natural light) Vessels to the Soul
In
comparing the contrasting styles of window types between the Japanese and Dutch
culture, I hope to shed light on my own feelings towards window types and
natural light based on what I had in my home growing up and my personal preference
now.
In the
Japanese culture, houses have distinctive paper-covered windows called
shoji. They transmit a soft, muted light
and don’t allow a street side audience to see anything more than a silhouette
of what might be inside. These types of
windows embody the Japanese culture in that traditionally they are a more
withdrawn and private society.
In the
Netherlands, windows are large and portals into the life of the Dutch. They often are set up in a “shotgun” style,
so from the street, one is able to see through the front window, into the
living area, and right out the back window into the garden. The Dutch people are proud of their
possessions and like to showcase them, allowing natural sunlight to create
focal points on different areas at different times of the year.
In my
house growing up, we had two extremely large picture windows in the living
room. They were set up in the same way
the Dutch often set up their windows, in the shotgun style. During the day, this was fine, because you
could see anyone coming and going, and they let a tremendous amount of light
into the room, despite the fact that our front yard was covered in pine trees
and the back window was covered by a huge awning. During the nighttime, however, the windows
made me feel uncomfortable because I couldn’t see out and everyone could see
in. My dad used to say that we were like
“fish in a fishbowl” at night, and insisted that the shades be drawn. After high school, I moved to Los
Angeles. In the condo that I lived in I
had floor to ceiling windows on the entire east wall. They were the only windows that let in
natural light in the whole apartment. My
level of comfort was higher because the condo was on the fifth floor and
overlooked the city. Anyone walking down
the street couldn’t really see in, and at night the lights of the city were
illuminated. Unlike my home in Ohio, the
vastness of the dark of night didn’t seem as overbearing. I think that these two types of windows
describes me as a person in that while I am an open person allowing people to
see into my life, I am careful about people I don’t know intruding on my
privacy.
