133vitrine, an item of furniture either conceals its contents or
presents them to view. Open shelves represent an extension
of the room within which its volume is extended, now subdi-
vided, or branches off behind panels and doors in the > poros-
ity of finer chambers or still smaller cavities. Through projec-
tions of the zone of the body, openings, niches and storage
trays at eye or waist level provide interior views or extend the
space that lies within reach.
- The water source is a functional motive for multifari-
ous shaping of sanitary facilities, whether these are restricted
to pure hygienic functions or involve the sumptuous staging
of the residential bathroom, or even of quasi-sacred bath-
ing temples. Traditionally, the heated bathroom is a place of
warmth, of relaxation, which provides the preconditions for
undisturbed self-care. A special role is attributed to water: ei-
ther a shower from above, as though from rain or a waterfall,
or a basin where it is collected for use, and finally a large,
horizontal body of water in which one becomes submerged.
Each of these forms is an occasion for an individualized spa-
tial design of a situation. - Both the fireplace and the stove can be traced back to
the former hearth. Both are centres of habitation. People sit
around the open fire, which forms the focus of conviviality
and dominates a situation by drawing the gaze, and by virtue
of the sounds, odours and warmth it radiates. With or without
an open flame, the cooking place, the stove in the kitchen, also
forms a focus. Ever since the fully functionalized ‘laboratory
kitchen’ was supplanted again by the eat-in kitchen, it has
come to attract residents and guests alike, and is furnished in
such a way that everyone enjoys gathering around the stove.
Thus, with the stove, the kitchen becomes the central room
of the home. Rarely are all of the senses engaged so fully in
experiencing a situation.
Literature: Alexander et al. 1977; Bollnow 1963; Selle 1993