Two homes have the same square footage yet one seems so much larger than the other does. How can that be? The difference is because of sight lines. Sight lines are what you see from any given point in the home, whether you're standing in a doorway or seated in a room. When sight lines are obstructed by a wall or a door the home will feel smaller. Open things up with a hint of what lies beyond and the home will always look and live larger.


You can check a home's sight lines with the floorplan, a ruler, and a pencil. Start from the middle of any doorway or opening and draw a straight line to various focal points in the home. Does the line stop in that room or does it pass through several? Does it intersect a featureless wall or will you get a glimpse of a fireplace or a window and the courtyard beyond?

Then check the sight lines from various sitting positions in the home. What will you see from the breakfast table? The family room sofa? From your bed as you read the Sunday papers? As you move through a home, it's far more interesting to get a preview of what's to come with subtle hints and intriguing clues of the spaces beyond than to be cut off from the rest of the home.