A small house with a second light. Cottages with a second light (Project selection)

  • 03.03.2020

The tradition of designing spaces with a second light originates in the distant Middle Ages. It was then that they began to build throne and ceremonial halls in palaces and castles. The abolition of interfloor ceilings made it possible to make the structure not only not limited in height, but also to give it a special splendor and even pomposity due to the illumination of many high windows. Later, the palace ensembles of Paris and Peterhof shone with luxury and decoration of double-height halls.

Epochs succeeded each other, values ​​changed, and in Soviet times the trend has migrated to public buildings. Palaces of culture and houses of pioneers were built, where it was necessary to emphasize the solemnity of the moment with the majesty of the situation.

And finally, the architects of our time increasingly began to resort to such a spectacular technique in individual buildings. Today they seek to combine the object with environment and create the illusion of a smooth flow of external and internal spaces into each other through a large number high window openings. Internal interiors are filled with light and air and visually continue the landscape outside the window.

Advantages of houses with a second light

  • Visually, the interior space increases, even in houses with a small area, a feeling of spacious housing is created.
  • Powerful insolation gives space for interior solutions and has a beneficial effect on the well-being of people living in it.
  • It diversifies facade solutions due to the play of panoramic windows.
  • Gives the chance of the device of winter gardens and green zones from the plants loving light.
  • During the day, natural illumination of stairs and balustrades is assumed.

Construction features

  • Heating such houses is somewhat more expensive than with a conventional floor plan. But, taking care of good thermal insulation of the roof, you can avoid heat loss. It is also possible to solve this issue with the help of additional heating by a natural fireplace, and by arranging “warm floors”.
  • You will need to order "carpentry" big size for panoramic windows.
  • It will be necessary to think about proper zoning in order to ensure the isolation of noise and smells in a single volume of the room.

Project catalog

Our catalog contains drawings of projects of various styles, materials and designs with the presence of rooms with a second light. It can be:

  • two-story houses with a full-fledged second floor, such as, for example, a compact and charming and cozy classic, where the double-height space has only the dining part of the kitchen-dining room, or with a high living room where the home theater area is located;
  • houses with two above-ground floors plus the exploited space of the underground part - a basement, which gives the owners an additional residential level (this is a magnificent wooden one with an underground garage and a sauna and a high living room; and a modern beautiful cottage with an underground home gym and a high dining room);
  • the most common category is two-story houses with an attic. Examples are: with a square two-height living room and a billiard room in the attic; extravagant with two terraces and a compact high bay window in the dining room; with a garage-canopy for two cars, a balcony-gallery and a two-light dining room.

If you decide to move out of town and become the owner land plot located in a beautiful natural corner - on the shore of a picturesque lake, on the edge of a forest or from the windows of your future home you can see the mountains, be sure to pay attention to this section.


In the construction of modern housing, the "second light" is often used - an original architectural technique that gives an increase in natural light due to the absence of part of the ceiling and interfloor ceilings. In the "Domamo" catalog you can see the most interesting finished projects of houses with a second light according to a number of characteristics, layout and photos, as well as order an individual design.

Second Light Benefits

Houses with a second light look European, reminiscent of the palace decoration of ballrooms, luxurious living rooms and large libraries that are freely visible from the stairs and galleries of the upper floor. At the same time, windows can be made high and with panoramic glazing, giving the cottage a stylish look. appearance. Such projects provide several advantages at once:

  • Visual space and free air circulation,
  • Maximum lighting, allowing you to decorate the room with light-loving house plants,
  • Aesthetics of the facade with the possibility of arranging original windows and stained-glass windows.

In addition, the construction of houses with structures of additional light allows you to save on daylight for interior stairs, balustrades, winter gardens.

Project Features

A house with a second light is quite complicated in design, therefore, for an accurate calculation of all the subtleties and nuances, the participation of specialists is required. When ordering a project, you should consider that:

  • Rooms with similar architectural feature inappropriate in a small house.
  • The price of heating will be slightly higher than for cottages of a standard storey form. To avoid heat loss, here it is necessary best thermal insulation roofing, installation of a fireplace or " warm floors”, making housing not only warm, but also cozy.

In wooden housing construction, houses with a second light have long become popular.
In houses with a second light in one or more rooms (most often in the living room or dining room) interfloor ceilings are not installed. Thus, the space between the first and second in these rooms becomes one.
Natural light enters rooms with a second light through the windows of the first and second floors, thus creating, as it were, double illumination. The room becomes even more spacious and light. Often the windows of the first and second floors are combined, and one common glazing is obtained for two floors. This gives the facade of the house with a second light style and representativeness, and the room - solemnity and presentability. High ceilings allow you to hang luxurious chandeliers and lamps, embody various design solutions that are not possible to decorate rooms with standard height ceilings.
The effect of the second light is also present when the ceiling is hemmed along the rafters, and not parallel to the floor.

Advantages and disadvantages of houses with a second light

Houses with a second light have two significant advantages:

  1. 1. Due to the absence of ceilings, rooms with a second light look more voluminous and freer, and the footage of the whole house seems more significant. All this adds solidity and solidity to houses with a second light.
  2. 2. Additional natural light has a beneficial effect on the emotional state and health of the owners of a house with a second light, and, to some extent, saves energy.

The disadvantages include the following facts:

  1. 1. The organization of the second light takes part of the usable area of ​​the house. Therefore, when designing, it is necessary to initially provide for the number and footage of the premises necessary for a comfortable stay for all family members.
  2. 2. As you know, warm air rises. Therefore, in rooms with a second light, the organization of modern effective systems heating, contributing to savings in the operation of the house.

Construction of houses with a second light in North Forest

Architects of the Nord Forest company in projects wooden houses with a second light, all the details are taken into account, the layouts are carefully thought out, which ensures comfortable living in such a house.
If, instead of a second light, you want to equip an additional bedroom, study or dressing room on the second floor, we will rework the project in accordance with your wishes. And if you liked standard project, in which the second light is closed, in most cases it is permissible to arrange it. We make these changes at no additional charge.

The most popular among our customers is the project of a house with a second light and

Projects of houses with a second light are difficult to implement, but the result is worth it. The architectural technique, in which part of the interfloor ceilings is missing, is suitable for spacious cottages: it is simply impractical to use it in houses with a small area. The owner of housing in which a second light is implemented should be prepared for increased costs in winter period: to avoid heat loss, the project must provide good thermal insulation roofs. Fireplaces and floor heating systems serve the same purpose, so they are often included in the project.

What gives the second light

The essence of the reception is to combine the first floor with the upper ones due to the absence of part of the interfloor and ceiling ceilings. The second light allows you to get some advantages:

    no need for artificial lighting stairwells in daytime;

    the maximum amount of natural light makes it possible to organize winter gardens;

    the interior space visually looks more voluminous;

    air circulates freely between floors;

but the unique design of facades and window openings with the help of stained-glass windows, which will make the house even more spectacular.

Initially, the second light was used in ballrooms and theater halls, but it was quickly adopted in private construction, despite the difficulties inherent in this project:

    the useful area of ​​the building is less due to the absence of part of the floors;

    required additional insulation roofing;

    careful planning of the placement of heating devices is necessary so that the house is as energy efficient as possible;

    special attention should be paid to zoning so that the noise and smells from individual rooms do not mix into one whole;

    when arranging panoramic lighting, which is used in houses with a second light, reinforced double-glazed windows will be required to minimize heat loss.

Second light - additional possibilities in design

Projects with winter garden in the attic, a balcony or a glazed gallery encircling the whole house. An already outstanding solution, the second light opens up many perspectives for the design of the room, from the facade to the interior layout. The most popular projects of houses with this architectural technique are full-fledged two-story buildings, with an attic, and with additional space in the form of a basement floor. The project of a house with a second light will fit perfectly into the countryside, especially if there is a forest, lake or mountains outside the window.

What if panoramic windows to make even more in the whole wall? Cottages in which part of the overlap between floors is missing, and in the living room has a height of 6-8 meters, are called houses with a second light. This is a rather original and not yet very common technique that allows you to add more light, freedom and monumentality to the house. Moreover, thanks to the second light, you can create the most unique and enjoy picturesque landscapes at home. A similar decision today mainly used in the construction.

The idea of ​​glass houses is not new, it was embodied in the twentieth century in the form of modernist office and public buildings. and cottages with panoramic unfolded recently, this is the fashion of the twenty-first century. The reasons that hindered the construction of houses with transparent walls in previous periods are not technical, but psychological. A house with one fully glazed wall seemed unprotected, fragile, and therefore there was no demand for such construction. The situation changed when cottage settlements with a protected area and large plots began to be built.

From the living room there is an exit to the premises of the first and second floors. To climb to the second floor, a decorative, screw or marching one is being built. Another feature of houses with a second light is the need think carefully, because a room with a height of more than 5 meters requires a special approach, and it will not be enough.

Advantages and disadvantages of houses with a second light

If we compare all the advantages and disadvantages of such houses, then there are much more of the first ones, so you can start with them. So, The main advantages of houses with a second light can be called:

  1. opportunity to create unique design, while sitting in the living room you can enjoy a panoramic view of the beautiful landscapes;
  2. opportunity to create unique, because in a room with such high ceilings, you can use a chic or mass of spotlights, or other interesting solutions, with the help of which the house will really become unique;
  3. if you like to grow plants, then houses with a second light will allow you to create an extensive collection, even equip it, and at the same time the amount of light will be maximum, and you can afford even the tallest plants;
  4. huge will significantly save on lighting and make the most of natural light;
  5. the fragility and insecurity of houses with a second light have long been refuted. Used for glazing durable double-glazed windows, which work on the principle of a greenhouse: the sun's rays freely pass through the glass, heat all objects in the house, and are converted into infrared rays that can no longer pass through the glass.

But also disadvantages of houses with a second light also have:

  1. loss of usable space, because the absence of part of the ceilings forces us to abandon a couple of not always superfluous rooms: bedrooms or utility rooms. That is why the "second light" is organized only in houses with sufficient area so that this bonus does not cause discomfort;
  2. ceiling height in living room- it additional difficulties because or change light bulbs in a chandelier without a third-party professional help it will be practically impossible, and these are extra costs;
  3. Difficulties also arise when organization of the heating system, because ordinary radiators, even if there are enough of them, will be few - the laws of physics work. That is why it is better to attract specialists to develop a heat supply system. As a rule, you will need either a thermal curtain when a stream of heated air moves along the glass from top to bottom. Also, walls and roofs will not interfere, and as heaters it is better to use those that heat the objects in the room, and not the air.

10 interesting projects of houses with a second light

If some of the disadvantages of such houses do not bother you, then you can proceed to the design and construction of such a structure on your site. Of course, you can create your own unique project, taking into account all individual requirements, but you can buy a ready-made one: it is many times cheaper, and all these projects are thought out to the smallest detail so that the built house is comfortable and cozy. Let's consider the most interesting of them.

No. 1. Grace

This is an awesome project two-story house with an area of ​​319 m 2. Great for big family, which can not only rest here for several weeks a year, but also live fully - all the necessary premises are provided. The main part of the first floor is a spacious kitchen-living room, from which a panoramic view opens. On the square you can comfortably place a kitchen and dining area, as well as a recreation area. In addition, on the ground floor there is a bathroom and a lot of utility rooms for storing things, garden tools and other things. There is a garage for two cars and a terrace where you can have picnics or just sunbathe.

On the second floor, the project involves arranging three bedrooms, one of which has its own bathroom, as well as another one. So many rest rooms are enough for a large family, and a house built according to this project, will be comfortable and conducive to relaxation.


No. 2. North

The house built according to this project, unlike the previous one, is suitable for a small family who will not spend much time here, as it is compact and has a minimum of bedrooms. A feature of the house is a spacious terrace, which can become a great place for relaxation and family holidays. The total area of ​​this two-story house is only 76 m 2, so the project is suitable only for a separate group of people.

On the ground floor, as usual, there is a spacious kitchen with a living room, as well as a bathroom. In that part of the house where there is no panoramic glazing, a children's room and a small bedroom are organized. On the second floor, according to the project, you can place a more spacious bedroom and dressing room.


No. 3. Optimum

Such a house can become a place for a full and varied recreation, and there is enough space for a large family or for a large group of friends. The project of this two-storey house boasts an area of ​​more than 530 m 2 . From the first floor there is access to a huge terrace that can be used in different ways. Also on the ground floor there is a leading to a spacious living room, the decoration of which is the "second light". The kitchen is separated from the living room, also has ample space and a separate dining area. From the kitchen and living room there is access to the terrace, so on fine days you can easily arrange dinners on fresh air- all products can be easily and simply taken out.

Also on the ground floor there are a couple of bathrooms, a huge gym, sauna with swimming pool, boiler room, pantry, utility rooms and two cars. Stairs from the living room lead to the second floor to the hall, which also offers stunning views from the window. On the second floor there is a bedroom with a private bathroom and dressing room, as well as three other bedrooms and two additional baths. Such a project is suitable for someone who wants to relax in his country house with maximum comfort.


No. 4. Greece

This is a project of another spacious two-storey house with an area of ​​302 m 2 . Both external and internal solutions are thought out to the smallest detail. So, on the ground floor there is a living room overlooking the terrace and the surrounding landscapes. The kitchen and dining areas are adjacent, but separated by a short partition. From the dining area there is access to the terrace, so if you wish, everything cooked can be easily taken outside to arrange lunch or dinner in the fresh air. The ground floor also includes a bathroom, pantry, boiler room, wardrobe, as well as a bedroom, from which there is also access to the terrace.

From the living room a staircase rises to the second floor hall, from where the doors lead to three bedrooms, a bathroom and a dressing room, and one more bathroom is provided in one of the bedrooms. The end result is a good project. country house for a big family.


No. 5. Finnish house

Enough interesting project on which you can build a cozy two-storey house with an area of ​​286 m2. Due to the peculiarities of the layout, even more useful objects will fit on this area than in the previous version. The basis of the first floor is a living room with a second light. Next to the living room is a dining area with access to the terrace, and the kitchen is located right there. In addition to these rooms, as well as the entrance hall and hall, on the ground floor there is a bathroom, a bedroom with a dressing room and a bathroom, but that's not all. A feature of the project is the availability of space for a sauna with a shower and a dressing room.

As in all other projects of houses with a second light, here the stairs to the second floor lead from the living room and head to the hall on the second floor. It is also used as a recreation area, because the view is the same as from the living room. There are also three bedrooms, one of which has a wardrobe and a balcony, one bathroom for all.


No. 6. Arrow

The project of this house is really unique and interesting, it is suitable for those who want to achieve an original solution, but at the same time not deprive the house of comfort and coziness. The area is 370 m 2 , two floors, and the peculiarity is the presence of a gallery on the second floor, as well as a lot of objects for rest and relaxation. The house has a peculiar shape, and on the ground floor there is a living room and a kitchen-dining room, and they are located in such a way that they are a single room, and two parallel walls are fully glazed. In addition, on the ground floor there is a vestibule with an entrance hall, a bathroom, as well as a hall with access to the bathroom, utility rooms and a gym, next to it there is a passage to the pool, from which you can go to a spacious terrace. best solution for a relaxing holiday and you can not think of. For convenience, on the ground floor there is a place for a garage for two cars.

Since the "second light" is actually located on two sides, the second floor is planned with the help of a gallery that leads from the stairs to two children's rooms. Also on the second floor are two bedrooms and a bathroom.


No. 7. Friends

The name of the project of this house speaks for itself. The rooms here are located and equipped so that there is enough space for a huge company, and so that everyone's rest is as comfortable as possible. It should be noted right away that the project of the house does not provide for a garage, but the issue of car parking can be solved in a lot of other ways. But on an area of ​​​​450 m 2 all the necessary rooms are located.

On the first floor there is a huge living room with a second light, it connects to the dining room, which also offers a beautiful view. The kitchen and dining room are combined, and from the latter there is access to the terrace for outdoor dining. Also on the ground floor there is a guest room with access to the terrace and its own bathroom, dressing room, gym with bathtub. The second floor has a spacious hall, a dressing room and four bedrooms, each of which has a separate bathroom - ideal for big company friends.