ABSTRACT
Having considered the physical and monetary restraints of a design problem, having considered also the physical and psychological functions to be accommodated, and then having satisfied these, however sketchily, in a conceptual plan, the designer is ready to consider the individual members of that "society": the rooms. This is a critical part of the design process. The concept for a group of rooms may very properly include variations and contrasts, but singular rooms should have cohesion. Not that there can be no surprises in them, certainly, but the best rooms leave us in no doubt about their character. Most "societies" of rooms will need a variety of room sizes. One could know that Renaissance princes liked to retreat from the great public rooms of their palazzi into more intimate studioli, which were both private and small.
