The designers and photographers within this ideabook understand that showing images of spaces designed and constructed for human use without people necessarily has the reader wondering where the people, furniture and pets have gone. So they’ve done us a favor by adding individuals from the photos, though a few have a supernatural quality, together with blurred forms, looming shadows and characters in black walking toward the light (cue scary music).
Let’s like a few that show off amazing spaces — and a sense of intrigue, too.
The dark figure in this picture lets us see the quality of the glass wall. Although a little spooky at first, the figure adds visual interest to the picture and calls our attention to the glass walls, which can be used throughout this modern condominium.
We would otherwise overlook the walk in pantry door within this kitchen, but the version tells us exactly where it’s located.
LineBox Studio
The white-box effect of the modern home might not be for everyone, but it’s only right for the owners of the house — and here, the topics help us determine why. They humanize the room and let us envision this sleek kitchen’s potential for interaction and entertaining guests.
Cynthia Lynn Photography
Some graphics don’t need using a human body, but in this scene, the body adds to the empty stairs. “Not only does the subject add context conceptually, it also permits the viewer to ‘sense’ the space,” says design photographer Cynthia Lynn.
Although I would not want to experience a dark, indistinct figure whilst making a midnight snack run to the fridge, the subject within this modern home tells my eyes where to look and roots my attention to the stairs.
Studio Twenty Seven Architecture
In this picture, “the scenic figure creates the illusion of the room being occupied, and it does so in such a manner that the viewer projects himself into the picture, having the experience,” says architect Todd Ray.
Stern McCafferty
Andrew Reeves claims that architectural photographs are intended to highlight the construction, so that they often “have no life,” he admits. “Blurred figures help deliver a sense of scale and explain motion throughout the space,” Reeves says. “They show how people may go through and inhabit it.”
Pitsou Kedem Architect
A blurry figure gives depth to the hallway, a modern space with ancient architectural bones.
Denilson Machado – MCA Estudio
The architect, architect and subject within this modern home also adds depth to the space and empowers the bookshelf to pop out more from the picture. The slightly eerie red light tells us there’s something interesting lurking behind the shelves.
See more of the minimalist, modern Residence