Atrium Decor Ideas

Industrial Green

• Open an old industrial building to the sky for more light and a sense of space. In urban industrial conversions, removing interior, non-load-bearing walls and clearing the center of the building brings the outdoors in. Surround a central atrium with sliding glass doors for views from every room. Use reclaimed materials to create an outdoor deck bordered by velvet green turf, drought-tolerant grasses or green groundcover. Vintage wood and greenery both complement and soften the hard surfaces of old concrete, brick and steel used in factory architecture. One industrial space converted to a home in Brooklyn, N.Y., used reclaimed boardwalk lumber from Coney Island for an atrium deck that was also a conversation piece.

Minimalist Atrium

• Japanese architects are ingenious about maximizing tight spaces. In a home squeezed onto a narrow lot, architects used minimalist design and a light-filled atrium for an illusion of endless space. To achieve the look, keep all solid walls and floors white. Use clear glass walls to frame an open atrium that is a simple gravel-filled rock garden with large pavers as stepping stones. Light pouring down the shaft bounces off all the open spaces. A spare design like this works best where privacy isn't an issue in first-floor public rooms. But a glass and gravel atrium isn't as low-maintenance as it appears. Glass walls require frequent cleaning, the gravel should always be neatly raked and even the merest hint of clutter should be instantly banished from the house.

Outside In

• Plant one wall of an interior atrium with vertical green for a lush garden in a small space. Use the technology designed for green walls to add epiphytes, trailing vines, ferns and random flowers to a wall. If the rest of the house opens onto the atrium, you have a very private garden to enjoy in the middle of your home. Drip irrigation makes the wall easy maintenance and a glass ceiling lets in enough sun to keep things green.

Quirky Elegance

• In an enclosed atrium, add a chandelier for an unexpected design element that changes the way you use the space. Place a table and chairs below the chandelier and use the atrium as a dining room or breakfast room. Suspend a crystal chandelier from a cross beam between skylights or on a metal bar or beam that crosses the space. At night, the stars will compete with the glittering crystals for romantic meals. In the morning, the sun hitting the crystal chandelier will send patterns of light dancing over the atrium floor.