Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. The most famous Architectural Oculus is in the dome of the Pantheon, Rome. It acts as an eye, allowing you to see, and lets the light in. When you want natural light or to see out, no problem, the Oculus is the solution!
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. The Pantheon, Rome.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Ceiling clouds Faux painting at Silicon Valley Home. Interiors by Jerry Jacobs Design
Recently I discovered this image from a ceiling dome we had faux finished years ago at a Silicon Valley Manor project. If you look at your ceiling and see a round opening of the Sky it is an Oculus, or at least you hope so when it is Faux.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design.
Below are some examples of what we at Jerry Jacobs Design have tried to do in our Architecture and Interior Design work with the Oculus as an inspiration.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Faux painted Oculus at Alamo, CA. home Interior By Jerry Jacobs Design
When you have a wall that needs a window, but you can’t do a window (for one of many reasons), an option is a Trompe-l’Å“il window: a faux Oculus in this case. We asked the owners our clients first, if we could open a round window, above the main entrance. They said NO, you know construction, dust, so we proposed an alternative they loved. Sorry no natural light in this case. At “Casa del Alamo” Foyer. Alamo, California. Art by Villafranca Studio, San Francisco.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Street entrance to home Architecture and Interiors By Jerry Jacobs Design
We created a street entrance at Casa de Gobierno, an Hacienda style Villa on the Beach for a Country star. In this case we incorporated a true Oculus to accentuate the entrance. The Camel hump is always an excellent shape to lighten by introducing a circle opening. On the Beach, Cancun, Mexico.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Wet Bar at Buena Vista Park Deco a home Interiors By Jerry Jacobs Design
There was a window inside a closet, so when we converted the closet into a wet bar open at a corner we did a porthole in the cabinetry, creating an Oculus in the wine storage section. It did not waste the odd shape window that was there and brought natural light to the Bar. At Buena Vista Park, Penthouse, San Francisco, California.
It the Atrium’s vaulted ceiling we  created 2 Oculus to let light in They are oval though.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Two Oculus at Villa on the Beach Atrium architecture and Interiors By Jerry Jacobs Design
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. A pretend Oculus at Hall of Mirror bath in Pacific Heights San francisco Interiors By Jerry Jacobs Design
 At the Hall of Mirrors Bath, we really didn’t need any light. However, after doing the wall to wall mirrors we added an Oculus mirror frame. Whether you go through the Oculus or the main mirror, infinity is not that far away. Hellman Residence, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. A ceiling round reveal designed to look like an Oculus Interiors By Jerry Jacobs Design
Because at the Polanco pied-à -terre we couldn’t have used an Oculus in the ceiling, due to another apartment above, consequently we did a cupola. The bottom round opening is Oculus-like. While the Pendant light too is round and has a central open core, or eye  more of an Oculus.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Two ceiling round light wells Interiors at Catemaco Jungle Palace By Jerry Jacobs Design
We discovered the Oculus pair buried in the roof openings at Villa “T”. Consequently we enhanced them with frosted glass on top and Gold wallpaper on their  interior sides, then a Faux tile molding  was added by Carlo Marchiori who also did the mural on left. Painting on right by Claus Eben.
Portholes are simply round windows. Almost always “Holes” they are meant to be small. See portholes in the store below at the top left side.
I started a series of small portholes with NO LIGHT in them, (not true Oculus), but here is the example anyway. They became my in store signature-decor at for the 200+ ACA JOE stores. In the case below when the Brand’s logo became round the pair matched the eyes.
While I included my pair of Portholes on the curved soffits over the dressing rooms, as Joe had asked me for a Gray color as in military ships or so. Looking at my curved soffit I said why not add two portholes. I add portholes and round windows when I can, also makes sense sometimes.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Two round portholes used as a signature at the Aca Joe stores designed By Jerry Jacobs Design
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Two round portholes used as a signature at the Aca Joe stores designed By Jerry Jacobs Design
ACA Joe stores 1980-2000, the 250 or so we designed had a pair of Port-holes as part of the soffit, the “Gray Ship coming into port”
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Portholes on vehicle.
This 28″ “Air Float” travel trailer from 1949 at the Tiburon Concourse Auto show 2017, shows the Art Deco inspired portholes.
Round windows are a surprising and dynamic element that takes the room away from the traditional and predictable decor into a soft fluid area where round shapes are contributing to the diversity among the windows of the house. http://www.decoist.com/round-window-designs
Two examples of Non-Round Oculus. They are in this case beautiful and strategic natural lighting sources, however not the Classic round Oculus.
Oculus an Eye. Architecture. Interior Design. Square Oculus
Tunnels to the Sky, by Seth Vane.
Look at tunnels to the Sky or Italy’s hidden Courtyards. In this case it is the same as the Pantheon, though different shape size and times, but so classically beautiful that I couldn’t resist including. These beautiful photographs by Seth Vane show another type of Oculus, or Eyes of light from the Sky. In addition to the photographs being beautiful, it is an inspiration. I have always maintained that Oculus are round, and that they are like eyes, and I haven’t seen any square eyes, yet some other descriptions are worth while looking at. To see the set of photographs by Seth Vane click on the link below the photo above.
Santiago Calatrava (Star Architect Switzerland). WTC transportation hub, would be by far the most recent and largest Oculus. It is not Round, nor an eye. It is a skylight, yes with eye-lids on top. Eyes our round.
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