Clerestory Design? What does it mean? How do you pronounce it?

No, Clerestory is not my last name. It is an architectural term. The Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture defines a clerestory as an upper zone of wall pierced with windows that admit light to the center of a lofty room. It is exactly what it says, a clear story. And that is exactly how you pronounce it. Clear Story. The thing to remember is the L is before the E- it is not Celestory.

So how did I end up owning a company called Clerestory Design? I wanted a creative name for my business that reflected my back ground in Architecture. I sat down with my old text books from Design School and made it to the letter C. Classical Order, Chancel Arch, Clerestory… I thought back to school and learning terms and definitions. Clerestory. I remembered studying photos and drawings of Cathedrals, Temples, Banks and Homes that made use of a clerestory. It is a design element that goes back as far as 1300BC and is still used today. Like the column or the arch, a clerestory is a classical design element that will never go out of style. It is rich in history yet perfectly relevant today. It is my goal that my Clerestory Designs will be as well.

Here are some photos of Clerestories that I took while traveling through Europe.