Home 1. Â Upgrade that old bathroom in your home. Â Again, from personal experience, a big improvement to our home was a new primary bath. Â Our renovation included a large, comfortable shower, radiant floor heat, and extra room by our sinks with plenty of storage. Â The only downside was that our children loved the new bathroom so much that I had to compete for bathroom time. Primary Bathroom Green Kitchen 2. Â Cook more family meals [...]
New Home New Home The ground is getting hard, but our projects are proceeding as usual. In reality, at this time of year, construction sites are mud pits for a few days, and then they become like moonscapes with frozen hills and valleys. After visiting job sites, my boots are a mess, but that just comes with the territory. Here are a sampling of our projects under construction: Kitchen/Breakfast Room Pantry [...]
Primary Bedroom with Screened Porch Over the years, we have designed many first-floor bedrooms. Often, homeowners request a first-floor primary bedroom or one that could function as either a guest bedroom or primary. Sometimes, these bedrooms are part of a new home; other times, they are added to an existing home. Currently, we are designing several first-floor bedroom suites which, in the short term, will be for guests and, in the long run, can be converted into a [...]
Double Sided Fireplace Some of our clients are purists regarding fireplaces; for them, it is wood-burning or nothing at all. That’s fine. We love wood-burning fireplaces. Most often, there is a mix of fireplaces in the homes we design, some burning wood and some gas. I have an old home, the core of which was built from about 1790 to the 1860s.  We have 4 wood-burning fireplaces. I am uncomfortable sleeping with fire (or embers) burning in [...]
Simple Guest Bedroom Having guests can be a wonderful experience; however, providing them with bedrooms can sometimes be a real challenge.  Of course, it is easier to find a place for visitors' bedrooms when building a new home or guest house. Our clients generally want their guests close enough to be included in family activities but far enough away for everyone to have their privacy. To complicate things, visitors with small children have very different needs compared to [...]
Riverside Kitchen My family and I love to cook and hang out in the kitchen. This passion for food goes into high gear during the holidays. Someone is always in the process of baking cookies, preparing a soup, sauteing, blending, roasting, or prepping for one of the above. As a group, we interact more in the kitchen than anywhere else in the home. For me, and most of our clients, the kitchen is the most important room in [...]
View Facing the Lake Our clients asked us to keep it simple and modern and to help them get the most house for their budget. This new home does not feel like any compromises were made, and we all were very happy with the outcome. The lake serves as the centerpiece of their beautiful home, while their home, in turn, complements the lake as its focal point. View Toward Lake Living Room Living [...]
Kitchen in Progress As always, some of our projects are about to finish up, while others are either under construction or are waiting for building permits. Right now, the Health Department and some building departments are overworked and understaffed, leading to delays, which frustrates everyone. Exterior View Back Patio New Home Exterior New Home Interior New Home Interior Cold Spring Renovation Cold Spring Renovation [...]
Front of Home Afer Front of House Before Looking back at the 'before and after' images of homes we have renovated, I sometimes find it hard to believe where we started. Ideas and directions we take during the design of a home renovation are rarely linear. The final outcome is almost always a collaboration between Crisp Architects and our clients but sometimes includes input from friends and family members. Our philosophy is that a good idea [...]
Closet to Pantry Organization changes everything. Pantries are quintessential organizers. It is sometimes shocking how the addition of shelves, cubbies, cabinets, and other organizing built-ins can change a room. All rooms start out with blank walls, and then we add finishes and cabinetry that create a place to live. Organized Pantry Mudrooms can be simple or elaborate with sinks and cabinets. Cubbies, shelves, coat hooks, and benches complete the organizational pallet in a mudroom. Mud [...]
