Mo, Our New Puppy My family's story reminds me of a book published in 1948 titled 'Cheaper by the Dozen,' which was made into several movies of the same name about the lovely chaotic family of twelve.  I have lost count of the number of animals we have, so when a friend in the sheep business let us know she had one puppy left from a litter of Bernese Mountain Dogs, we couldn't say no since one more [...]
Amazing Merlin Iphone Application I rarely gush over applications people recommend to me, but Merlin deserves a special shout-out. A friend of ours who is an avid birdwatcher recommended it to us and we have been using it often ever since. My wife and I will have coffee most mornings on our back porch. It is a great time to catch up on upcoming events, the kids, the animals, and the extended family. To my amazement, while we [...]
Dining Table Under Pergola Summertime in the Northeast is wonderful in outdoor spaces. After a long winter, the contrast between the seasons cannot be greater. My family spends a lot of time on our porch and patio and gathering around the pool during the summer. We alternate eating dinner inside and outside, with alfresco dining winning out every summer. When we design a home, we do everything we can to make that indoor-to-outdoor connection. If possible, there should [...]
New Home Entry View It is great to see our projects start to take shape and imagine what they will look like finished. Of course, we are still having some supply chain issues, but they are getting better all the time. The cost of some materials has come down, and we are always hoping for more to follow suit. Contractors and subcontractors are very busy, but we have not had a problem finding qualified bidders. This should be [...]
New Home with Porches We design many forever homes. Whenever we are asked to design any project, we approach it the same way the builders of my home did: design it as though a family will live there forever. The forever home starts with good design. Our preference is to avoid whatever the current fad is going around and to design each home or addition in a timeless manner that will look as good 25 years from now [...]
Large Addition About half of the work in our office is new construction and half renovations and additions. When designing a home from scratch some of the most important elements to study(besides the clients wishes) are views, site features, sun and wind direction, and the approach to the site. The most important single element in an addition/renovation is the existing building. Sometimes the portion you save and restore is key to the rest of the project. Although it [...]
Porch-Exterior Every old home needs an advocate. A special someone who understands and cares about the details, the history, and the sense of place inherent in a period home. Those advocates may save that home from the wrecking ball or the vinyl siding salesman, or the addition that would look better on a gas station. Two of those advocates are David and Nan Greenwood. Their home is in Hart’s Village, just outside of the Village of Millbrook. Philip [...]
Garden View-Judy Murphy, Old Farm Nursery A beautiful landscape or garden can enhance any architectural project. A talented landscape architect, landscape designer, or homeowner with a green thumb makes any project we design more beautiful. That partnership works even better when it begins early in the design process. Just as the architect creates spaces inside the home, outdoor ‘rooms’ can be created on the property surrounding a home. These spaces can be private getaways, cutting gardens, meditative retreats, [...]
Pool House with Gable Window We love gable windows. Sometimes for the light they bring in and other times just for the details and proportions they lend to the gable of a structure. We spend a lot of time adjusting the proportions of every aspect of a design. Gable windows are no exception. It is not uncommon for us to review dozens of options before choosing a window type and then we continue to refine the details and [...]
There comes a time when you are ready for a simple kitchen refresh. Our client asked for a functional, practical, and timeless makeover. With this renovation, we kept it simple, which was just what the owners were looking for. In addition to ample shelves and lower cabinets for storage, we included a big pantry for everything else. A simple kitchen renovation is sometimes the perfect prescription for a happy home. Kitchen Before Stove and Shelves [...]
