Living Room After

One of the pleasures of working with a great photographer(Rob Karosis), is the thrill of seeing new photos of one of our projects for the first time.  After spending months and sometimes years, on a renovation project it is always gratifying to go back and see what the space looked like before anything was done.  It is easy to forget how far from the original house a design has come.

We hope you enjoy some of our favorite ‘Before and After’ shots.

Living Room Before

Farmhouse After

Farmhouse Before

Kitchen After

Kitchen Before

Home After

Home Before

Living Room After

Living Room Before

Boom Truck From Ed Herrington's Lifting a Part

This winter, when it was hard to imagine spring flowers, we received a call from the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  Crisp Architects had been selected along with three other architects to design a folly titled ‘Gimme Shelter: Architects Design for Shade’.  Proceeds of the exhibition and sale of the follies will benefit the garden and their many programs.

We had a lot of fun with a variety of ideas then settled on a classic garden folly archetype.  Lucky for us Ed Herrington of Herrington’s Building Supply offered to supply the materials and Mike Shiels of Shiels Builders agreed to build it.

There will be a reception April 28th from 5pm to 7pm and tickets can be obtained from Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Adjusting The Fit

Working on Details

Mike Shiels and Crew

Fern Garden

The arrival of spring inspired me to revisit this blog from 2009, add some photos, and use the found time to plant my garden.  Please enjoy the weather and this visual reminder of spring!

A beautiful landscape 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.

Architects spend a lot of time on the placement of a new home or addition in the landscape. Views, sun angle and orientation, prevailing winds, relationships to the approach and internal flow are all part of the mix when designing the spaces. Often part of our design extends into the landscape and includes retaining walls, patios, porches and outbuildings. The landscape designer takes those elements and incorporates them into an overall plan of the entire property. We work as a team to create a wonderful experience which integrates the home and the landscape.

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, or just a fun place to sit and talk.

In addition to creating interior spaces from which to observe the flora and fauna, we often design garden structures which can be utilitarian, but sometimes they simply punctuate the landscape as part of the grand scheme. A garden folly can be just a sight to behold or a working potting shed or pool house.

Home owners vary in their garden choices as much as they do in their architectural tastes. Whether a garden is formal or free form, natural or completely staged, the object is always to create a wonderful experience which has been integrated with the home.

Garden Outside Sun Room

Garden Wall

Landscaping Around Pool and Spa

Back Yard Garden

Beds Framing Garage

Two Level Maple Island with Seating and Cooktop

We have designed many kitchen islands and every one is a little different.  Oh sure, there are similarities between them all, but the differences are easy to find.  Some islands have sinks, some have seating, a few have stoves, and most are within the very important work triangle of the kitchen.

At a recent client meeting many of those features were discussed and we also puzzled over the best material for the countertops.  It is not uncommon to change the countertop material between the island and the rest of the counters.  We have clients who love their choice of maple, marble, soapstone, granite, concrete, limestone, or any of a host of man made materials and can’t imagine having any other surface.  If anything, the choices are too numerous.

Like most choices in a home, the island and its features should match the family that lives there.

Marble Island with Room to Spread Out

Honed Granite Island with Sink and Seating

Butcher Block Island with Pop Up TV

Walnut Island with Warming Drawer in Base

Overall View of Kitchen

White kitchen cabinets always remind me of the beautiful butlers’ pantries in turn of the century great estates.  Tall cabinet doors and glass panes and solid hardware made a functional yet stunning place to work.  White kitchen cabinets never seem to go out of style-and if they do, it is easy to change the color.  In my own kitchen, we have changed the wall colors several times, but never changed the white cabinets.  Almost any counter and floor material work well with neutral cabinet colors.  With a mixture of solid and glass doors, we have the option to display our crystal and hide our canned peas.  In this picture, the only thing missing is some friends and family giving advice on how to cook dinner.

Kitchen Close Up

View to Pantry

Living Room Wet Bar

When entertaining or just making a drink, a wet bar is a handy work center.  It is a place for everything from glasses to ice, drinks to mixers, and most contain soft drinks and chocolate milk.  By definition a wet bar includes a sink-useful when the party is over.  In addition to an icemaker, we have included wine coolers, refrigerators, and drawer style dishwashers to take care of the dirty glasses.

I would say a wet bar is not an absolute necessity, but what a great accessory to a home where entertaining is a part of life.

Wet Bar Next to Piano

Green Walls Set Off Cabinets

A bold color choice in a home is not for the faint of heart.  Our client, in her new home decided to think out of the off-white box when she chose a green palate using Farrow and Ball paints, and in doing so, hit a home run.

The home has beautiful big views, and she made the point that the strong colors offset and draw focus to the landscape beyond.  I will add that the contrast between the mostly green walls and the off-white trim and cabinets adds drama and depth to the rooms.

The lesson I have learned is that sometimes it pays off to make bold choices when choosing paint colors. Keep in mind that repainting can solve the worst-case color scenario.

Dining Room

Bedroom Views

We are frequently asked the cost of building a project. Universally the answer is: It depends what you build. Following is a list of some of the elements that go into homes in our region and their installed costs. The prices will vary depending on the supplier, contractor and the market conditions at the time of the bid.

Estimated Installed Costs of Building Components From Contractor Survey

Living Room Ceiling

Even though it may not be the first thing you notice when you enter a room, the ceiling makes a big impact on how you perceive the space.  A well designed room should include careful study of how the ceiling is perceived.  Simple unadorned ceilings are fine as long as they fit the rooms they are above.  There is almost no limit to the design options available when considering the ceiling of a home.

Exposed Beams In Kitchen

When additional ceiling height is needed, sometimes the best choice is to reveal the underlying structure.  In this kitchen, the ceilings were low and unattractive.   The beams were even better than we hoped for once the contractors took down the plaster.

Built Up Beams in Master Bedroom

In this master bedroom, we provided interest and detail by designing built up beams which were painted the color of the surrounding trim.

Study With Barn Beams and Reclaimed Timbers

200 year old beams reclaimed from barns slated for distruction as well as reclaimed flooring work together in this study to create a warm, rustic feeling.

Curved Ceiling Reflects Curved Structure of Roof

This screened porch has a lofty feeling with a natural pine bead board ceiling following the curve of the exterior structure.  The roof of this porch is a copper barrel vault.

Front Door With Side Lights and Transome

The front door is a symbolic welcoming gesture to the world beyond.(even if we enter the mudroom door most of the time)  When designing a new home, a strong inviting front door is relatively easy to create.  An existing home whose front door is ill defined and hard to access, often poses a greater challenge.  Many times the biggest hurdle is to create a functional front door on a home whose approach is defined by the automobile rather than foot traffic.  We enlist landscape architects when the problem is really not about the house but is the setting surrounding it.

Covered Entry Door

A front door does not need to be grand or complex to be inviting.  Although my personal preference is to provide cover at a front door, that convenience is not absolutely necessary.  Simple designs can work well.

Home With Red Door

In a few of our homes, the front door is the door which is used by family and friends on a daily basis.  Most of the time, the front door is where guests are greeted and the side door is where family and close friends end up coming in.  If that side or back door is the one used 90% of the time, I feel it should be given it’s due and also treated as an important focus of the home.

Recessed Door with Stone Surround

200 Year Old Brick on New Wall

Brick is a great example of a material which must be removed from a wall carefully then cleaned, sorted and stored.  There is a high loss factor since many of the bricks crumble  when separated from the mortar.  Care must be taken to confirm that the old brick was fired properly.

Reclaimed Flooring and Beams

Reclaimed flooring must be pulled up from an old home or barn without splitting the wood and at the same time nails pose a threat to saw mills if the boards need straightening.

Reclaimed Beams, Flooring, and Bookcases From Resawn Beams

Barn beams, which can be used decoratively or structurally, need the least amount of reprocessing. If the beams are made into flooring, they must go through a saw mill and need to be milled to create uniform widths and thicknesses.

Today’s fast growth pine varieties cannot come close to matching the durability, beauty and grain structure of 200 year old lumber.  The rich dark patina which comes from age, cannot be easily reproduced with stain alone.

Given the chance, we use reclaimed materials whenever possible.

Home Office with Transom Windows

A home office can consist of anything from a countertop with a plug for a laptop to the most elaborate command center worthy of a corporate titan.  To me the two most important characteristics of a home office is that it is a place you like to work and it helps you organize and  find the stuff you are working on.

Often our clients insist on a great view from their home office while others find a view too distracting.  There is no ‘right’ solution to a personal work space except one that helps you get the job done.

There can be a dichotomy between wanting to be part of family activity on the one hand and the need to concentrate on the other.  Sometimes a well placed set of pocket doors can create a reasonable balance.

Home Office With a View

There is only one consistent planning component, and that is the fact that technology will change continuously. It is easier to build in options for new cables, outlets and connections than it is to retrofit.

Home Office With Fireplace

Like any insurance policy, a generator is an unwelcome expense until the power goes out and then it can literally be a life saver.  Family members and friends with medical conditions that require constant power can be at risk during these blackouts.  Extended power outages in the winter can allow pipes to freeze especially if you are away on vacation or only up on weekends. Hundreds of dollars of food can spoil during a summer power failure, so the price of a back-up system can be offset by the damage and losses it prevents.

Most new homes we design in areas prone to power loss include an automatic back-up system. Homeowners can setup a simple system with the help of an electrician for as little as $1500 which will power their oil or gas fired furnace, well pump and a few other outlets.  Of course someone must be around to manually turn it on and keep the generator filled with gas.

The following is a range of prices for generators including installation by an electrician.  Not included is any structure or gas tanks/lines which would be provided by the individual gas companies or any underground work.

$2,100 portable generator

$370 transfer switch

1. Portable generator with manual transfer switch-$1000 to $3000 for the generator  plus $400 for the switch and installation. (Powers a few circuits)

$4000 propane generator including automatic transfer switch

2. Small propane generator(15kW) with automatic transfer switch-$4000 plus $900 installation and any underground work needed.(Powers most circuits in average home)

$11,000 (30kW) propane generator

3. Medium sized propane generator(30kW) with automatic transfer switch-$11,000 plus $1300 transfer switch plus  $1750 installation and any underground work needed.(Powers the average whole house completely)

Special thanks to Kyle Lougheed of Ginocchio Electric who installs generators for many of our clients for his help in estimating installed prices

Quiet Space With Bookcases and Fireplace

We all need time to think, read and/or write, to sketch or simply dream.  A quiet space within our home can be a refuge from hectic lives and too many electronic diversions.  That space doesn’t need to be a closed room with a heavy door, you may want to be close to the activity inside your home, just not in the middle of it all the time.

When planning a quiet or contemplative space, care should be taken to decide whether the room is going to focus inward, outward or both.  If there is an existing view, designing the size and placement of windows is critical.  An inward focused room might include a fireplace, an art wall or perhaps bookcases galore.

We sometimes include a reading nook in our designs which has a built in window seat and a side wall to lean up against. It is important to remember that one person’s contemplation may include Tolstoy while another’s is brandy and cigars.

In the summer, my back porch gives me a needed respite, and in the winter my quiet space is our kitchen at 5:30 in the morning.  This is the time before everyone wakes up that I use to daydream and write blogs.

Quiet Space With Art Niches

Quiet Home Office

Restored Entry

Entering and leaving most homes, we pass through an entry hall that is formal or casual, one that is meant either for guests, family or for everyone. Many homes we design have a main entry which is meant for the arrival of guests with a place to hang their coats, and a ‘mud room’ entry which is for everyday use as well as muddy boots, dogs and gardening apparel.

In my house (circa 1790) we have a center hall with one end leading to a porch and the back yard and on the entry side, a covered portico. Our entry hall became so chaotic with piles of coats, shoes and gloves, we built in a bench, hooks, baskets and shoe storage for every member of the family.  This really made a big difference when getting everyone out in the morning and reduced our chaos.

A more formal, double height entry speaks of arrival.  It makes sense to include a closet for guests’ coats either within the entry or close by.  Even though this type of entry is used mostly for guests, owners enjoy the formality of descending a grand staircase each morning on their way to breakfast.

The first thing we see when we enter our homes is the entry hall.  It deserves the attention given the rest of the house.

Mudroom Entry With Storage

Double Height Entry Hall

Simple Entry Hall

New Stair Hall

Entry Hall With Stair

Entry With Pocket Door