Outdoor Three Season Porch

Three-Season Porch

There are some design ideas that, for a while, are the latest trend, but come and go quickly. Many of our renovation projects include undoing the latest trend of 10, 20, 30, or more years ago and replacing it with designs that are meant to last. Below are a few ideas that we feel are timeless.

Porches That Feel Like Outdoor Rooms With Seasonal Flexibility

The best porches are not treated as leftover exterior space. We design them more intentionally — with furniture groupings, lighting, fireplaces, ceiling details, rugs, and materials that encourage people to linger.

A good porch should feel like a room without walls. Especially in the Northeast, screened porches continue to evolve into true three-season living spaces. Retractable screens, removable panels, infrared heaters, fireplaces, and tighter detailing allow porches to remain comfortable well into fall, and sometimes winter, and ready for early spring.

Millbrook Screened Porch With Glass Panels

Three Season Porch With Glass Panels

Well-Designed Laundry Rooms

Litchfield County Laundrymud Room

Laundry/Mudroom

Laundry rooms are no longer relegated to the back corner of a damp basement. They are bright, attractive spaces that make a family chore a little more fun.

Laundry/Dogwash

Laundry/Dogwash

Lakeville Home Office

Home Office in Stately Home

Darker, Moodier Rooms in the Right Places

Libraries, studies, dining rooms, powder rooms, and bedrooms often benefit from deeper colors and lower light levels. Although we love bright, open rooms, sometimes the contrast of a dark, brooding room can bring out the best in both.

Rye Dining Room

Dining Room with A Tempest Mural

Millbrook Basement Pub

Basement Pub

Pine Plains Mud Room

Mudrooms That are Good at Welcoming Guests and Hiding the Chaos

In the Northeast, we rely on our mudrooms to handle our muddy or snowy boots and to welcome all comers to our home. Kids, dogs, and grandparents all pass through this well-used space many times a day. Paying attention to its design makes sense for such an important part of the home.

Lakeville Mud Room

Lake Home Mudroom

Roxbury Primary Bathroom

Primary Bathroom with Tub as Focal Point

Primary Bathrooms that Feel Both Personal and Timeless

No two bathrooms designed for a homeowner are the same. It is a place to splurge because we have earned it. That bathroom is the first place we visit in the morning and the last place we visit at night before bed. In our case, when the kids were growing up, it was the favorite bathroom in the house. There were times I wished it wasn’t so nice.

Dutchess County Bathroom

Primary Bathroom with Natural Stained Cabinets

Lakeville New Home

Covered Entry

Front Doors That Let You Know You Have Arrived

One of the most common requests we receive from homeowners is to create an entry to their home that guests can actually find. The need is brought home when I go to the wrong door on my first visit. When we design a new home, creating a strong entry is pretty straightforward. The same task on an existing home can be challenging

Stanfordville Front Porch

New Entry Porch

Columbia County Breakfast Nook

Breakfast Nook

Sunny Breakfast Nooks

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not enjoy it in one of most beautiful places in the house. The sun and the views wake us up and help take us through even the toughest days. A sunny breakfast nook will never go out of style.

Litchfield County Breakfast Nook

Litchfield County Breakfast Nook

Photos by Rob Karosis     Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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About the Author: James Crisp

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James M. Crisp has been an architect for well over 30 years. His architectural firm, Crisp Architects, designs projects throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In April of 2007, Taunton Press published 'On the Porch' by James M. Crisp and Sandra Mahoney.

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