Design – On the Drawing Board

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15 Summer Loving Outdoor spaces

Dining Table Under Pergola Summertime in the Northeast is wonderful. After a long winter, the contrast between the seasons cannot be greater. My family spends a lot of time on our porch and patio as well as 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 also [...]

By James Crisp|2023-06-23T14:37:36-04:00June 13th, 2023|Categories: Design, Fireplaces, Gardens, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Patios, Pools, Porches|2 Comments

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Building Your Forever Home (or addition)

New Home with Porches 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 as it will 125 years [...]

By James Crisp|2023-05-09T10:03:38-04:00May 9th, 2023|Categories: Additions, Design, Lake Home, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Porches, Renovations|2 Comments

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6 Homes Connected to Water

Modern Farmhouse With Reflecting Pond This summer my family and I rented a home on a lake in Maine and it was wonderful. Other summers we stay in a cabin on a lake in the Adirondacks or on the ocean. Perhaps those water-connected homes are extra special to us because we live inland surrounded by trees with no water, but a pool. Some of our clients are lucky enough to own property on a lake, a pond, a [...]

By James Crisp|2023-01-05T15:10:28-05:00July 7th, 2021|Categories: Design, Lake Home, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Porches|0 Comments

Building Your Forever Home (or addition)
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Building Your Forever Home (or addition)

Complete Home Renovation I live in a home that was built over 220 years ago. Of course, it has been added on to over the years and has been adapted to modern living, but much of the house exists as it did in 1790. The builders of my home knew only one way to construct a house, and that was to design it well and build it to last. They succeeded. We often are asked by clients to [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-11T16:56:32-05:00August 13th, 2018|Categories: Additions, Design, Miscellaneous, New Homes|Tags: addition, before and after, forever home, new home|0 Comments

Twin Chimney Home- Featured Recent Project
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Twin Chimney Home- Featured Recent Project

Front Entry Nestled into a wooded hillside, this home can see far but is hidden from the rest of the world. With simple lines and generous windows, our clients were hoping for an elegant get-away far from the crowded city. There is plenty of room for their kids to have family fun and outdoor adventures. Rear of Home Screened Porch Kitchen View to Porch Photos by Rob Karosis Curated Brochure [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-11T19:07:38-05:00February 4th, 2018|Categories: Construction, Design, Miscellaneous, New Homes|Tags: entry, new home, porch, screened porch|7 Comments

5 Homes and Animals in the Snow
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5 Homes and Animals in the Snow

Sun Room in the Snow Something magical happens to a home with the first snowfall of the season. Around my house, the kids and the animals are even more excited than I am as we run and throw snowballs. Rosie, our mini Aussie, tracks in the snow, which melts on the floor, while I start a fire and my wife makes hot cocoa. The timing doesn’t always work, but when we can coordinate a photo shoot of one [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-11T19:17:38-05:00December 13th, 2017|Categories: Animals, Cats, Chickens, Construction, Design, Dogs, Fireplaces, Garages, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Patios, Porches, Sheep, Sun Room|Tags: homes in snow, sunroom, winter homes|4 Comments

7 Formal Dining Rooms (Expanded)
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7 Formal Dining Rooms (Expanded)

Formal Dining Room In an age where family time has been shortened by screen time, and we eat most our meals on the go, a formal dining room can bring us together. A dedicated dining room can change the atmosphere of a meal and provide a special grace to dinner time. I have a large dining room in my own old farm house, and we do enjoy more formal meals there. In our house, the dining room is [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-11T19:24:02-05:00November 15th, 2017|Categories: Additions, Construction, Design, Dining room, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Renovations|Tags: dining porch, dining room|3 Comments

5 Virtual Reality Projects
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5 Virtual Reality Projects

Project Photo After 3-D Sketch Before The world of computer graphics has changed completely since I started my architectural practice. We now regularly use computer imaging to make quick sketches of proposed design ideas and use renderings of projects to let our clients know exactly what their home or addition will look like. It is amazing to me how realistic these renderings can be. Although we are known for our modern versions of traditional homes, sometimes our [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-26T12:18:24-05:00October 31st, 2015|Categories: Design, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Renovations, Stairs, Technology|2 Comments

10 Ways to Bring Art into Your Home
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10 Ways to Bring Art into Your Home

Living Room Sculpture Almost every home we renovate or design from the ground up, includes a generous amount of art. Sometimes the homeowner has an extensive collection which we place in advance on our drawings. Existing art objects can be placed throughout the house providing 'art walls' or niches for specific pieces. More often the homeowner enjoys collecting art over time and placing it where it fits. Either way, natural and artificial light plays an important role in how [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-26T12:22:52-05:00August 19th, 2015|Categories: Design, Family Room, Laundry rooms, Living Room, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Renovations|2 Comments

Pool House in the Country (Featured Project)
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Pool House in the Country (Featured Project)

Pool and Pool House This pool house/guest house is set in a beautiful rural area of New York. It is part of a family compound including a main house, barn, and garage. This building will serve as a place for the owners to live while we work with them to design and build their main home. Kitchen Kitchen with Hidden Laundry Bathroom Covered Patio and Barbecue Front Door [...]

By James Crisp|2023-02-26T12:30:06-05:00April 14th, 2015|Categories: Construction, Design, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Pool Houses, Pools|0 Comments

On the Drawing Board

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