Cool evenings in October draw me out onto my porch. We have an area heater which extends the season both in the Spring and the Fall. Many of our clients who want to enjoy those edge of season days and nights outdoors ask us to design an outdoor fireplace. Once they start using it, they find that the ambiance of an outdoor wood burning fireplace can be a lot of fun year around. We have heard of great [...]
I have always loved sitting in a bright alcove eating breakfast and reading the paper. Â These days the object in front of me is often an ipad or other electronics, but the wonderful feeling of a breakfast nook is always the same. Â Of course bays which have windows on three sides are going to be the brightest. Â Depending on the orientation of the house, the sunlight streaming in can be dramatic. If there are some interesting views, that [...]
Every autumn as leaves and temperatures fall, I anticipate the first fire in the fireplace. I continue to build fires well through the cool spring nights. Each new fire is a personal test of my log selection and arranging skills-some of which I fail; my father-in-law and I have a running contest to see who’s fire will smoke and go out the fastest. When my home (and his) was built in the late eighteenth century, building fires was [...]
