17 Mesmerizing Fireplaces for Fall

Fireplace with Wood Storage I admit it, I love to look into fireplaces and let my mind wander.  That constantly changing display of flames leaping and dancing can keep me enthralled for hours.  Better yet, it is the perfect background for gatherings and quiet conversations.  Fireplaces are often are part of the core of the home. Restored Study Fireplace Sunroom Fireplace Office Fireplace Stone Fireplace Adirondack Style Fireplace [...]

17 Living/Family Rooms

View From Family/Living Room in New Berkshire Lake Home Living rooms are the place we gather with friends and family.  They come in all sizes, shapes, and decors, and are as diverse as families themselves.  In my living room, it is not uncommon for us to light a fire in the fireplace, which is in front of the couch, and then watch TV which is in the corner of the room.  Not a perfect setup, but my home [...]

By |2023-01-05T16:52:48-05:00January 31st, 2021|Categories: Miscellaneous|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Mass. Farm House-Featured Recent Project

We started with an historic home on a dirt road in the countryside of Massachusetts which had been uninhabited for several years. Our clients came along at just the right time to resurrect this beautiful bit of history. By carefully preserving the antique portions of the home while renovating and adding to the newer sections, we were able to create a home that has a foot in several centuries. Best of all it still feels comfortable on that [...]

By |2014-06-06T13:42:38-04:00November 6th, 2013|Categories: Renovations|Tags: , , , , , |4 Comments

Low Ceilings, Old home-No Problem(Revisited)

Kitchen After Kitchen Before Homes built before the advent of efficient heating systems and proper insulation often used fireplaces both as a source of heat and a place to cook.  Lower ceilings and smaller rooms were much easier to heat with fireplaces, therefore many period farmhouses were built with a seven-foot or so ceiling height.  Today, we can increase the insulation, install state of the art mechanical systems in these wonderful old homes, but we cannot [...]

By |2022-11-19T08:39:49-05:00June 10th, 2013|Categories: Fireplaces, Kitchen, Miscellaneous, Renovations|Tags: , |4 Comments

6 Wood Burning Fireplaces(Revisited)

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 [...]