Posted by MAKMU ta
On Thursday, January 20, 2011
I just completed a new home design for a client that will be built in "Tapestry at Charlotte's Grove"; a new community in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. This modern cottage house plan is a classic example of the kind of work I love to do. Simple yet dramatic in form. Clean detailing inside and out. Open and connected spaces. Efficient in it's use of space and relatively affordable to construct. Here is a sneak peek at the exteriors.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Thursday, January 20, 2011
I just completed a new home design for a client that will be built in "Tapestry at Charlotte's Grove"; a new community in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. This modern cottage house plan is a classic example of the kind of work I love to do. Simple yet dramatic in form. Clean detailing inside and out. Open and connected spaces. Efficient in it's use of space and relatively affordable to construct. Here is a sneak peek at the exteriors.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Monday, December 20, 2010
Simply Elegant Home Designs is very proud to offer an amazing new house plan - the
Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage; designed by Ron Brenner of Larson Brenner Architects. The design combines elements from traditional farmhouse and contemporary cottage home styles.
This home plan’s exterior is characterized by this designer’s exquisite attention to scale, proportion, window patterns, materials and all of the details. A beautifully proportioned second story front gable and graceful columns provide a striking entry to the home. Subtle overhangs with delicate brackets provide interesting shadow lines and help to protect the windows below.
The main floor accommodates kitchen, living and dining areas within its elegant open floor plan. Upstairs the three bedrooms, including the master suite, are neatly placed beneath an interesting roof line. An above garage bonus room provides ample space for an additional bedroom and family flex areas.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Monday, December 20, 2010
Simply Elegant Home Designs is very proud to offer an amazing new house plan - the
Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage; designed by Ron Brenner of Larson Brenner Architects. The design combines elements from traditional farmhouse and contemporary cottage home styles.
This home plan’s exterior is characterized by this designer’s exquisite attention to scale, proportion, window patterns, materials and all of the details. A beautifully proportioned second story front gable and graceful columns provide a striking entry to the home. Subtle overhangs with delicate brackets provide interesting shadow lines and help to protect the windows below.
The main floor accommodates kitchen, living and dining areas within its elegant open floor plan. Upstairs the three bedrooms, including the master suite, are neatly placed beneath an interesting roof line. An above garage bonus room provides ample space for an additional bedroom and family flex areas.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Saturday, July 10, 2010
Over the past year I have had several clients make reference to the movie "It's Complicated" starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. They all love the house that Meryl lives in but cannot put into words exactly what it is that draws them. So I thought I would take a little closer look to see if I could discover the secret to this house.
The exterior of the home is very unassuming. Simple composition with handsome materials and elegant window patterns. The landscape is an important element to this homes exterior.
The foyer demonstrates the use of a simple material and color palette. Rustic wood and quarry tile floors, neutral plaster and painted trim. The dark windows add a level of sophistication. Also notice how the simple arches break down the length of the hallway.
A very simple but well proportioned composition of fireplace and bookcases. The wood beamed ceiling adds a coziness to a space that might otherwise feel too voluminous.
The kitchen is light, airy and very casual. Open shelving in lieu of cabinets. Wall mounted pot rack. Same earthy palette seen throughout the rest of the public areas.
The architecture of the bedroom remains neutral while the interior treatments liven up the space.
Subtle details add sophistication. The painted two toned wood floors and cabinets are unique.
To sum up this house I would say it has a very simple, yet sophisticated architectural theme both inside and out. Natural materials and color tones along with restrained decorating provide an overall soothing feeling. The home is at once casual and elegant - "casual elegance". It's a home that does not try to impress, but it does so anyway through it's subtleties. I can definitely see why people love this home.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Thursday, May 13, 2010
Every once in a while I like to give you an example of the tools we use in this business called Architecture. Things have come a long way since the old pencil and straight edge days. Now we perform all of our designs "virtually" using 3 dimensional computer programs. These programs allow an Architect to understand and communicate a design better.
Below is an example of a design for a client that has been completed. But we are trying to get a better feeling for a potential color scheme. In this case my client had a few color schemes in mind. So I did a series of studies using "Sketchup" - one of our 3d modeling tools. This is a great way of testing a color scheme before you get committed to it.
These studies helped my client get comfortable (excited even) with her color choices.
So don't just use those little paint chip cards to make your final selections. Get your colored pencils out and test the scheme on one of your house elevations. Or better yet have your design professional test the color scheme using a 3d modeling tool like I do.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Monday, February 22, 2010
Architects do have some great tools, and here is one more example of how they can use them.
The interior great room images below of this particular cottage house plan were created using a 3d modeling tool called Google Sketchup. I used the tool to carve out the basic design inside and out, but I wanted to study variations of the design in order to present to my client.
Here is the Great Room space. Simple with white walls and vaulted ceiling - nice and clean!
Added a white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls.
Added a beam treatment to the ceiling and went back to the monochrome color scheme.
Added white washed wood ceiling between the beams.
Wood beams, white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls.
This example illustrates how just changing a few elements within a design can dramatically alter the character of a space. And Sketchup is a great tool for visualizing that space.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, February 10, 2010
It's been a while since my last posting. Been busy over the holidays. Also, I have been working on a couple of new interesting projects. I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at one of them. The project incorporated a modified design process in order to save time and money.
The design below is a rustic retreat to be constructed on lake property in Tennessee. The client found a plan that was originally designed by John Tee Architect. The plan did not meet all of their family's needs, but represented a pretty good starting point. So they purchased the plan and commissioned a major reworking of the design. I worked in Association with a plan customization company named Architectural Overflow to perform the re-design. The images below reflect our work.
lake side elevation
side elevation
If you are interested in finding the most possible value in Design then this might be a good approach to consider. Find a plan that works reasonably well, purchase the plan, then have a good residential Architect adapt the design to truly reflect your needs and your site. What this really does is gives you a good starting point in the design process and saves time and $$$ exploring concepts that might not work well for you.
