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an icon on the Plaza...

it's almost complete! our wonderful plaza midwood clients will be moving in any day now, so we wanted to post a few photos before we lose access to the home. here is a quick reminder of the 'before' and 'after' along with some long awaited interior photos:

a quick reminder of the 'before':

this project is getting some press! my favorite anecdote is that in the final inspection, the inspector couldn't tell what was old and what was new on the home - and he is the expert! i think this is testimony to (1) our experience and understanding of the [sometimes abstract and elusive] principles of size, scale, massing, fenestration, rhythm, setback, materials, and context that are required by the historic district commission; and (2) our incredibly gifted contractor, matt ferguson of the stirling group. matt is incredible - if you don't know his work, check it out at www.facebook.com/stirlingcharlottenc. 

the stair was incredibly challenging. we spent countless hours working this one out so that we could clear that beam above the lower run of stairs, clear underneath the stairs for access to a bedroom (not pictured), and - most importantly - provide the continuous handrail required by code without having handrails all over the place! thank goodness for patient and diligent contractors. matt understood *exactly* what we were trying to accomplish and made it happen, which was no easy feat. so here is the stair:

 at the top of the stair, quite possibly the most beautiful attic access door ever:

i think this next photo may be my favorite image - the upstairs hall has the most beautiful quality of light. the homeowner has a beautiful collection of antique furniture and really great taste. the triple window nook across the hall is designed for an antique desk.

these double doors with transom are the entry from the master bedroom to master bathroom - with the exposed brick of the chimney beyond. these perfect alignments, exposed materials, the juxtaposition of brick, wood, calm light walls... it is such a peaceful space up there!

and the best part - the new 2nd story master bedroom faces uptown, with a *gorgeous* view of the skyline in the winter (charlotte has a lovely - and famous - tree cover the rest of the year!).

28 March 2012

we delivered schematics for a really spectacular project this week! here is a reminder of the 'before' on this project.

you can see it's already dripping with charm. which makes the massing of the project SO critical (no pressure!). when a home is already this perfect, it would be so disappointing to see a poorly massed 2nd story ruin it. the home is located very prominently, to add another layer of pressure! it is on the beginning/end of a main street of one of our historic districts, with a side street elevation. so it essentially 'book-ends' the residential section of the neighborhood and gets views from multiple directions. which is why i've been referring to is as an icon - it's an already-perfect bungalow in an oh-so-sweet location.

my design philosophy: i ONLY deliver schemes that i believe are fundamentally excellent - so that the homeowner is choosing from a bunch of great options. we do not waste our time with schemes that are not stellar - there are too many great ideas to waste time on average ones. every design should be something special; something that gives the homeowner everything they wanted and more that they didn't expect. we're also quite serious about working with budgets - staying within good budgets and helping to establish reasonable budgets.

this project is fundamentally about a master suite cut into the plunging eaves of the bungalow roof that might capture views of the skyline, depending on the scheme that the homeowners choose. the home has good bones and the interior layout on the first floor is very sound.

so - we literally exhausted maybe 50 massing options for the second story. in the end we delivered 4 sets of schematics - 2 smaller scale schemes and 2 full-blown 2nd story schemes (that still work within the owner's budget - yipee!). i'm so excited that all 4 floor plans are just awesome. here are some glimpses of the 2 massing schemes that were compelling:

scheme 3 is pretty close to my heart, i have to admit. i really love that scheme 3 cleanly allows a children's suite upstairs in a later phase. they might do it, or might not - but the massing and floor plan are perfectly worked out so that they would not need to 're-work' anything either way. there are precious few locations suited to this full 2nd story scheme. this is definitely one of them.

i'm also really digging scheme 2. the massing is such that it looks like it has always been this way. in 5 years you'd never know it ever had a 2nd story renovation - it'll still look 100 years old. we worked this roofline to death - until it was perfectly simple and practically disappeared.

all 4 floor plans are spectacular, so these homeowners have a lot of good options moving forward. i can't wait to see what they decide!

10 February 2012

today we begin the design of a 2nd story on this bungalow in the Plaza Midwood historic district that is just dripping with charm. we have 4 concepts for the 2nd story that we're really excited about!

we have some really wonderful projects coming through the office this spring - stay posted...

georgian 'deck'

we love repeat customers! yesterday i met with a client from 2008 who had really wonderful compliments for us on her breakfast room, deck, and garage access. i loved catching up with her and chatting about some new projects for her beautiful home.

and i thought it would be fun to re-visit the work we did on their home in 2008. to summarize, this family was dealing with some tricky interior layout issues and the fact that their main living spaces were completely cut off from their backyard by the basement level garage and driveway access. we designed a generous deck - a bit tricky given the vehicle clearance and structural span issues! - as well as some interior renovations.

we created the 'deck' with refined details in mind. the structure is carefully trimmed out in the same language as the existing georgian. the walking surface is a high quality ipe hardwood with concealed fasteners, so there are no visible screws and no stain required. a local iron artist fashioned the custom rails.

a quick reminder of the 'before':

and some details of the 'after':

inside the home, we shifted the wall between the family room and dining room. the wall is designed as a 'thick wall' with built-ins and double pocket doors so that the kitchen can be very open to the family room. we were successful in maintaining the more formal alignments of the georgian family room and accurately matching the existing trim and paneling details.

shifting the wall location created some breathing room in the kitchen and allowed us a generous breakfast room that opens up to the new deck with a large expanse of glass doors and transoms in the language of the other fenestration on the back of the house. the 'thick wall' and breakfast room also mediate the transition from the more formal dining and family room adjacencies to the less formal kitchen.

spring 2008

this family needed an interior upfit to their breakfast room as well as an exterior transition to their backyard, which was one story down. we needed to mediate the entry to their garage below, so there were some complicated vehicle clearance issues. most importantly, they wanted their exterior space detailed consistent with their beautiful georgian, and much nicer than a 'deck.' here is a 'before' photo of the exterior:

along with some 'before' photos of the interiors. the living room side is a bit oversized and beautifully paneled:

and the kitchen side is undersized for the much-needed breakfast table.