Recreating

Several months ago, we were hired by a new client who came with a long list of areas of her home that she hoped we would address. In our first meeting, we were surprised to find that due to a major leak and mold in the kitchen, the family was basically with a hot plate, microwave and refrigerator in what used to be their kitchen! The entire kitchen had already been torn out.

Along with a new kitchen design, they wanted a new study (another leak!), a new pool and pool surround, and outdoor cooking area, and an entirely new facade for the home...basically, their desire was to recreate the existing home into the elegant home of their dreams. The project has been exciting, and has allowed us to bring a lot of imagination and design ideas to the table.

We've worked simultaneously on several areas of the home, and now some are poised to start construction.

Let's take a look at the exterior first. The existing facade is pretty standard--something I like to call "Confused-Mediterranean". The scale is nice, and the barrel tile roof is a beautiful element to use as a design jump-off. Their desire was to make the exterior look completely different, and more formal. Here's the "Before" photo.

A pretty typical overgrown and somewhat neglected landscape. (Hey, the same thing happened to mine when it started to get overgrown...I just started ignoring it!) Here's what we came up with for a new design concept, in plan view and elevation.

An outer courtyard will be formed by adding a curving knee-wall in the front yard. From this area, you will enter through custom made iron gates to an inner courtyard area, that in turn steps up to the entry, where new mahogany, glass and iron front doors will enter into the foyer. Here is a detail that will be used in the interior courtyard.

As the design developed further, gate details and fencing were added to the front corners of the house for additional privacy.

The project has been several months on the design table, and we're very excited to see the new elements start to take shape. We'll look at more of them in upcoming weeks!

Understanding the Volume

Since most homeowners don't have a lot of experience looking at design plans, it is often difficult for them to grasp a design concept based on the architect's or designer's plan view and elevation drawings. And though computer programs are now able to "model" spaces and show them in a virtual, 3-dimensional form, these programs generally produce a pretty lifeless version of the space, and may still not give you a very good sense of the finished project.

Recently, we were hired to work with a local builder and architect on what will be a very large home project. Prior to our involvement, many hours had been spent on the overall floor plan for the home, the specific room sizes, and how the space would flow from room to room. The project had stalled temporarily, held up on trying to nail down the exterior treatment. The client likes many exterior styles, and hopes to find a way to make certain elements from several of these styles meld into a cohesive and unique home for her family.

Working with the architect's plans, and many pages of the client's "idea folder", torn from multiple design magazines (which, by the way, is a great help to the designer!), we decided to do a sketch of the facade to give the home some dimension, and attempt to draw seemingly disparate elements together. Here's what we came up with.

Though these sketches are not to scale, they are usually a great tool to give the client a sense of what their home really could look like, whether they are interior or exterior sketches.

The more tools available to your designer, the more likely they are to have an excited--and satisfied!--client.

A Call Is Answered

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a project we are involved with for the Alpha House of Tampa. We are helping to put together design teams who will refurbish the 20 single dorm rooms that house homeless, expectant mothers and mothers with infants. Almost everyone that I've spoken to about the project--no matter what their profession or background--have immediately said, "What can I do to help?" This has been truly uplifting to me! So many people are having difficult times, but are still ready to put themselves out there to help with others who are in much greater need.

Yesterday was our first meeting on site where we introduced a group of the designers who will be working on the project to the staff at the Alpha House, and gave the designers and room adopters a chance to see the rooms as they are now. I have had the honor to work on this project with Cynthia Keenan of CK Designs, and she and I also presented versions of our own designs for the rooms that we will be redoing.

In my previous posting about this project, I showed the beginnings of the design with simple elevations. Here is the rest of the design as presented on our design board.

The design goal was to bring as much personality to the small room as possible, and at the same time make it a cheerful--and above all, safe and comforting--space for the mom and her child. Our good friend Doug Phillips will be assisting us with our carpentry needs, and Jeff Monsein of Splat Paint will be adding a vine and butterfly mural to one of the room's walls.

When the group of designers were touring the rooms yesterday, it was really exciting to see the energy and creativity starting to flow, and people expressing their willingness to undertake multiple rooms and other areas of the facility that could also use a face-lift. That being said, there are still areas that we could use more help for the project, or materials. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to be involved!

Stone

LOTS of choices, like tile, marble, granite, terrazzo, concrete, laminate, Caesarstone, Zodiac, Corian, wood, stainless steel....and I'm just scratching the surface. (Pun definitely intended!)

The choice of material can be narrowed by elements of practical concern such as vintage of the home, amount of wear the counter tops will receive or budget. But often, (and we like this), the decision is based on aesthetics, in other words, what is going to look the best in the design.

Currently, granites are probably the most popular and sought after of the counter top options. Marble is another popular option, though some people shy away from it for fear of staining. (A little research will tell you, though, that staining is really not much of a worry with marble.)

Recently, one of our kitchen re-design clients asked us for advice in choosing the granite for their counter tops. They had already looked at a couple of options, and asked us to view these and offer an opinion, or possible alternatives. Yeah, a trip to the stone yard!

Take a trip to a good stone yard, and I promise you'll be amazed at the choices...and the fact that these amazing slabs of stone were quarried from the earth. Here are a couple of pieces that I snapped photos of.

There are colors and degrees of texture that will amaze you. Almost like going to nature's own art museum! (On this particular day, I was looking for something to go with light gray cabinetry and dark stained floors.)

We ended up suggesting to these clients the pattern in their first choice might be too busy for all the counter tops. A real exciting pattern or color is great as an accent for a kitchen island or bar counter, but remember you'll be living with and working on your kitchen counters for a long time, and you want a choice you can live with.

If you're considering a renovation in the future, take a tour of the slab stone yards. It may be an inspiration in itself!

A Room of Her Own

We were recently asked to co-chair a project for the Alpha House of Tampa. The Alpha House is a facility in South Tampa that houses homeless, expectant mothers and homeless mothers with small children. The facility has 20 "dorm" sized rooms where these mothers and children may spend 4-6 months while the mothers are receiving training and counseling in an effort to help them become independent and get back out into the community.

Here are some pictures of what the rooms currently look like.

As you can see, though clean, the rooms lack any warmth or real comfort. We know how important our surroundings can be to our sense of well-being, and in this case, could contribute to the healing process.

Our project goal is to put together 20 design teams that will each take on the refurbishing of one room. The design teams will then couple with a room "adopter", who will commit to providing necessities for the room such as bed linens, towels, crib set, etc. for one year.These adopters are sometimes individuals, or often service organizations or clubs.

Each team is asked to bring their imagination and expertise to re-imagining the space. I have been lucky enough to enlist the assistance of a local artist who will create a motif of vines and butterflies on one wall (a butterfly is part of the Alpha House logo), and a carpenter who will help with the woodwork and painting necessary.

Though still in the early design stages, here is what our new shell will look like.

We are attempting to make the room warm and cozy, and bring as much comfort and life to it as possible. I am on the search for the right mirror, art piece to go with the mural, window treatment (I'm thinking Roman Shade), ceiling fan and light fixture, then begin working with the adopter to add appropriate accessories to the design.

Though response to the project has been fantastic, we're still on the lookout for designers for 3 or 4 rooms, and we also have rooms available for adopters. Know anyone who might be interested? If so, please send them my way! We're very excited about this opportunity to give back to the community, and the opportunity to use our skills instead of just opening a checkbook. It's been a lot of fun so far, and the fun is just starting.

I'll let you watch progress on the installation when we get started!

No Roots, No Shoots

I received a good lesson this week from Kathy Beck who works for the City of Tampa, Parks and Trees Department. Last week I showed you a couple of alternate plans up for consideration for an outdoor cooking pavilion. The position of the pavilion on the site was predicated by two Grand Oak trees on the property. In Tampa, these trees are protected, and any construction that will happen near them will be considered by the Parks and Trees department prior to permitting.

Her evaluation was that the structure should be located outside the 20' safe zone recommended for building. But, instead of just taking the approach of "This is what you have to do!", in the form of the Tree Police, she was good enough to explain exactly what the issues were. This approach helped me to understand the reasons, and why it is so important to adhere to them.

The property in question has two beautiful old oaks that have very high canopies which almost entirely shelter the large back yard area. Losing these trees would dramatically change the composition of the garden and pool area from a shady retreat to a hot, sun-soaked spot...not nearly as inviting. Due to the size of the trees, they will have extensive root systems, and any damage to these will mean an end to new growth (or shoots) in at least a part of the tree. Due to the age of the trees, they are also not as resilient as young trees might be which could recover from this sort of root damage. No roots, no shoots!

Here is the revised plan for the pavilion, and its placement on the site.

Ms. Beck also urged me to simplify the landscape in the areas that area in the 20' root zone. Generally, you can dig enough of a hole to get the plantings installed, but once they start growing, their root system will create competition for water with the oak roots, and will tend to compact the soil around the roots, which will also deprive the oak from oxygen. Here is a simplified plan reflecting those thoughts.

If I hadn't already been convinced, Ms. Beck reminded me that if the trees were damaged and lost, in order to be removed, a crane would be required to lift the tree debris over the two-story house...roughly a $20,000.00 venture. I was convinced!

As in many other aspects of life, being told to do something we don't really want to do can rankle us! But when given proper explanation--and education!--and we realize there is good foundation for the rules, suddenly it makes sense to follow them. I gotta remember this.

The Evolution of a Design

Often, a design may change significantly from its conceptual phase to the actual building process. This recent project is a good example, with clear reasons for the evolution.

We were asked to design an outdoor cooking pavilion for a beautiful, semi-adobe style home. We did a site visit, met with the homeowners, and went back to put our inspiration on paper. In this case, we decided to start with a sketch of the concept, in order to give the client a quick taste of what we had in mind.

We designed a long pavilion, with central cook area that would match the exterior finishes of the home, and pergola ends on each side for extra shade, and plenty of entertaining space. Details like the columns and exposed rafter tails under the eaves were drawn directly from the home's architecture. We added a couple of steps up to the pavilion area, to offer a change in elevation in the fairly sizable garden area.

The homeowners loved it, so the next step was to give it to a couple of contractors for preliminary bids before refining the design. Bids were high (sometimes, building costs still surprise us!), but conversations with the contractors led us to some ways to significantly lower building costs. These next images show the revised design, and how the structure would fit into the pool and garden areas, with new landscaping.

Dropping the structure to ground level offered a big cost cutting solution, so that idea allowed us to proceed with scale drawings for builders to refine their estimates.

The next glitch in the process was due to Mother Nature. Two trees on the property turned out to be grand oaks. This means that the trees have a 20' "safe zone" that digging is not allowed to be done within. There are construction methods that can sometimes be used to resolve this, but in this case a relocation of the structure seemed the most logical solution. This drawing shows the proposed relocation.

This new location will involve an asymmetrical design solution, which the homeowners like (well, at least one of the team!). But, as in most aspects of life, compromise is necessary, right?

The design options are currently in front of the city Parks Department for comment. Once they give us their word, we will make final changes to plans, then back to contractors for final bids...then we can break ground!

Yes, sometimes, it takes a village.

Fairy Tail Ending

The structure of our pavilion project is completed, and it is a fitting destination for Goldilocks or Red Riding Hood....minus the wolf, of course!

We mixed elements of early 20th century park shelters with more classical elements from the nearby porch-pergola for a bit of whimsy. Here is the product.

Here are some additional views and details.


This is where the proposed fireplace--also to be clad in stone--would go one day.

The design calls for the fireplace to sit just outside the pavilion, between these columns, in order to save floor space. And here is the view back to the house.

Goldilocks had better hurry, because it looks like the bears were ready for the last swing of the hammer, and poised to move in!

A final decision on flooring will be made later, a ceiling fan is on the way, and a little landscaping is left to be finished up, but it's ready to enjoy! On second thought, to heck with the fairy tale folks...I think I'll see if I can wrangle an invitation!

Garden Fantasy

Our pavilion is taking shape. Most of the columns are up, and the wood beams and main roof have been attached.

Once the details are finished, it will become the "fantasy" it was intended to be. By combining temple elements with WPA park shelter details, the goal was to create a structure with enough formality to tie it appropriately to the home, but enough playfulness to give it its own personality. It may be difficult to imagine, but when you see the finished details, I think it will all make sense! Don't miss the final reveal!

Every Square Inch

Storage is a high priority in almost any one's home. So in a major home renovation, finding any and all storage possibilities is part of what a good space planner will accomplish.

In this project we've been following, the master suite (with a relatively small walk-in closet) was a prime target for this kind of planning. Space for built-in cabinetry was carved out in several locations so that the finished rooms will offer ample storage for almost anything you might have!

Though still waiting for the doors, you can see how much space these units in the bedroom have.

In the bathroom, again, cabinetry is tucked into many spaces to accommodate linens, medicines and other bathroom paraphernalia.

This over sized vanity mirror (in waiting), could practically hold a drug store! Well, close anyway.
Not only is all this storage wonderful, when the beautiful doors are installed each cabinet will become an architectural element in the home.

I think I need a new house!