Color inspiration on my morning run

I am very fortunate to live in a neighborhood that has no shortage of well maintained landmark homes to draw inspiration from. Even outside the historic districts, there are plenty of excellent examples of bungalow paint colors and exterior renovations that are really well done. This morning, I decided to take some extra time, and log a couple extra miles, looking for some paint color inspiration in the neighborhood. Here are a few of my favorites.  

Another reason why nothing has gotten done at the Tiny Bungalow lately

For the past couple months, my friend Steve and I have been heaping a family with their back yard design and renovation. We’ve done several design projects together and this is our first attempt at actually helping someone realize their design by assisting them in installing and building. There was a lot to work with as the yard was a “tabula rasa” and we were able to start from scratch. We were inspired by the family’s appreciation of modern and Asian-influenced design and came up with a vision for the yard. Steve is a pro at Sketchup and put together a model so they could see what the finished product would look like or at least what we hoped it would look like.The overall idea was to install a landscaped border with native plants, two seating areas with pergolas and screens, new planter-boxes to conceal some not-so-attractive handrails, and pathways were envisioned to create a sort of backyard oasis. It was an ambitious project and it took all of our skills to pull it off.There was a lot of digging and planting and paver-placing, and woodworking involved. Installation took just over a month as the whole family pitched in with all aspects of the project. Steve and I learned a thing or two in the process as well. Hurricane lamps, planters, and furniture provided the final accents in the garden. All in all it was strenuous but fun project to take on and everyone seems pleased with the outcome.
I think I've come away with a little inspiration and energy to start taking on some bigger projects on my own at the Tiny Bungalow. Hopefully the weather is good for the Fourth of July Weekend and I can kick-start those projects.

Another Friend's Home

Since there isn't much happening at the Tiny Bungalow this weekend, I thought it would be nice to add an entry about another home I worked on a few years ago. Several months ago, my friends called and said that they had finished painting the interior of the Prairie Style home that I designed for them. This weekend, I finally got around to seeing it. The house looks great. They chose some fantastic lighting fixtures for the place from Oak Park Home & Hardware and they really feel at home. The colors they chose look great too.

The design process on the home was interesting. The overall plan was started by one of the owner's father. He was my boss at the time and thought mixing family with design was a bad idea. I continued developing the plan and we eventually gravitated towards a Prairie School/Arts & Crafts look for the house. Though we were all fans of this period of architecture, we didn't set off to design such a home but this is how it came out. The town that they live in has an "appearance/pain in my ass committee" that reviews designs. After adding some over-sized windows to the master bath (practical?), we were good to go.

It fits the site well as the home opens up to a golf course in the back. Unfortunately the landscape planned for the home is not doing as well as we had hoped. The wild roses look great and so do some of the ornamental grasses. The phlox is not faring as well though. So much for the "native" landscape idea. Hopefully it will grow in more over the next couple years.

A lot of time and effort went into getting the interior stair woodwork, cabinetry, windows and trim to work together. There are also many areas designed within the home to showcase the collection of prints, pottery, and original art glass that the owners have.

The home has an elevator and is designed to be completely accessible. The spatial challenges that this presented were pretty big but in many ways, it helps add to the overall openness of the home. Work on this project was a huge learning experience for them as well as myself. I am sure that there are a lot of things that they (and I) would do differently now and it is too bad that the home pre-dates the recent explosion of available and affordable "green" products and materials as I am sure it would have been a great place to use them. All in all, it turned out well. I dind't have to "get all Frank Lloyd Wright" too often during construction, and the owners seem very happy.

What I do when I am not consumed with work on the Tiny Bungalow

When I am not working on my own home (which is most weekdays and nights), I am usually working on other people's homes. I am an architect and during the day I oversee design and construction of developer-driven condo buildings. It's not romantic and I would never find myself living in one of these things but it pays the bills. Every now and then, I'll get the opportunity tp work on a house design for a friend or acquaintance. Last year I helped some friends out in designing an addition to their lakeside summer home.

The original home, built just over 20 years ago is a suburban ranch style home with a kind of rustic twist. With it's massive stonework inside and out, interesting spiral staircase, and unique roof line, unlike many homes of this type, it impressed me and has a lot of character. The homeowners are fans of mid-century modern design and their tastes seem to fit the home well. Except for a wide deck, the home had little relation to the lake and looked like the other homes on the street.

The intent of the design was to maintain this look on the front of the house while creating great views to the lake and adding on enough space for family, friends, and eventual retirement. Construction began last fall and the home is completely enclosed and the interior walls framed. I got the chance to visit the home this weekend to check out the progress.
Work on this is very different from what you might typically see on this blog. It is a fairly new home by my standards and it is a bit larger than my house. I enjoyed working in a very different style than I am used to and in the process became fascinated with Wright's Usonian Homes as well as mid-century design. One of the challenges of the project was breaking down the scale of the building so that it was a "cottagy" as possible. The building steps as it approaches the lake so, unlike most of its neighbors, a relatively small portion takes up the back of the lot. We also used a variety of materials and shingle types to break down the overall elevation.

The project was modeled by my friend and co-worker Steve. He has helped out on the Tinybungalow, is great to collaborate with, and very good at Sketch-up. Steve drew some models so the owner got a pretty good idea of what the home would look like well before construction began.

There have been a few modifications during construction. The roof line was raised a bit and some of the exterior materials have changed. I don't think that anything has been compromised in the design and the owners seem very happy. It seems to fit the site well and hopefully, when all is said and done, the house appears as if it has always been there.

It looks like the views from the bedroom and lower family room are going to be great. Unfortunately the windows are all covered with plastic right now so it is tough to see. Another things that is hard to picture is the entry, kitchen, hall space. This area is the most important in the home and is two-stories tall. It is capped with a clerestory and is very light and airy. This space is very un-like the original home which was characteristically low slung and dim.

A prominent feature within this space is a wall that runs from the outside of the home, through the screen porch and into the kitchen. The intent was to bring some of the exterior materials inside, creating a kind of lodge-like appearance. The wall is perforated with several large openings that allow the light to filter through and provide an openness that would have been lacking otherwise.

The house will look even better once it is finished. The owner hired two talented interior designers. They have developed a really nice look that compliments the overall architecture and takes advantage of some great pieces of mid-century furniture that the owner has collected over the years.

For a home this size, it is surprisingly intimate. I feared that some of the spaces would be "too big" and that the home would appear bulky from the lake. Instead, it seems very comfortable and the views to and from the lake are great. If it's neighbors are any comparison, this home seems a welcomed relief to the vinyl-clad "tan boxes" (the owner's description, not mine) that seem to be taking over the lakefront.

Getting My Arts and Crafts Fix

When ever I mention my appreciation for arts & crafts to someone, I often get an odd look. I immediately imagine a bubble forming over their head with an image of an animal made out of pipe cleaners, a birdhouse made with Popsicle sticks, or a fabric-painted cartoon sweatshirt. Mmm.. …no.

An odd thing is that I get this confused reaction more from the people I know in Central New York than in any other place where I mention it. Little do most CNYers realize, with Stickley Furniture, Robineau Pottery, and the architectural practice of Ward Wellington Ward, their home was once a cultural center with a great number of individuals focused on the Arts & Crafts movement. In addition to these local purveyors of the movement, many local patrons worked with people from other parts of the country and masterworks from people like John LaFarge, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Frank Lloyd Wright and countless others dot the Upstate NY landscape.

Obviously, the "Arts & Crafts" that I am talking about includes things like mortise and tenon joinery, natural wood, art glass, fine pottery. Since my fellow housebloggers detest this kind of stuff (ha ha), I apologize in advance for boring you with some pics.

Unfortunately, while in Buffalo, we did not get to visit many of my favorite Arts & Crafts landmarks there. I did do my ritualistic drive by all of the Silsbee homes there but that is about it. Incidentally, I am always prepared to drive by and find one torn down. Buffalo might have been a bust but I did have some time to do a bit of sightseeing while visiting Syracuse.
On our way into Syracuse, we stopped in to see the Willard Memorial Chapel. I have known about this place for some time but have not taken the time to see it. This is a perfect place to go touring with a 3 year old! (sarcasm). While I ogled at the art glass, fine lighting fixtures, exquisite tile and stencil work, my daughter danced around the chapel nave singing a song from one of her favorite TV shows. I thought it was hilarious. I am not sure that the other tourists felt the same.Supposedly this is the only intact Tiffany designed chapel. We have also visited the chapel designed for the Worlds Columbian Exposition, parts of which are on display in Winter Park, FL. This one is as nice and in some ways more impressive. It is a remarkable place (understatement) and a must see for anyone driving in the vicinity of Auburn, NY.
We stayed in Syracuse our final weekend of the vacation and on Saturday I took some time to visit the new Stickley museum. Holy crap this place was cool and it really surprised me. While growing up, the old Stickley factory was used as an outlet store for the company. I don’t exactly remember what shape it was in then but it has recently been converted into the Fayetteville Public Library. The second floor of the factory is now home to the Stickley Museum - Incredible!I was told that only about 10% of their collection was on view at the moment. It was great – an exhibit of furniture from 1901 through the present that included highlights like Gustav’s own personal bedroom set and pieces owned by Barbra Streisand. It showed me a lot that I didn’t know about the company and the various designs. Like the chapel, this too is well worth the trip to anyone that is in the area. I didn’t get the overdose of architectural sites I had hoped for but all in all, it was a nice vacation.