September 23, 2009 - Wetting my appetite

Guess where I'm heading? m

September 20, 2009 - A simple house

Part 3 of my favorite houses features a Santa Cruz home designed for a couple's retirement. This is just a very well designed small home. It's just over 1000 sq. ft. and it uses every inch. I love the attention to details inside and out. m

September 8, 2009 - My favorite houses Part II

The second house in my "Favorite Houses" series is a Shaker inspired, whimsical weekend getaway in the hills outside Kinderhook, New York. The architect, Dennis Wedlick, wanted a weekend retreat but he also wanted to have some fun. "This house is a lot about roof" says the architect. The height makes up for the small foundation of only 20 x 25 feet. I love the details, inspired by traditional styles and materials. The setting gives it an almost sculptural quality.

Inside the Shaker style is more apparent with chalk-white walls, bare pine floors and simple trim, as well as traditional Shaker furniture. Perhaps a little "plain" for my taste but there is beauty in simplicity. There's no floor plan so I'm trying figure out how he fit in a kitchen and bath. Upstairs a high-ceilinged central hall doubles as an office tucked into the front triangular dormer window. Triangles, as it turns out, are a recurring theme in Shaker design. Note the number of triangles in the exterior. A large bedroom window with beautifully detailed columns overlooks a vast flowered plain. And on the very top, accessible only by a ladder, a long room is shaped by the extreme 65 degree peak of the roof—a simple retreat for watching TV.

I've seen this house featured in several books and magazines on home design. If I'm not mistaken, I think the architect has added a structure next to the house in quite a different style, more barn-like and spacious for large gatherings. If I find it I'll sent out a post. Enjoy. m