Home Design Theory and Practice

Fence Restoration, Part 2

2010-06-24T21:49:00.003-04:00

I just completed the rear part of a fence, the front part of which is shown in the previous post. The original fence was built in the 20's and I reproduced it almost exactly. I guess I can justifiably call it a "restoration" because I was able to use most of the original posts (or replacement posts that are themselves decades old). All the other verticals and horizontals and the top boards are of new material (Western Red Cedar). All in all this part of the fence is about 164' long, with about fifty feet of it sloping down toward the street, as shown above.

The house in the background is a 70's house, not the old stone Tudor house on the property that the fence belongs to. And why didn't I actually snap a picture of the old house, which is a beautiful thing, while I was snapping the fence? I should have. Sorry. But the fence is a beautiful thing in its own right, if I do say so myself.

Historic Restoration: Custom Fence

2010-05-05T08:50:00.003-04:00

This is not a recent job of mine, but worth a look anyhow.

The large Tudor style home (not shown) on this lot was built in the twenties, and so was the long lattice-work fence running along one side of the property (just the front half of it shows here). This is not the original fence, which was severely rotted in many places and basically falling to pieces when I tore it down three years ago and replaced it, retaining the original styling.

While a different type of fence for a replacement would have looked OK in this place, the homeowner thought it was important to keep the original look, which was definitely tailored to the traditional style of his house. Being a fan of historic preservation, and also having a technical degree in the field, I agreed with him wholeheartedly--and went to work.

This image may not show off the character of the fence as well as it might, but maybe you can tell that it was certainly a beautiful morning for snapping a picture!

Custom Two-Sink Vanity: A Style Hybrid

2010-05-05T08:18:00.004-04:00

This design is the joint work of myself and interior designer Barb Dock. I built it as part of a complete remodel of a 70s-era master bathroom. The whole house has been basically furnished in a modern style, with a slight veering recently into the craftsman idiom with the addition of some understated "mission style" furniture in the living room. This vanity was meant to go along with that move. It's a kind of a craftsman/modern blend, which I think works out well because the two movements are divergent but not antithetical to each other. It keeps to the straightforward lines of modernism with some added elaboration of details that backs off the doctrinaire severity of the modern style.

I find it is almost always interesting, and often productive, to put two different style approaches together in a synthesis: One way plus one way equals a third (new) way. This piece is an example of that process.

Reception Desk on a Budget

2010-02-02T14:08:00.003-05:00

I designed and built this reception desk/cashier station for an art gallery in Owosso, Michigan. The budget was limited, so the choice was made to use economical materials (birch plywood and poplar hardwoods). Fortunately the wood stain chosen for the piece, a translucent acrylic color stain, is a type of stain that evens out color variations in the wood while still allowing much of the interesting grain patterning to show through.

Not shown are the many functional features behind the desk, providing for a cash drawer, filing cabinets, and shelf and drawer storage for office supplies and gift wrapping materials.

The style of the piece is what could be called Unobtrusive Contemporary--with an understated elegance that doesn't toot it's own horn. It's not supposed to upstage the art, after all.

The desk this new one replaces was not very big, not very functional, and not very handsome either, so this is a big improvement, which the people working at the gallery, and their customers too, will use and enjoy for years to come.

Reclaimed Wood/Barn Beam Furnture

2009-10-21T13:42:00.009-04:00

Pictured here are some interesting pieces I made recently for an artist friend of mine using some salvaged old barn beams, other reclaimed wood, and western red cedar.

At top is a large frame that will do double duty as a frame for art works or a blank white screen for a projection TV.

Next is the headboard of a bed made with weathered old beams of about 6x8--as bedposts--with cedar slats spanning between and custom-turned finials topping the posts (also see finial detail next).

I like to make turnings in unique organic forms--shying away from traditional shapes that usually come off as stuffy and Victorian or just kind of run-of-the-mill (literally).

The next image shows an end of a large L-shaped work surface unit, and the next a cabinet for a small sink. Note that these cabinets have yet to get their top, which will be of soapstone in a nice rich dark green.

All of the barn wood is finished with a satin polyurethane after a light/medium sanding. This simple process yields a very satisfying look--the brown aged oak patterned with irregular much darker streaky areas, with lots of texture from cracks and fissures developed over decades in that old barn.

It is great having clients with a taste for the bold and different.

See the work of my artist client, Brian McKelvey, here.

And you can view my own art blog here.

Headboard Remodel

2009-09-09T07:30:00.002-04:00

This project began with a carved oriental screen, presumably used as a bed headboard previously. To make the headboard wider to accommodate a bigger bed, posts of reclaimed barn wood were added to each end. Custom-turned double finials top the posts. The image doesn't do justice to the finishes on the added parts: the old gray wood responded well to a light sanding and two coats of varnish, yielding a a dark brownish finish with black streaks and all the interesting blotches and fissures and marks imprinted on the wood over decades; the finials were done to a mottled effect with a combination of staining and painting (green to match the screen) with sanding between coats.

A Retro-Eclectic Kitchen

2009-05-05T16:36:00.001-04:00

The image shows the range wall of a small kitchen I designed and built recently--putting together a restored 1953 Wedgewood range, rather simple white cabinets by Plain and Fancy with a couple of vaguely Victorian brackets (and other like details), white marble countertops, and 3x6 checkerboard subway tiles on the walls. I think the look works. I have to credit my client with the inspiration for the design, and some details as well. My work on this one was mostly harmonizing things, laying things out, and putting it all together.

Art Table

2009-05-05T07:19:00.001-04:00

In the category of "small architecture," or certainly in the category of "home design" very broadly understood . . . .

Here is a piece of "art furniture" I have made, a table I call it "The Archetypes."

A parlor game: What does each leg seem to represent?

A deep question: Is it possible to make truly "fine" art in the forms of the "useful" or "decorative" arts?

You can ckeck out my art blog here.

Ancient Chinese HDTV Stand

2009-04-07T17:10:00.003-04:00

I made this small TV stand for an older couple who have several antique furniture pieces in their house, some of them from China. I suggested we make the new piece in a style to go along with their oriental items, and after a bit of research I came up with a cabinet patterned after typical small antique Chinese cabinets.

The cabinet could have been fancied up with contrasting wood species and/or contrasting finishes--playing with some of the exotic design elements--but we kept it simple after all, and both I and the customers were pleased with the result done in cherry wood with a warm red-brown finish. The piece is functional and fits in well in the room.

Custom Bookcases

2008-12-08T11:09:00.003-05:00

Commissions for Large Architecture projects (home design) have not been flooding in of late, but recently I had the opportunity to design and build a Small Architecture project--i.e., custom cabinets--for a client in Okemos, MI. Pictured is one of two classically-inspired bookcases flanking a set of large windows in the master bedroom. I also did a similarly styled bank of bathroom vanities at the same time.

The illustration may not show enough detail, but take may word for it: I used some nice carved parts from Enkeboll, along with special-order moldings from a local supplier, to good effect to create a rich and stately impression--a warm brown-red stain on the cherry solids and veneers contributing to the overall impression. It's a beautiful thing--and provides a good amount of storage/display space for books and small art objects.

The built-ins were made to harmonize with furnishings the homeowners already had, and went along with a upgrade of interior wood trim.

Home Design With a Difference

2008-10-30T07:46:00.002-04:00

A new human being could have been conceived and born since the last time I posted on this blog--and no doubt more than a few of them have been. Life goes on while I neglect my blogging duties.

This is just to let my adoring public know that I have not abandoned you!

There remains an outpost of enlightened home design thinking here in the blogosphere. Actually there are very many such outposts, though maybe not so easy to find; I am proud to be numbered among them.

The pitch is this:

If, in spite of our not-so-great economic outlook right now, you are thinking of having a new house built in the near future, and you want something better, more interesting, more alive than the common type of house put up today in this country, I could be worth checking out.

To see what I'm about, take a look at this site and also my art blog (newest version).

I am a designer who will listen to you and take seriously your needs and your desires and your taste.

Who Wants to Live in a Fairy Tale?

2008-04-07T13:08:00.003-04:00

If you have the yen to live in any sort of exotic or out-of-the-ordinary house today, you can look to a wide variety of houses built prior to World War II, including some that might resemble someone's idea of a cottage in the forest like the one where Snow White kept house (and did God knows what else) for her seven little friends.

You might have some luck because during the twenties and thirties the English Cottage or Tudor style, which generally falls into this style category, was a popular one and a lot of these houses were built, and now inhabit cozy, charming tree-lined neighborhoods together with other "Period Style" houses.

But if you want to build new, your options are much more limited. Look online for "Storybook Style" plans--there are good sources there and you may find just what you want.

And what if you don't find what you want there? Or you see something you sort of like--but it doesn't quite meet your needs or suit your taste?

Well, then, you've got to call me! Or someone like me, a designer at home in a variety of styles and able to re-create them with authenticity and real distinction.

This style of house is my favorite--if I have to choose just one. I like the cozy, homey feeling of the style and its deep connection to our country's English and European roots. And God help me, I even like the "whimsy"--the fairy-tale/fantasy feeling of these places. And on a certain scale, with certain details, this style can even look stately. Where else can you get whimsical and stately put together like that? There's some kind of style magic going on here!

Call me and let me design yours!

(The illustration is of a "Cotswold Cottage." Go here to find out more about that particlar type.)

Why Hire a Home Designer?

2008-03-20T04:50:00.000-04:00

This house design is offered through Cottage Living magazine, and you can get construction plans for it at a very reasonable cost at the click of a mouse. It's a solid design, very nicely done; I wouldn't mind living in such a place!

So why use an architect or home designer at all when good stuff like this is available already done and ready to go?

I don't want to denigrate ready-made plans. This option could positively be the way for you to go, assuming you can find just what you want.

But there's the rub--finding just what you want. If you hire your own designer, you can work with him or her from the start to get exactly what you want in the end.

Even if you find a ready-made plan that you love stylistically, and which is about the right size, what about that extra storage space you might want? What about that one room you don't need? Maybe there is something about the style itself you want modified, perhaps to cut down on costs.

How will a ready-made plan fit your building site? Chances are it will not take full advantage of views and sunlight and other specific factors.

At a certain point, making modifications to a ready-made plan becomes almost as involved as starting from scratch with a designer; and modifying can be more subject to mistakes and problems than a simple linear design process from the ground up.

Working with a residential designer will take longer and may cost more than using ready-made plans, but if you find the right designer, your result is likely to be a lot more satisfying.

And we're not talking here about building a garden shed, but the place you will be living out your life for the days to come--your home! You deserve to have it designed just for you.

More Small Architecture: A New Table

2008-02-07T15:02:00.001-05:00

This table is about 19" wide, 29" long and 23" high. The top is covered with a sheet of galvanized steel and should develop an interesting patina over time, especially if folks are not too fastidious about putting coasters under their glasses and cups, and it is only lightly cleaned once in a while to get the gross crud off. In this way, you can let this table record a little bit of your life.

The rim around the top is a thick piece of poplar stained dark and the legs are of pine painted with a dark red shiny enamel. The legs are turned, all to different shapes, wavy and sensuous. See this piece soon at Absolute Gallery in Lansing, Michigan.

Raber Home Design

2007-12-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

Someone once said, There is no such thing as a small part, only small actors.

The founder of the Boys Town orphanage said, There is no such thing as a bad boy.

I say, There is no such thing as a bad house style. If the style has survived the test of time, and maybe even the test of a revival or two, there must be something "home" about it.

Naturally, I like some house styles more than others, but I see the beauty and genius in them all, and I am ready to take on your design project with a genuine appreciation for the style that you particularly like, and with a sense of adventure for what we can create together.

Bungalow, Arts and Crafts, Queen Anne, Stick Style, Shingle Style, Shed Style, Tudor, Storybook, Georgian, Colonial--the names are many by which architectural distinction has been known, and so I say there is no such thing as a bad house style: There is inspiration in every one, wrought so carefully by artists of the past; there is magic to be drawn from every one; there is home in every one.

Here is information on my home design service, geared toward the client who appreciates style and wants a new home (or home addition) designed to standards above the commonplace: GO TO.

What Kind of House Do You Want?

2007-08-05T00:13:00.000-04:00

[Left: Is this the kind of house you want?]

To get the house you want, you have to know what that is, and then find out how your heart's desire matches up with the realities out there in the wide world.

The standard American house put up today in the standard American subdivision looks pretty much like this:

It has 3 or more medium-pitch gable fronts facing the street. At some point a couple of decades ago, this was someone's idea of putting across a big jolt of "curb appeal," and, oh boy, has this idea caught on! Variation: 2 or more front-facing gables with the rest of the complicated roof resolving itself into hip roofs. In any case, the roof is big and is meant to impress--like Dolly Parton's big hair. Well, it may look good on Dolly (a matter of balancing other big parts), but I for one get tired of seeing ALL the girls up and down the street wearing it all piled up high and teased out like that.

At the eaves, all these gable roofs end in "pork chop" (boxed-in) returns. These are quick and easy to build. Variation: "Queen Anne" returns, not too much more difficult to make, and they do add that touch of regal refinement. (Note: A "pork chop" return is shaped much a pork chop, with the bone pointing toward the peak of the roof and the meaty part hanging down; the "Queen Anne" return, however, in no way resembles the late English monarch.)

There will usually be one or more prestige elements tacked on to enhance "curb appeal" and qualify the house as some sort of style or other. A pair of classical column might grace a "Georgian." There might be some brackets under the eaves of a "Bungalow." A "Victorian" could have turned porch columns and some perfunctory "gingerbread" stretched between.

The house will be covered in vinyl siding, with vinyl or aluminum soffits and fascia at the roof overhang. (See my rant on the evils of vinyl.) Builders, and homeowners too for that matter, find vinyl very hard to resist--it's so cheap. They pocket the savings and then try to tell themselves it looks pretty much like--well,sort of like--if you don't look too closely--or at least from the curb--yes, it looks just like traditional wood siding! (Maybe in the sattelite photo?) Variation: Some expanse of masonry, either brick or stone, is added somewhere for the prestige value; or a bigger, "high-end" house will be entirely encased in red brick.

All of this screams "cheap," but of course the cruel irony is, it is not at all cheap, but very expensive. We all know how high housing prices have gone up over the past several years.

If this is the type of house you want, even in its "custom" variety, you won't have much trouble getting it. Pick a builder from the phone book, and chances are he has already built several of them, maybe dozens of them.

But let's assume you want something different--something more, something better. It could be one of the following, or something like it:

An historical reproduction/adaptation, perhaps based on the house you grew up in, or a house you have seen and admired, or even a picture and floor plans from an old home plan book.

An authentic rendering of a certain style you love, such as Arts and Crafts, or Stick Style Victorian, or Shingle Style, or Mid-Century Modern.

A fantasy house, something really beyond the ordinary, like a fairy tale cottage or a rocket ship house.

A distinctive house made to fit you like a glove in terms of both your functional needs and your own personal stylistic preferences.

Getting this kind of house will not be so easy, simply because the vast majority of players in the building industry--builders, subcontractors, suppliers, even most designers--are not geared toward producing it. You will need to know the ins and outs of the design/build process, and who to deal with and how, in order to make your vision a reality (and without busting your budget in the porcess)--but it can be done!

Are you planning to build a new home, and finding the conventional avenues are not getting you where you want to go? I am here willing and able to address any all of your questions, and to provide professional services if it comes to that.

Building a New Home? Resources on Home Design

2007-04-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

[Left:The famous Witch's House in Los Angeles--an example of home design gone whacky and wonderful. Illustration form the book Storybook Style.]

I started this blog just a few weeks ago, and by God I think now it is almost fit to look at.

I have stocked my shelves with a fair amount of titillating and tantalizing information and conversation on home design--and there is more on its way.

FIND HERE: A couple of reviews of architectural books; rants on vinyl siding and on subdivision style; some savvy advice (more like a rant so far!) on the design of your planned new house; a poll of sorts on a couple of house designs of the Tudor persuasion; and some juicy links to home plan websites, etc. And did a mention a nice post telling all about my home design service? And did I mention the Google ads?

A feature to be added soon, if all goes according to plan: A listing of websites offering home plans with short reviews, i.e., my humble opinion as to the design quality of the plans offered. There is a wide variety of stuff out there, much of it routine and boring but some of it very impressive indeed. I can't wait to tell you just what I think--for this is a blog, after all, is it not?

And the ultimate resource: Just ask. My sage advice goes for free.