Fitch Building Open House

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:00:30 -0600

We’ll be here to show off our studio, along with everyone else in the building.
Drop by after work on Friday night to visit all the artists in our building. We’re on the second floor, the one with the blue neon. Free parking south of the building. Free finger food and drinks!

Period Pergola

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:25:50 -0500

Turn of the century home gets the detail it deserved.
The thought was there, but artlessly so. What began as a bare-bones attempt to extend the interior space to the pool and driveway, Monarch finished with the period style that was missing.

Tour of Remodeled Homes

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:13:04 -0500

Rea Residence featured in Des Moines Home Builders Tour of Remodeled Homes
Like a lot of Beaverdale brick homes, this one had plenty of charm up front, but the rear entry, kitchen and garage didn't function very well for a modern family. The only link from the single-car garage to the outdated kitchen was a steep cramped stairway - via the basement. And a lack of connection to the outdoors left everyone inside feeling slightly claustrophobic.

This innovative renovation addressed the home's functional problems while bringing it a dose of fresh style, too. The solution started with a floor plan that opened up the wall between the kitchen and dining room. Swapping the location for the stove and fridge got the stove out of the main circulation path, and put the refrigerator where the family can get to it more easily. Extending the countertop into the dining room really expanded the kitchen, visually. Cherry cabinets, solid-surface countertops, and new appliances make it a place the family is happy to come home to.

A space-efficient addition gave the home a much-needed family room and mudroom. Combined with a new attached two-car garage, the addition dramatically increased the usability of the house. A full glass door now connects the family room to a patio for outdoor entertaining.

A disservice to the house

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:17:35 -0500

The housing boom made us forget what our homes are really worth.
by S. Claire Conroy
Everyone is lamenting the deflation of the housing bubble. But there's at least one bright side to its departure. The housing boom did a major disservice to the house. It caused nearly everyone—owners, bankers, Realtors, builders, and even architects, in some cases—to think of houses as investments.
More...

Is design cookbook?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:29:40 -0500

Sort of...
Learning to cook begins with a recipe. We learn from various cookbooks and recipes and begin to improvise and mix things in new ways. Learning by experimentation takes cookbooks to the next level.
My design philosophy started in earnest with the seminal work, Pattern Language. (The book even looks like a bible!) This book and many like it have instilled in me the belief that design must enhance life. Design should encourage social interaction when desirable, or provide privacy where needed. In some ways, “Form follows Function”, but Pattern Language describes how to use structure to enhance the social use of space- a holistic theory that goes beyond decoration or mechanical utility.
Design isn’t about “style”. What it looks like-- That’s just the icing on the cake. How it works-- that’s the most important thing to consider.
Subsequent Blog posts will focus on the Patterns we have incorporated into our work, in the hopes that you can better understand the world you live in, and how design is everywhere.
Todd Hotchkiss, AIA

Kitchen circulation

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:44:57 -0500

Doors kill kitchens!
Doors into and out of kitchens can ruin the usability of the space. This poor kitchen had three doors. A stove without countertop space on each side isn’t just inconvenient, it’s dangerous. This problem seemed impossible to fix until we hit on the idea of putting the basement stair under the upper stair, near the front door. This not only gave us more area to work with, but allowed uninterrupted countertop space that completely transformed this kitchen.

Thoughts on outdoor living

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:46:20 -0500

Outdoor rooms
People feel comfortable outside when they have a sense of enclosure, yet have a vista. We want to feel safe, yet in control. There are many different kinds of outdoor “rooms”.
When do people want to use a screen porch? A screen porch is almost an inside space, but with a taste of the weather. When it’s too buggy to eat outside, but the weather is nice, we retreat to this safer place.
What makes a deck appealing? It’s protected and elevated, a place to "perch". It connects us to the yard with a sense of detachment and dominion.
When is a patio best? A patio is on-grade. When you're there, you are grounded, part of the landscape, where the action is. Even a patio should have some kind of definition. Trees or shrubs at the corners, or level changes can give the place a room-like quality.
Each of these types of spaces have varying degrees of safety and protection balanced with freedom and openness.
Transitions
Ideally, all of these places should "feel" close to each other- so that the transition from one place to the next is seamless. The transitions can be "places" in and of themselves. For example, roof overhangs that allow you to get a taste of the outdoors, the next place along the path. Staircases that act like places to hang out. You may not ever sit on the stairs, but it looks like you could if you wanted to.
Think of each place and transition as an opportunity to draw people to the outside. This is how outdoor entertaining works best.
What are your favorite places to be outside, and why do you prefer them?

Graceful Entry

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:46:53 -0500

Two front doors become one.
This home was built for a family with a separate apartment. When circumstances changed, the apartment became unnecessary. The problem became how to make the entrance experience feel gracious and welcoming, and yet look like it had always been that way.

Kitchen expansion

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:35:20 -0500

Re-arranging the Cherry Cabinets
This Kitchen occupies the space of what was once two kitchens in a duplex home. We took down the wall between them and redesigned the kitchen, taking the cabinets from one side and moving them around so they made sense in the larger space. We added custom cabinets, as needed, to match.