TheDesignFile

Architects tour offered peek at great spaces

Did any of you get to attend this weekend’s home tour by the Indiana chapter of the American Institute of Architects? I didn’t get to go and I’m so bummed. What I was able to glimpse of the homes on the tour website looked fantastic.

The kitchen above is from a condo at the Adagio building on North Pennsylvania in downtown Indy. The architect was Chris Short of Haus.

“It’s hard not to take your eyes off the views once inside this ninth-floor loft that overlooks the American Legion Mall, and where from the dinner table, you’re eye-to-eye with the Indiana War Memorial,” the tour’s website says of this space. “The vaulted flowing ceiling of a satin-lacquered shiplap cedar helps shape the graceful space, while taking
advantage of the downtown panoramas.”

Below is another kitchen from the tour.

The great front yard makeover: Part 2

Yesterday, I showed you our front yard, driveway and front walk before our big overhaul this past fall. I know, I know. It was pretty awful!

Today is the pretty post – at least I think so. You get to see the after.

If you checked out yesterday’s post, you can see right off the back what a dramatic change this has been.

Here are the key parts of the project:

• A new, much wider gravel driveway, which we absolutely love!
• A new limestone wall along the front walk and landscaping beds just behind it.
• Rebuilt, radiating front steps built from pavers.
• A paver landing with curving sidewalks to the driveway and front walk, with limestone slab steps at the front.
• An overhauled front garden with new plantings. The only thing that stayed was our two cone-shaped boxwoods, which we had planted several years ago and were thrilled to keep.
• A gorgeous weeping Japanese maple tree in a small bed along the driveway.

The landscape was designed by architect Cheryl Jacques of Brower/Jacques Design. My husband and I hired Cheryl after struggling for years to try to figure out how to solve our issues. She was fantastic!

Her husband oversaw the crew who did the work – and completed the project in less than four days! They were both incredibly responsible and helpful, even as we had to scale the project back a bit to fit our budget.

Here’s a panoramic shot I took with my iPhone using a great program called AutoStitch.

The obvious thing about this project is how much better the whole thing looks! But really, what my husband and I can’t get over is how much better it all functions.

For me, the big change is the much wider driveway, which allows me to get out of my car onto the gravel, rather than onto the grass.

There’s plenty of room to park, walk along side the car and load things in and out of the car.

That seems like a basic, but after living for years with an old, skinny driveway, it’s truly a luxury!

I was really worried about the gravel. But I have to tell you that now I wonder why more people don’t go with gravel.

I love the way it looks. It drains like a dream. And it’s really packed down so nicely. Plus, there’s that fantastic gravelly sound every time we drive in. I love it!

I can’t believe that we ever even thought about going with concrete! Combined with our neighbor’s drive, it would have seemed like a parking lot.

Indy lecture will teach historic home styles

If you struggle a little trying to recognize architectural styles, you’re not alone. Despite my love for homes, I’m not good at it at all.

So for folks like me, Indiana Landmarks and the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors are hosting a lecture next month about historic home styles.

“From Italianate (at right, BHG) and Queen Anne to Prairie (see below, BHG) and Art Moderne, historic architectural styles in Indiana vary across time and location,” Indiana Landmarks says of the upcoming event. “Learn helpful hints to identify the most common styles and the historical precedents of each.”

The event will feature Suzanne Stanis, director of heritage education for Indiana Landmarks. She will present “Indiana Architectural Styles from 1800 to the Present” on Nov. 2 at Indiana Landmarks Center.

The event is open to the public. Realtors who attend can earn continuing education credits.

WHAT:     Indiana Architectural Styles, 1800 to the Present lecture

WHERE:   Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave. Indianapolis

WHEN:     Nov. 2, 12:30-2:30 p.m.

WHO:       Presented by Indiana Landmarks and MIBOR

INFO:    www.indianalandmarks.org, 317-639-4534 / 800-450-4534

COST:      $20/person; lecture only

                $35/person; MIBOR business meeting, lunch, lecture and CE credits

Reservation required: Suzanne Stanis, 317-822-7911, sstanis@indianalandmarks.org

A 'not so big' showhouse under construction

I’m fascinated by the movement toward smaller homes and more compact lots that mimic urban settings even in the suburbs or rural areas.

I love the idea that we can find better ways to build and live in homes that give us the space we need without actually building all the space we think we want.

So today I’m sharing with you the Not So Big Showhouse project in Libertyville, Ill., about 35 minutes north of Chicago. It’s all about living smaller.

Now, this is not one of those micro-houses that I love to show you from time to time. This is a practical house with 2,450 square feet. Frankly, that’s a pretty big house for folks like me.

But it’s significantly smaller than many of the houses I see for sale here in Indianapolis.

The house – designed by Sarah Susanka, architect and author of the best-selling Not So Big House series – is “filled with carefully crafted spaces and details that reflect all the major elements and key principles” of her series. The garden in the drawing above will be on top of the garage!

The house is under construction and will open to the public Nov. 19 and will remain open for six months.

But you can get a sneak peek now. Check out this video tour of Sarah taking you through the construction:

Also, here are some of the plans and drawings of the house, which is being built by SchoolStreet Homes.

Modern office is vibrant and whimsical

Typically, I stick to home interiors here at The Design File but there is inspiration to be found as well in hotels and offices and so I make exceptions.

Today, I’m showing off the Chicago office of editorial company The Whitehouse, which was designed by Bruce Bolander, a Los Angeles-based architect. It’s Bolander’s third project for the company.

To me, the lesson here is to be whimsical.

The Whitehouse had been working in a set of offices in the historic Courthouse Place building since 1995. It’s a building originally designed by architect Otto H. Matz thgat was completed in 1893 and initially known as the Cook County Criminal Court Building.

The Whitehouse partners appreciated the character of the building and the space – which included dark wood from a previous design – and its historical feeling, the company wanted a new modern look to reflect its “new and vibrant direction,” Bolander says.

 

The partners were considering other spaces – until Bolander came to Chicago and liked the Courthouse Place building’s grand scale and the high ceilings. Then, a series of adjacent offices became available and so the plan became to renovate the building and combine the spaces.

Eight tips to help you design a great kitchen

In my little home, we had almost no choice in the way we set up our kitchen. The room is less than 100 square feet and has three doorways, a window and a pantry closet that sticks out into the room. Ugh!

But I’ll bet many of you live in homes with more flexibility. And with flexibility comes choices – tough ones about where to locate appliances, what finishes to choose and how to make the most of your space.

I’m happy to share some tips for making those decisions, which come courtesy of San Francisco green architect Andre Rothblatt. All the beautiful kitchens shown in this post are his designs, including the stunning white kitchen below. (I wish I had room for that one!)

Here’s what he suggests:

1.    The stove is the star of the kitchen. Yes, there is an appliance hierarchy, certain appliances and fixtures have greater status than others. The pecking order from most important to least is the stove, refrigerator, sink and microwave. This means that the stove should be the focal point of the kitchen layout. One should place the stove in the kitchen as one would a fire place in the living room, centered in the room in a prominent position.

2.    Proportions, Proportions, Proportions. One design element that distinguishes a great kitchen design and gives it that tailored look is the correct proportions. The correct proportions are achieved by the visual relationship of the width of each cabinet as it relates to its height and then how it relates to the other cabinets and room. A successful design is one where the entirety of the cabinets are well composed and well proportioned.

A peek at Sheryl Crow’s Hollywood Hills estate

It’s hard not to be fascinated by Sheryl Crow, an amazing singer who has kept an impressive career alive for more than 20 years.

Now you can get a peek beyond her musical self into her 11-acre, 3-home property – a “romantic Hollywood Hills estate” as Architectural Digest calls it.

The estate includes a 1926 Spanish Colonial hacienda – her primary residence with her two sons – a 1909 Craftsman bungalow, and a picturesque 19th century cottage.

Crow tells Architectural Digest that she “grew up in Missouri, where you don’t really see architecture like this.”

“The culmination of this personal, hand-selected design aesthetic is distinctly Crow,” the magazine says in a preview of the March issue. “From the lush landscape visible through the windows and doors to the tepee and swing set on the lawn, her estate serves both family and serenity.”

The Architectural Digest feature “ives a rare glimpse of a different side of Crow, who says “there are a lot of people who think of me as very straight… so I imagine this place will come as a surprise.”

Check out the magazine’s online gallery for more photos of Sheryl Crow and her amazing homes. The photos are also featured on the always inspirational Hooked on Houses blog.

Home tour: A river runs through it - really!

A big thanks goes to Home-Designing, a great site for inspirational homes, for pointing out this amazing place built over a river.

Readers of Sunset magazine and the New York Times may recognize this place, called Kaweah Falls and located near the base of the Sequoia National Park in Three Rivers, California.

This house – which has a glass bottom floor and windows looking out on the woods and river – was originally was built in 1947 by architect Frank Robert, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Later, it was expanded to cross the riverbanks.

With four bedrooms, four baths and two floors, the house is 3,000 square feet and located – despite the look – on less than an acre. It’s on the market for $1.95 million.

Check out all the details – plus lots of amazing photos – at www.kaweahfalls.com.

Weekend tour offers peek at unusual homes

I’m so excited to go this weekend to the Architects’ Home Tour in Indianapolis, deemed an exploration of “dream homes by people who dream homes.”

There are five homes on the tour, including the fascinating place below called Mona’s House. It’s located in Fountain Square, one of my favorite Indy neighborhoods.

This place was designed by Mark Beebe Architects, built by Main Street Homes and developed by the Southeast Neighborhood Development Corp.

“This colorful home fits well into this quirky artsy community, and the design proves that good design comes in all shapes and sizes,” the tour guide says about the house. “While the size and scale of the house fits right in with the neighborhood, it strikes a more modern pose with its low-slung roof and dark metal siding.”

You get to see four other homes for your ticket as well, in areas spread across the city – and even outside of town.

The tour is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 & Sunday, Oct. 3.

Click here for a map of the sites and go here to get more details on each of the homes.

The tour is hosted by the American Institute of Architects-Indianapolis. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. You can purchase advance tickets at Silver in the City or Form+Function.

Mid-Century Tour features six home tours

If you’re a mid-century fan and live in the Indianapolis area, Indiana Landmarks has a treat for you.

The nonprofit group is sponsoring Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour, which this year will focus on the residential designs of Indianapolis native Evans Woollen. The event will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 5.

It’s actually three days of events.

On Thursday, Indiana Landmarks stages a free lecture by Evans Woollen, which will be hosted by the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Toby Theater at 7 p.m.

On Friday, the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art opens an Evans Woollen exhibition on June 4.

Woollen began producing modernist buildings in the 1950s — the half-century threshold for consideration as landmarks

Celebrated for his civic structures, Evans Woollen III early in his career created residences that maximized views of natural settings. The tour includes six of the architect’s classic modern homes, including one modeled on ancient circular stone buildings and another composed of geometrically-stacked pavilions.

The houses on tour were built between 1955 and 1965.

“In ’50s and ’60s America, many people considered Victorian architecture dated and ugly,” Indiana landmarks officials said. “As a result, countless architectural gems were lost to the wrecking ball. Indiana Landmarks and its Indiana Modern committee seek to protect Modernist buildings from a similar fate and foster appreciation for the style.”

Owners of Woollen-designed homes opening for the June 5 Back to the Future tour include: