Late February, nine in the morning. A family has found land in Water Mill – two acres, south-facing, a view corridor to the water they had not expected at this price. They want to know if they can break ground by fall. I ask about the FEMA designation. They do not know what that is. …
The first time I walked a coastal site in the Bahamas, the client had already fallen in love with it. The views were extraordinary – the water reached three different shades of blue before meeting the horizon, and the prevailing wind came off the water at a perfect angle for natural ventilation. I understood the …
Modern Coastal Home Design: Architecture for Life at the Water’s Edge Read More »
There’s a version of this conversation we have often. A client calls, they’ve found a parcel, they’re excited, and they want to start designing. Then we pull up the topographic data. The slope runs the wrong direction for the view they’re imagining. There’s a creek setback that eliminates a third of the buildable area. The …
The Architect’s Guide to Finding and Buying Land for a Custom Home Read More »
When clients begin planning primary suite floor plans, most start with square footage. That’s the wrong starting point. The suites that genuinely deliver privacy and retreat share a set of architectural decisions made before any finish is chosen – decisions about placement, sequence, light, and acoustic separation. The ones that disappoint, regardless of budget, trace …
Primary Suite Floor Plans – Design the Most Private Room Read More »
Your car collection tells a story about who you are. Each vehicle – a fully restored 1965 Shelby, a track-prepped McLaren, a weekend touring bike – represents a decision made with intention. Yet most luxury homes treat the car collection garage as an afterthought. Four walls, a concrete floor, and a door that opens. The …
Car Collector Garage Design: Motor Court, Lighting and Layout Read More »
Mountain modern architecture in Colorado is a category that gets borrowed loosely – applied to homes with exposed beams, a few stone walls, and large windows pointed at a ridge. What it actually means, when executed with full understanding of what building at altitude demands, is something far more specific. I’ve spent years designing modern …
Mountain Modern Architecture in Colorado: What Makes High-Altitude Design Different Read More »
Every client who walks through our door for a custom home project eventually says the same thing about the kitchen: “I want it to feel luxurious.” And I understand the impulse. But what I’ve found, after designing estates from the Hamptons to the Caribbean, is that most people who say that are actually describing something …
Luxury Kitchen Design: Architecture at the Ultra-High End Read More »
The question at the center of every luxury guest house design isn’t how to build a second structure. It’s how to define the relationship between two structures – and then build both in a way that honors it. A guest pavilion or cottage on a custom residential property occupies a precise middle position: close enough …
Most of the decisions that determine whether a luxury home theater design succeeds or fails are made long before a single piece of acoustic panel goes up. They’re made at the schematic stage, when the room is still a shape on a floor plan and every option is still available. Wait until finishes are being …
Luxury Home Theater Design: What Has to Be Decided Before Construction Begins Read More »
Wine cellar design in a luxury home is one of those decisions that rewards early thinking and punishes delay. The structural and mechanical choices that determine how well a cellar performs – and how long a collection stays in good condition – are largely made before walls go up. I’ve seen otherwise outstanding custom homes …
Wine Cellar Design for a Luxury Home: A Serious Approach to Getting It Right Read More »
