project planning

Guided by Sight
Designing with line of sight in mind is something I think about a lot. Knowing where to place things so they will be seen, or in some cases not seen, is arguably square one in the design process. That's why when I talk to my clients one of the first things I ask is, "What's the most important view in the house?" I start there because it's something they are going to be looking at 365 days a year, probably morning, noon and night. The answers are mostly the same, the living room, dining room or kitchen. Every once in a while, someone
Historic Perspectives
There’s something truly wonderful about working on properties that are in one way or another historic:  In a very real sense, they give you a rare opportunity to participate in the past while at the same time you are conceiving and forming a place for the future. This project is a case in point:  My endeavors here gave me the chance to beautify a truly splendid 1905 private home in southern Wisconsin and complement its amazing Palladian/Greek Revival-style bone structure with a contemporary composition in rock, plant material and water. The owner, who has a passion for architecture and historic preservation, had already completed a total restoration of the buildings.  The grounds, however, still left much to be desired.  The property manager had worked with me on a previous project, and he suggested that I should be brought in to revitalize the space – the centerpiece of which would turn out to be