Each house design begins with a conversation about your lifestyle and dreams about your future home. It progresses to conceptual drawings that reflect your architectural ideas. Here are a few of my favorite designs.
– The Kelley Residence / A Contemporary Farm House –
A Farm House that incorporates natural building material with the outdoor environment to create a seamless environment of design and nature.
It is warm and inviting home both inside and out. The house is a practical, livable home that is the fulfillment of the client’s dreams.
We worked with a landscape architect to determine the best site for maximum views and water mitigation.
– The Young Residence –
This home was inspired by the owner’s desire for simplicity, clean lines and low maintenance.
This innovative, modern design borrows architectural elements from traditional farm structures such as the sheltering roofline and stone terraces that encircle much of the house, but also features many design elements with a contemporary edge.
Light and airy, the Young Residence consists of two symmetrical wings connected by a covered entryway. This configuration ensures privacy for guests and allows the owner to be surrounded by the rooms she uses everyday.
Located in an open field with stunning views of Columbia Mountain and the Whitefish Range, the home features nearly wall-to-wall windows topped with suspended steel louvers that provide interior shade. Instead of the usual timber and log accents that are traditional in Flathead Valley homes, black steel beams and columns provide support both inside and outside the home. This also complements the tan stucco exterior and grey metal roof, which supports a built-in gutter and ends in a thin fine line (no fascia) for a wonderful clean, modern look.
I really enjoyed working with the owner to create her unique and inviting living space.
– The Brown Home –
After buying 140 acres of heavily wooded land with a river running through it, the Browns wanted to build a home with a sense of strength, comfort and a strong connection to the land.
When the Browns showed up at my office, they knew just what they wanted: a craftsman timberframe Montana home.
They wanted their home to have a sense of strength as well as a sense of shelter, with particular attention to the home’s relation to the site.
We decided that a timber-accented home rather than a traditional timberframe was the best solution for them and built the home connecting or inlaying the timbers as they were needed.
Both homeowners and I really wanted to let the fundamental beauty of the natural materials shine. Doors and cabinets are simple with square edges, allowing the warmth of the woods used – fir, cherry, walnut and redwood – to have the starring roles in this home.
Because so much of this home is open, it needed a strong anchor. We accomplished this by centering the home around a massive dry-stack fireplace. The two-sided fireplace gives warmth and focus to the kitchen and dining room as well as the living room. Most of the other walls are windows to allow the great Montana outdoors to come in.
It was important for the Brown’s to have an open floor plan with natural light filled space that allows family and friends to feel comfortable and connected. I love how this home reflects their values and lifestyle.
– The Lukens Homestead –
Living well with less is a dream for many people who want to live in a smaller footprint. For an architect this is a great opportunity to design with efficiency and style.
I’ve been fortunate in my career to design many large homes with generous budgets. However, some of the most creative and challenging projects I’ve done involve making the most of small spaces. In that situation, simple is always better when it comes to designing the structure and layout and choosing finishes.
Working closely with the owners, I first designed the living area where they will spend most of their time. Then I focused on fulfilling the owners’ desire to have their limited space flow easily and effortlessly between rooms that serve multiple purposes. Space-saving circulation and clever built-in features make every square foot count.
The Lukens Homestead is a beautiful example of how careful planning can turn a small home into an architectural showpiece, one that maximizes available space and can stay relevant in changing times.
Personal Attention • Responsive Service • Quality Design
These are just a few of my project designs that reflect the desires of their owners. I hope you like the quality, material and lighting displayed in these stories, but your design will undoubtedly be different. Each owner is unique, and so is each design.
I won’t hand you the architectural style that I personally prefer. The design I will create for you will support how you live, how you spend your free time, and what complements your individual lifestyle.
What architectural style do you love?
I want to know what you find beautiful in architectural design, and if you don’t have a strong opinion on style, I am happy to suggest one.