reinventing SPACE

A shuffle of sketches representing
different solutions for a kitchen / mudroom
remodel currently in the design process.

In a recent testimonial written by one of our wonderful clients we found our design process well articulated:

"Building Arts met with us September-December for a series of conversations to help us all parse out our priorities.  At the beginning of the design process I wished we’d had a bigger budget. But the creative design solutions to our budget and space challenges ended up being my favorite elements of the finished product."

-Katie Pierson and Jon Kahle

Building Arts helps you to reinvent your space.  We listen to you. Over a series of conversations, we develop a relationship with you and a thorough understanding of your home and it's integrity.   From there we sketch many different thoughts and possibilities of how to reorganize your space, always exploring the not so obvious solutions along the way.  In the end, we want to give you a reinvented space that fits your life and your style.

"Our small kitchen feels huge. Our 1962 rambler feels spacious—and actually is classy and charming—because Megan and Harvey worked within our budget to deliver as much of our priority list as possible.  They paid as much attention to the details as they did to the existing structure of the house."
-Katie Pierson and Jon Kahle
 

Katie and Jon's Kitchen.

Homes by Architects Tour

Coming September 21 - 22

Twin Cities 

Building Arts has been selected to participate in the AIA Homes by Architects Tour again this year!  

Photo by Troy Thies Photography

We invite you all to Minnetonka to see our new whole house remodel of a 1962 rambler.  It is a great example of the space that can be made without adding large amounts of square footage.  More on the process behind this project to come...

For now, check out the tour's site:

AIA HOMES BY ARCHITECTS TOUR 2013

Building Arts is house #6 and letter 'F' on the map.

See you in September!

Photo by Troy Thies Photography

Remodeled Rows of Our Nation's Capital

Remodeled Rows

A Patriotic 4th

Washington D.C.

I decided to spend this 4th of July extra patriotically. I headed out to the East Coast, next to the Potomac river, in a district all its own, to what was once just a swamp, for a visit to our Nation's Capital.  Washington D.C. has had many formal city plans, produced by various famous architects and planners over the years. 

In the center of it all is the National Mall, a place where you can spend hours admiring the grandeur of the many architectural assets, both classical and modern. But, take a side trip out to the surrounding neighborhoods and you will find a simple residential treasure; row houses.

Row houses with a fresh coat of paint.

These enchanting 19th century brick homes line the streets, and were built to house many people on each block, while abiding to the unique 2-3 level height restriction of D.C.  These side by side homes often housed multiple tenants on each level, the floor plans are shotgun style, the space is tight, and there is little opportunity for large amounts of natural light.

Clever homeowners, many who bought the row houses for mere thousands in the late 60's, have been remodeling and creatively addressing these undesirable characteristics over the years.  Now, scattered throughout the streets are the many creative approaches the many different people have taken to freshen up their row house.  Here are some that I stumbled upon...

Restored bay windows with bold colors.

A very modern approach, opened up to loads of natural light.

A small addition, tied in nicely,  to allow light from another angle.

Massive picture windows show interiors that have been rearranged and updated.

What does home mean for you?

HOME: Where We Live.

A photo exhibition

MPLS Photo Center

5.10 – 6.23

Photo: Ryan Huggett Photography

The meaning of home evokes strong emotions in each of us, yet there are many different ways to think about the  word.   There is the tangible of home: the rooms, the decor, the windows, the nook for reading, and the space where family gathers.  There is home as a collector: keeping our books, our souvenirs from life, and our coveted photographs. Home is sometimes simply defined as people, and sometimes it is memories: nostalgic scenes of what our presence was at a point in time.   And these are just to name a few.

Earlier this year, the Minneapolis Photo Center put out a call for entries that fall under the theme 'HOME: Where We Live.'  A title that appears very straight forward, defining home within itself.  What  resulted is a collection of 70 photographs that juror David Fraher describes as , 'powerfully, and yet quietly exploring the diverse meanings and aspects of home.”

Powerful, it is, as it reinforces that the idea of home is universal.  Walking through the gallery, there is not a single photo that does not trigger something in my brain, a strong tug, and expectedly, a coinciding emotion.  Even if it is not something relative of my own experiences or my own thoughts, it resonates with each of us.  Through the serene compositions of the photos you are reminded of your own ideas of home, as you catch a glimpse into someone else's. 

The importance of home and its many meanings is not lost on us at Building Arts. We work with home every day and we are constantly thinking about all of its aspects.  We also understand, that for many people we work with, home is something they are striving for, and is yet to be discovered.  They can't particularly define it, but there are certain attributes they are sure it must have. Creating home is a discovery process.  So ask yourself,

What does home mean for you?

Scan your memories, think about what it means now, and what would it ideally mean for you.  We would love to hear your answers.  Please comment below, and in the meantime go to the Minneapolis Photo Center and visit the exhibition, which is on display through June 23rd, and start a thought process on what home is for you.

Below I detailed a few of my favorite photographs in the exhibition.

- Three children lounge, comfortably juxtaposed on a sun-washed couch.  They all are very close to each other, even though the couch is large, they are stacked on one end.  The boy laying across the back of the couch plays on a phone, the older girl has a closed laptop on her lap, and the younger girl sits on the arm, and peers over her shoulder.  A tall stack of books in the corner looks over them, seemingly protective.

- There is a couple standing in a kitchen, she has the red dot on her forehead signifying, in their culture, she is married. He is wearing a dhaka on his head, and he has a white t shirt on, in the center of it is a  large blue 'American Idol' logo.  On the table is a 'Land 'o' Lakes' tub.  They stand close to one another.

- There is a winter tent, illuminated from the inside, surrounded by darkness.  The fresh snow on the ground shows the many tracks in and out of the tent.  Smoke rises from a pipe sticking out of the tent, it rises up against the outline of the familiar trees of northern Minnesota, up past the familiar constellations of the Minnesota winter sky and to the moon, full, illuminating the smoke and gleaming back down on the tent and its tracks.

Photo: Ryan Huggett Photography, 2013  Minneapolis, Minnesota