Having lived in their classically designed, two-story + basement, red-brick home for more than a decade where they raised their family and were in the process of retiring, they decided it was time; over the years the Owner harbored constant thoughts that their home’s architectural style fell short of the original design intent. The presumed classical architectural features appeared half-finished or though expected, non-existent. With more time to devote to their home, they contacted our firm with the requirement to forge an abbreviated classical style to reflect their modern sensibility without completely abandoning the original design intent.

Over the course of several years we developed numerous design options. Throughout the process the Owner discovered more about themselves than their requirements. The program morphed with the focus growing from a few select areas of the house to the entire 1st and 2nd floor.

The underlying functional aspect of our studies was the house’s circulation. There were three separate stairways to navigate between three floors. Initially, the main stair was a key focus of the design to eliminate the circuitous path from the foyer to the kitchen with a direct path. As the program evolved we studied stacking the independent stairs into a grand stair. The resultant design benefit was a functional and aesthetic circulation path that served the entire house.

Ultimately, our Owners determined that after several years of design exploration and at times contemplating what seemed like an overwhelming number of decisions, that they were ill-prepared for the decision-making that would be required during construction, and more importantly that these decisions would be permanent. Instead, they resolved themselves to enjoy their home as-is with cosmetic changes.