Governor's House Entry by Lisa Tharp. 2019 Bulfinch Award - Interior Design. Photo by Michael J. Lee
Transitional painted wood floor foyer photo with white walls and a black front door

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

This hidden patio really can't be seen from the street due to the plant screen. Is it possible to have a space for entertaining, relaxing, hot-tubbing and growing food? A space where dogs can play and kids can have water balloon fights, all within a low-maintenance and low-water framework on an averaged-sized Soquel lot? These clients wanted it to be possible and I believed that it was. This garden embodies all of the above with areas for growing veggies and fruit, a trampoline for kids and a playable low-water grass alternative that never needs mowing! The variety of bright flowers provide year-round color and lots of food for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. On the southwest side of the home, a large arbor and vine create an inviting shady spot to dine alfresco on warm evenings. Another arbor covers the hot tub that has adequate privacy due to a flowering vine that hangs generously down. In the front of the home, tall plants provide a nook for the stamped concrete patio that is not visible from the street. A perfect spot for morning coffee while watching the hummingbirds.

The Matheson House: Designed and built in Boulder, Colorado by iconic architect Charles Haertling in 1971, the Matheson House, in highly modern fashion, features a series of cylindrical spaces around a central living area with spectacular views of the Flatirons and surrounding mountains. These modern elements also include geometric windows in curved walls of various sizes, wood paneling, exposed concrete, and metal exterior detailing with a flat roof. Throughout the home are found details inspired by Native American artwork, which harmonizes with Haertling’s modern architecture via the magnificent entryway created by Raleigh Renfree. Designing and creating an entrance for a Haertling home proposes interesting challenges; the iconic nature of the home itself, the modern organic architecture Haertling employed, and the angular bold building materials used in construction all provided a highly structured framework to create a powerful yet simply beautiful mouth of the home. The Mathesons wanted their door to express the heritage of their home as well as carry its unique architectural flavor. Raleigh pulled elements from the iconic Matheson name as well as the home’s cylindrical spaces to create the door’s etched round windows. These delicate glass curves provide breaks in the solid angular arrow pattern of the carving, which flow into the angles and lines of the vertical siding, carrying the overall mood and motion of the house. It is a true pleasure to experience a masterpiece entryway upon a Haertling architectural masterpiece.

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

With natural wood and bold black metal elements, this staircase creates a stunning modern architectural statement. The treads seem to float upward, balanced upon the Seattle stringer from the Prestige Metal Line. Black horizontal metal rods form a sleek balustrade system that echoes the stringer's industrial aesthetic. An oak horizontal handrail adds warmth and provides a comfortable grip, creating balance between the strong metal framework and natural wood elements. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company