Architect’s Journal

How is yours performing? Working at home, schooling at home, exercising at home, cooking at home, Zoom cocktails at home, Netflix at home. Because of the pandemic, home is our entire world. But once this crisis has passed, how will our ideas of “home” change? Are...

The MoMA renovation   I started going to the Museum of Modern Art in NY when I was a teenager. Any trip to the city included a visit there. I loved building, the art, the garden. And yet, one of my most enduring memories was the “Bauhaus Staircase” which featured...

How a Pre-Purchase Consult Can Help I often receive inquiries from home buyers who are in the early stages of their house hunt in the New Jersey suburbs. They want a comfortable modern home that is suited to their taste and how they live and they know that they will...

Tips for the Empty Nester-  Part 2 Practically the day I turned 40, I started needing reading glasses. I needed extra light to read a menu in a restaurant, and sometimes doubled up pairs to read fine print. Over time, I needed stronger magnification, and then finally...

Part 1- Accessibility and Safety   Mosaic tile makes a great non slip floor. Note the flush shower floor- no curb to step over. The tub deck extends to provide a bench in the shower. Walls provided with blocking to allow easy installation of grab bars in the future....

Mountains, Forest, Sea Colorado Rocky Mountains. Cape Cod Seashore. A forest trail. Images immediately come to mind and they couldn’t be more different. The grandeur and majesty of the mountain peaks, the dense enclosure of the forest, the sweeping and calming views...

House Triage There’s a unique challenge in being called in to rescue a project from a flawed design. It’s different than doing a great design from the beginning, I have a given design to work with and am charged with coming up with fixes to give the house a creative...

  Margarine became a popular butter substitute in the mid 20th century, consumed for it’s supposed cholesterol-lowering effect. Most tasted nothing like real butter, but the game started to change when “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” was Introduced in 1981....

Greenwood Gardens Tour   I recently had a rare opportunity to take my staff and some local clients on a private tour of Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, NJ, guided by Stephanie Murphy, the Gardens’ program manager. Stephanie started with a history of the estate...

Photos courtesy of Zacchary Dettmore ( Instagram dettmore101) Selecting the right contractor is a crucial decision you’ll have to make in the process of building your dream home. Understand clearly your options when deciding which qualified professional to take on, as...

How to find the tipping point Recently I have been finding many new clients with the same dilemma: “should we rennovate/ reconstitute an existing house, or should we build from scratch?” Without knowledge of costs, options and building restrictions, it’s impossible...

“International Style” architecture emerged in Europe during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The roots are traced to the Bauhaus School in Germany, where designers explored rational, functional, and sometimes standardized building types. In contrast to the prevalent styles of...

From Public Street to Front Door Recently I met with a prospective client at their house for an initial consultation. Arriving at the address, a corner property, I was confused how to enter; should I be entering on the street of the address, or go around the corner?...

  The Design Phase: Transforming Rustic Living to Contemporary Lifestyle Our Harding Township project is in its design phase. For this home full of rich history in Morris County, New Jersey, we’re transforming rustic living into a contemporary atmosphere for the...

Focus on the details lets you soar. Recently I went to an Arm Balance Workshop at a yoga studio (that I happened to have designed). The 2 1/2 hour workshop was geared toward a fairly advanced level of practice and there were quite a few instructors taking the...

A new direction for solar roofs One of the most intriguing and thrilling new developments that could have a big impact on house design is Tesla and Elon Musk's newest project to produce solar roof tiles. These tiles are designed to look like more conventional roof...

The Making of an Architect- Part 2    If you saw my last newsletter, you know I was quite young when I was first inspired to be an architect, crossing the Verrazano Bridge shortly after it opened. By 9th grade I started finding work after school and summers in...

The Making of an Architect     A question I am often asked is when I knew I wanted to be an architect. Unlike many other professions or businesses, I suppose people see architects as having a calling to do what they love. So...

New life for a mid-century split level.     Mention mid-century modern houses, and images of sleek, open plan, currently trendy homes come to mind. The classic examples grace the pages of Dwell Magazine and design blogs. There are a few good examples in northern...

Vacation Homes in the Woods      On our annual vacation at the tip of Cape Cod, we lucked out with timing to be able to go on a tour of 3 modernist houses in Wellfleet. Wellfleet became a hub for artists and creative types in the late 1930’s- land in the mosquito...

Creating ritual from routine     It’s my responsibility to walk the dogs every morning, something I’ve been doing for years. Other than keeping an eye out for other dogs that might create a ruckus, and picking up the poop,...

Report from the ICFF       Architects need to keep current with new developments in technology and products that could be incorporated into their projects. I’m bombarded all the time with email and print brochures from companies promoting their wares....

  I was recently in Sarasota, FL for a brief get away. Besides the renowned balmy weather, sugar white sand beaches and clear, warm Gulf sea, Sarasota is also notable for it’s wealth of mid-century modern architecture, and even a...

Budgeting for your dream home     Whenever a prospective client calls about a project they have in mind, one of their first questions is what to expect their dreams to cost. The answer is usually more than they had imagined. In these introductory phone calls, I...

Traditional Homes Get a Makeover      This past week, I presented a talk to a well attended audience of local homeowners to discuss ways to modernize the more traditional homes typical to this area. The evening was generously hosted by Vanessa Pollock of Keller...

Creating Images of Architecture Architects rely on photographic reproductions to build our portfolios. Clearly we can’t carry around actual projects to show off our accomplishments, so after all the hard work implementing our designs, we create still images that must...

Musings on design trends       When I was a young architect with a passion for modern design, the use of brass hardware, fixtures, or detailing was anathema. My generation grew up with brass and chrome being the most common options for metal products,...

Nearby Stevens Institute team wins 2015 Solar Decathlon competition   Started in 2002, The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and...