Recently Completed, More Photos!

Thought we'd share a few more twilight photos from this One Architects' designed home in Mountain Village Colorado, built by Refined Custom Homes. 

photos © Jennifer Koskinen | Merritt Design Photo

Architecture: In the Details

Every corner and each surface to touch is an opportunity to design...

Here are some details from a recently photographed One Architects project in Mountain Village, Colorado.  From leather drawer pulls to a completely re-considered hinged front door handle, to a piece of mining history -- an impressive recycled crusher cone -- re-imagined and given new life as a stunning fire-pit... Architecture is alive in the details.

Watch for full project photos soon!

photos © Jennifer Koskinen | Merritt Design Photo

Construction Glimpses

Enjoy a few teasers of another One project in construction and nearing completion.

Super excited to share photographs of the finished project this summer!

Designing outside the Box: Stairs

Stair design is such a uniquely fun opportunity for an architect.  A great stair can become one of the most dynamic and fun elements of layered architecture - sculptural in its own right.

Here you can see the evolution of a non-traditional stair in a One Architects home currently under construction, which, even at this early phase already contains elements of sculptural opacity, translucency, material layers, and a wonderfully creative riser detail.

For more photos of some of our favorite finished stair designs, please visit our earlier Stairs as Art post!

Stairs as Art

I'm not going to lie: I'm mildly obsessed with stair design.  What an amazing opportunity to create a multi-dimensional piece of sculpture in a home, one which will be experienced not solely for travel, but often (as we noticed in architecture school) as a place of impromptu conversation, rest, and enjoyment.  A well designed stair is ergonomically comfortable, can create light and shadow which changes throughout the day, pull natural light between levels and even make music when in use.  Here are some of my favorite One Architects' stairs.

 

photos © Jennifer Koskinen | Merritt Design Photo

Beyond Drywall...

Several years ago, a client posed us the challenge not to use ANY drywall in his home.  This applied to the walls, the ceilings (see rusty metal ceiling in great room below), and even the garage, which ended up with washable, painted bead-board siding.

Creative use of materials is a great way to enhance the experience of a space with texture and color.  From earthy plaster textures to locally quarried stone, to rich board form concrete and galvanized metal - there is an abundance of alternatives to drywall and traditional sidings, and the opportunity to design with them can be hugely rewarding.

photos © Jennifer Koskinen | Merritt Design Photo

Traveling through Architecture | Opportunity in Corridors

The presence of a strong axis in architecture can truly define the character of a project.  What a fun design opportunity to highlight these lines and make the experience more than just a hallway, but something you feel and enjoy as you travel through them.

Every time I photograph a One Architects home, I am struck by the use of texture, material, light and scale, and how they all work together to turn the experience of getting from one place to another into a memorable and wonderful experience.

photos © Jennifer Koskinen | Merritt Design Photo