In the big picture, architecture is the art and science of making sure that our cities and buildings fit with the way we want to live our lives.
[Bjarke Ingels]
The week of August 26th got a grand kickoff with a grand tour. I swung by the house after work to meet Mary, Carole and Matt; this was Carole’s first visit, and the last time young Master Makiva had paid a call, there’d been nothing to see but a hole in the ground. Matthew is uncharacteristically hiding behind his hands – but he did enjoy exploring the place.
Next day, we met with cabinet-maker Jerry Hanlon at the house-to-be, so he could get a sense of the space,
and particularly the bathrooms and kitchen.
Discerning eyes will have spotted Table in that penultimate photo. We’ve got a ½-Winner this week, folks! Regrettably, Table was not hanging out in Roy’s office, nor yet in Risa’s, but rather in the communal ground between the two work-spaces.
Table’s new spot was originally conceived as an upstairs snack-bar, complete with a small built-in cabinet, sink and light. It would’ve been so handy-dandy to just pop out of the office for a break, make a cup of tea, take it out onto the balcony…
But pesky old economic reality went and nixed the custom-cabinet/sink idea in favor of trips to the kitchen. I can still put an electric kettle up there and have my tea on the balcony whilst enjoying the backyard view,
but I’ll be going down to the kitchen to wash the cup. Probably for the best. I can use the exercise.
No, I won’t have to climb all these stairs just to deal with my tea-stained cups. I will be able to peer over the top-floor railing, though, and see all the way down to the foyer. This open stairway design has got to be one of the absolute best features of our new home.
For Jere and Martín, the run-up to Labor Day was all about top-floor framing.
When they stopped work for the weekend, the house had taken on the stepped aspect of a small pueblo,
bringing a hint of Taos to Sonoma, if only for a day.
