Part 1 – Taylor Residence, Calgary

Part 1 – Taylor Residence, Calgary (PDF)

  • Karen

    I like very much the new look and feel of the site to the extent that in my ’3 a.m. think tank’ I came up with a number of ideas for the Taylor tweak/makeover and was all set to pass these by you. Now,sitting in front of the computer, I am thinking perhaps your intent is more to attract people as customer or potential architect. Advise please.

    Anything to do with home is core to my being and it was exciting to see the ‘challenge’ in the re-do and have the chance to share the thoughts that came to mind. My focus and experience has been indoor/ outdoor homes and meaningful living.

    Cheerfully
    Karen

  • John Brown

    Karen,

    I am glad you raised this questions because it is not something that had occurred to any of us. Let me reassure you that there are no ulterior motives with the new direction of the the site. We are not trying to generate clients, architects, etc. The goal is simply to provide a place for people, like you, who are interested in design and would like to learn more by actually working on small design exercises rather than just looking at pretty pictures.

  • Karen Skowron

    Re the Taylor residence: considering client profiles and “simpler, lighter, more open” intent: living room/patio/glass door has basis for indoor/outdoor: enhance by treating patio as an outdoor living room with the glass between it and indoor living room being a minimal (but necessary in Calgary in cold weather) separation. Face indoor furnishings toward the outdoors; place furniture (including such as coffee table, book shelf, ottoman, tea trolley etc.) on casters or coasters or runners for mobility/flexibility. Plant the garden for the view from house and patio in all seasons. Vertical adjustable blinds. Replace fireplace with something movable like the Eco smart units or freestanding electric fireplaces that provide heat and light and ambiance where and when they are needed and for a governable amount of time. Consider floor electrical plugs. Remove wall between kitchen and living room and consider adding a narrow pony height ‘wall’ that is mobile and serves both as ideal storage (shelves of a depth on which everything is viewable and accessible) and a divider. Encourage/convince clients to each choose for his/her self a really comfortable chair. Do whatever suits best – planting? glass treatment? borrowed landscape? mini greenhouse? – the window in the kitchen to let indoors and outdoors flow.

  • John Brown

    Karen,
    Thanks for the thoughtful comments about the project. I think your suggestion of using the terrace as an outdoor living room is very important. Even in Calgary there are several months when one can spend most of one’s day comfortably outside. A small patio heater can extend usability another month or so on either side of summer.

    I also really like your suggestion of designing a “constructed” view of nature on terrace to be seen from inside the home. Adding vegetation to the terrace would bring greenery and plants into the foreground view and would complement the middle and distant ground views.