Category: Uncategorized

Purple Cherry Architects has been fortunate to design houses in many different styles and at a range of scales, from grand estates to small getaways, from traditional to contemporary, and just about everything in between. If there is one architectural element that occurs more than any other, it must be the great room.

By definition, a great room is simply a large, open space that houses the primary living functions of a house, most often including the living room, dining room, and kitchen functions.

In contrast to historic houses, which typically isolated each of these functions within its own separate room, contemporary designs frequently group them together to create the largest single volume of space in the house. This common area – or core – functions as the center of activity in the home, both for everyday activities and when entertaining.

Several changes in lifestyle have contributed to clients’ desire for a communal living space in the center of the home. Cooking, once the responsibility of servants and done far from the primary living spaces, is now shared among the members of the family, who naturally want to stay close to others when preparing meals.

Modern entertaining has also become more casual. Rather than serving full meals at a formal dining table, today most people want visitors to gather around the kitchen island as they cook, maybe with the television on at the other end of the room. A great room incorporating the kitchen, an eating space – either more formal, with a designated dining table, or relaxed, maybe with comfortable stools around a second kitchen island – and a seating group focused on a fireplace or television (or both!) creates the perfect space for gathering people together.

For houses with great views, whether of water, mountains, or landscape, the great room can maximize residents’ access to and experience with the vistas. Many of the important activities of day-to-day life will happen in and around the great room, so placing the space where it captures the best views allows occupants to experience the view, whatever activity they may be doing.

The large, open space of the great room also allows views through it from other spaces, providing exposure to the landscape from connected spaces throughout the house.

Of course, nothing enhances a great room more than access to a fantastic outdoor patio, deck, or screened porch that creates a strong connection to the outside environment. Such outdoor amenities expand the living space of the house outward – sometimes almost doubling the space of the great room – and are particularly appreciated when entertaining large groups.

Flexibility is one of the keys to the great room’s popularity and success. Although the kitchen, dining, and living area make up the most common combination of spaces in a great room, they are by no means the only possibilities. Clients who prefer a formal dining room may choose to create it within a defined space, either connected to or totally remote from the great room, depending on the character of the space they want to create.

An informal dining or breakfast room can also be incorporated, creating different dining experiences within the same general area of the house.

Those who dislike clutter may prefer to hide the primary kitchen prep area, with its appliances and storage requirements, in a back kitchen, leaving the main kitchen and living area as a comfortable refuge free from such distractions.

For the increasing number of individuals working from home, a home office can be incorporated into a great room, either within the main volume of the room or as a semi-private alcove. In addition, many other supporting spaces often surround the great room to provide additional functions. Pantries, butler’s pantries, and back kitchens are natural accessory spaces, which house many necessities while keeping them out of sight. Similarly, mudrooms, laundry rooms, and home offices often find their place near the great room.

Regardless of the style of the architecture or the scale of a house, a beautiful and functional great room that combines many of the most-used spaces into a stunning and welcoming core of a home is a feature almost any homeowner will value and appreciate.

Written by Alan Cook, LEED AP, Associate
Alan’s architectural designs are infused with an interdisciplinary perspective gained over two decades in the field. His broad experience and passion for environmental design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and commercial projects enhance every residential commission. To help clients create beautiful homes that exceed expectations, Alan relishes the complexities that translate aspirations and vision into a unified result. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Alan also holds a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University School of Architecture. He has worked with Purple Cherry since 2014. Outside of the office, Alan serves on the board of Girls on The Run Greater Chesapeake.

A window seat is exactly what it suggests: a built-in seat located adjacent to a window. Sadly, many window seats end up unused and collecting dust for a number of reasons. Yet, when thoughtfully designed, a window seat can offer fantastic functionality, can be incredibly comfortable, and can serve as a beautiful and timeless design element.

Here are a few key considerations to keep in mind when planning for and designing a window seat.

Function
Whether you are designing a new home or renovating your existing home, functionality is important. Our spaces should not only be beautiful, but should serve a purpose, as well. Case in point: window seats can be more than just a pretty nook – they can also house drawers for blankets or pillows or be surrounded by built-in bookshelves for added shelf space. While storage may be the ultimate function, window seats can be a terrific solution for hiding unsightly radiators, duct work, or structural beams, when necessary.

Comfort
While a window seat may have a valid storage function, it is equally important that is designed to be comfortable for its main purpose: sitting! If it isn’t comfortable, it will not get used. Too often, window seats do not have adequate cushions or require leaning up against a window with no support. While space constraints may not allow you to address all issues, there are steps that can be taken to increase the overall comfort level. Incorporate plush cushions, pillows, and blankets to add extra coziness to the space. If space allows, incorporate a sloped back to lean against for added comfort. And if space allows for a deep windowsill, consider making it large enough to double as a guest bed for even more added value. Creating a window seat big enough to also serve as a bed also means that it can be valuable for multiple generations – your children can use it as a reading nook, your children’s friends can sleep on it during future sleepovers, and your grandchildren can sleep on it one day when they visit with their parents.

Timelessness
Design trends come and go, so creating a window seat that will remain timeless through the fads will ensure it will be used for years to come. Finishes such as paint, light fixtures, and even hardware can be easily swapped out as time goes on, but the trim and millwork details are permanent, so you will want to consider those elements carefully: you don’t want too much or too little. Too little trim can make the space feel sterile, while too much millwork can feel over the top or even dated. Of course, in addition to the overall style of the window seat, its function and comfort will contribute to its timelessness.

While each window seat is unique due to the space it is housed in, taking these points into consideration when planning will help to ensure your window seat is functional, comfortable, and as timeless as possible. What elements can you incorporate to make the space as successful as possible? As for me, I have been gathering some ideas for my future window seat, but don’t tell my husband…we have a few other projects to finish before we add “window seat upgrade” to our home improvement list.

By: Ashley Babaian, Associate
A graduate of The Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning, Ashley concentrated her studies on Sacred Architecture. In addition to her love for residential architecture work, she also focuses on Purposeful Architecture, Purple Cherry’s non-profit division, where she specializes in designing environments for individuals with special needs. Passionate and energetic, Ashley is also committed to her community, serving as a board member of the Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Chesapeake Kids program. She actively volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Habitat for Humanity Choptank, and the Anne Arundel County SPCA.

When imagining a traditional pool house, one might envision a practical little structure comprised of a small bathroom/changing room, pool equipment storage, and potentially a little covered seating area. Historically, the pool house’s main function has been very utilitarian, which could also make it very unexciting. However, the practical pool houses of yesterday have evolved into dreamy structures that now serve as the central hub of modern outdoor living, offering a truly full-service experience.

In addition to meeting functional requirements, today’s pool houses offer both indoor and outdoor lounge spaces with stone fireplaces, conditioned spaces with foldaway glass walls creating the ability for year-round use, full kitchen and dining spaces accommodating everything from lunch for the kids to full farm-to-table meals, built-in gourmet grilling centers with entertaining features such as pizza ovens and ceramic smokers, outdoor fire pit, and full scale bar spaces taking the form of anything from a rustic barn to a modern sports bar aesthetic. To create a truly experiential space for friends and family to gather, some pool houses are also designed to accommodate pool tables or ping pong tables, home gyms, and guest suites, and can also be supported by a bocce ball court, croquet court, pickle ball court, or playground space.

The beauty of today’s pool house is that it is also designed to withstand natural wear and tear – we incorporate durable stone and tile flooring, Sunbrella fabrics, and outdoor furniture designed to handle the elements. That said, the real power of a pool house is that it relocates the messier elements of fun activities away from the more delicate interiors of the main house, and in doing so, helps to protect the home and keep it clean. So, kids can spill away, the dogs can run about, and you don’t have to disinvite that one guest after another red wine incident.

Creating a destination experience on your own property through the development of a multi-functional pool house can transform how you entertain and even how you utilize and interact with your surrounding environment. A well-designed structure can create a delightful retreat from your main living spaces, offering its own unique views on the surrounding landscape, creating indoor/outdoor living opportunities in warm weather, and keeping cabin fever away in the colder months.

So, when dreaming about your future home or home projects, don’t overlook the potential of how a thoughtfully designed pool house can positively impact how you entertain and experience your property through all four seasons. And I should mention, you don’t even need the pool.

By: Brian Milbury, Associate
Brian has practiced custom residential architecture for nearly 30 years, designing distinctive homes in locations throughout the country. Prior to joining the firm, he owned a Chicago-based architecture practice for two decades, where he oversaw all aspects of fine home design and construction. Brian, who earned a degree in Architecture from the University of Miami, loves the creative challenges brought forth by residential architecture and believes good design comes from understanding scale, proportion, precedent, and most importantly, the client’s vision.

Simple is rarely easy. There’s almost always an underlying effort needed to create architectural designs that are understated and peaceful. Often the results of this effort are intentionally hidden or unnoticed.

Designing simply is the active pursuit of creating calmness in a home’s organization and emotional experience – a calmness achieved through balance. Balance not held to in an overbearing, rigid sort of way but in a clear, straightforward expression of space.

Designing for calmness and balance includes a range of techniques. Sometimes it’s seeking out symmetry, sometimes it’s uniformity (and the intentional from break it), and sometimes it’s rhythmic. It doesn’t necessarily mean unadorned or lacking detail, but it doesn’t mean overly decorative either. It’s not pure form or pure function. Simplicity in design is always contextual, centered, and unified.

It all sounds very serious, and to us, it is. But designing in these terms is at the same time so enjoyable because it requires us to challenge every move we make. Burrowing down to find the essence of a space, a need, or an aesthetic is just good, clean fun!

So how do we successfully create designs that achieve calmness through balance? First and foremost, we seek out the right homesite on the property; with the driver often being view. We place such a high priority on siting a home properly because doing so enhances and affirms our experience and appreciation of a place. No matter what form a home ends up taking, our connection to our surrounding environment is powerful. It brings on a sense of excitement and escape as we make our return, curiosity and wonder as we explore, and serenity and comfort when we settle back in. This is true of our everyday experiences and our getaways.

This complex spectrum of feelings is chaotic, so we seek out ways to make sense of it all. Our purpose as architects is to help find the calm in the storm. Ironically, sometimes taking in that storm as it rolls in may be the answer. It may be morning coffee with the sunrise coming over the mountains; or even our children or grandchildren running through a meadow after a day’s play. Whatever it is, it is our strong belief that the orientation of our homes helps us find the orientation within ourselves, or maybe even a reorientation from time to time.

We buttress that search for a sense of calm and simplicity with one of logic. We love to make sense of things – as architects, we’re in a constant pursuit to find and express order. We seek out clean lines and sequences as we link spaces together. We massage those spaces to find balanced openings for passages, symmetry around centers, rhythm in spacings, and the right placement of apertures to the world around us (it always comes back to views!). We stretch and pull not only in conceptual ways, like finding the right proportions of volumes and masses, but also in very tangible ways like the arrangements of windows and doors on a façade. The best compliment we ever receive is when someone walks into a space and says, “This just feels right!”.

The final punctuation for a simply designed home is the consideration of materials and finishes. We achieve the most comprehensive design when the exterior and interior concepts are unified. When you approach a home that’s of a particular design aesthetic it can be jarring to walk through the front door and have your expectations for the continuation of that style to be halted. A coordinated approach between exterior and interior colors, textures, scales, and shapes plays into our sequential experience of a place – how we see, approach, arrive at, and enter a home.

We aim to connect all of these points with a harmony of high-level and detail-oriented design choices that together result in more than just good architecture. It creates in a respite from our worries, something to look forward to, something to return to. Something that just makes us take a deep breath and say “ahhhhh”.

Written by Carmine Cafiero, Associate, AIA, NCARB, WELLap
Carmine believes that good design and successful projects are the result of effective listening and solid collaboration. He combines lessons learned from the University of Virginia School of Architecture and Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design with expertise in and passion for sketching, virtual reality, and BIM. Carmine’s multifaceted approach skillfully translates a client’s vision into clear, inclusive designs that are supported by comprehensive construction documents.

When you were a child, did you ever wish there was a secret room or passageway in your house? Perhaps a place where you could sneak away from your parents telling you to clean your room or walk the dog? Or maybe you envisioned a special place where you could spend time with your friends or curl up read a book. The concept of a “hidden gem” space is quite appealing.  

In all of our custom home designs, we seek to create a residence that is not only functional, but also includes beautiful spaces – or hidden gems – that create an “ah ha!” moment, spaces that take your breath away. Here are a few examples of our hidden gems.

In our Aqua Terra residence, built by Pyramid Builders, the Owner’s office is beautifully appointed with a raised fireplace, glass top conference table, brilliantly backlit built-ins, and miraculous views of Harness Creek.  While the built-in cabinet may look like simple shelving, it is actually a hidden door leading to a secret room. Pyramid Builders, who engineered and hand fabricated the door in their woodshop, gave us further insight into its creation: “As with any hidden door, the key to success is minimizing the size of the reveals and utilizing proper hardware. In order to achieve the seamless design, the door was constructed of a 2 ¼” flush flat panel door with Rixon pivot hinges that was then clad with wood panels that match the size, proportions and detailing of the adjoining built-ins. Behind the hidden door is another door with a lock for security.” Truly a space where beauty meets function.⁠⁠

In our Eastern Shore Grandeur estate, built by GYC Group, the secret might be a little more noticeable, but just as fun nonetheless. The residence’s two-story custom bar, complete with Douglas fir trusses, white horizontal nickel gap, and Denison Lanterns from Currey and Company, includes a secret passageway accessible only from behind the bar. The passageway leads to a two-foot-wide brick staircase that descends quickly, creating drama as it takes you to a basement containing an extraordinary 20’ by 40’ brick barrel-vaulted wine room and wine cellar. A hidden gem, indeed.

Incorporating these whimsical details – or “surprise and delight” moments – into our custom home designs is something that we take great joy in. We’d love to hear what your vision is for your own hidden gem!

Written by Ashley Babaian, Associate
A graduate of The Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning, Ashley concentrated her studies on Sacred Architecture. In addition to her love for residential architecture work, she also focuses on Purposeful Architecture, Purple Cherry’s non-profit division, where she specializes in designing environments for individuals with special needs. Passionate and energetic, Ashley is also committed to her community, serving as a board member of the Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Chesapeake Kids program. She actively volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Habitat for Humanity Choptank, and the Anne Arundel County SPCA.

Many clients who come to an architect for a custom home are doing so for the first time. The process of conceiving a design, creating construction documents, and building the house can seem daunting and unfamiliar to many people. One aspect of design that some clients might be unfamiliar with is the architect’s use of consultants such as civil and structural engineers or landscape architects.

The construction of a building, even a relatively small one such as a single-family house, is a complex process that is subject to a variety of laws, regulations, and building codes, and requires a high degree of expertise across a breadth of knowledge. An architect helps to control this complexity by working alongside consultants who have specialized knowledge in one or more subject fields necessary to bring the project to completion. A bit like the conductor of an orchestra, the architect relies on consultants’ professional knowledge within their field of expertise, and coordinates the work of all members of the design team to ensure that each specialist’s work fits together to create a successful project!

While the requirements for each project are different, the most frequent consultants for an architect to work with on custom residential projects are civil engineers, structural engineers, and landscape architects.

Civil engineering for residential architecture deals primarily with the disturbance of the earth. This can take several forms, such as excavations for foundations or basements, site grading to ensure proper drainage, creation of structures such as rain gardens or cisterns to control and manage rainfall and runoff after storms, and the design and installation of septic systems. In some areas, such as the Critical Area of the Chesapeake Bay (all land within 1,000 feet of the shoreline of tidal or nontidal waters), extensive regulations govern the amount of disturbance allowed, the amount of lot coverage or impervious surface allowed on a lot, and the amount of forest coverage than can be removed. Placement of septic systems and wells, where required, must also conform to health department and other regulations. Civil engineers work with architects to design all of these systems, as well as connections to underground utilities such as public water, sewer, and natural gas.

Structural engineering addresses the design of structural members such as beams, columns, and foundations. Engineers calculate the loads from the structure’s own weight as well as applied loads such as snow, wind, or people and furnishings within the structure. Requirements for the strength of members and the amount of deflection that is acceptable are set by building code and the architect, and the engineer designs the structural system to meet the project requirements. While the structural engineer’s work is usually covered up and hidden from view in the completed building, properly designed structural systems ensure the house’s safety, longevity, and performance.

Landscape architects work closely with the architect and the civil engineer, since their work also addresses the site. The landscape architect is responsible for the design of the outdoor elements of a project, which might include plant selection and layout, the design of hardscape areas such as patios, walks, and site stairs, and designing other outdoor amenities such as swimming pools, piers, or tennis courts. They have expertise in plants that grow well in the project’s climate, and can recommend planting methods, bed preparation, and maintenance programs to help ensure successful growth.

As a microcosm of our specialized world, the design and construction field benefits from teams of professionals bringing their expertise together to address the multitude of factors that contribute to the successful realization of a projects. Engineers and landscape architects apply their talents and experience across a variety of fields to architectural projects, helping to achieve the best outcome for each project!

Written by Alan Cook, LEED AP, Associate
Alan’s architectural designs are infused with an interdisciplinary perspective gained over two decades in the field. His broad experience and passion for environmental design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and commercial projects enhance every residential commission. To help clients create beautiful homes that exceed expectations, Alan relishes the complexities that translate aspirations and vision into a unified result. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Alan also holds a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University School of Architecture. He has worked with Purple Cherry since 2014. Outside of the office, Alan serves on the board of Girls on The Run Greater Chesapeake.