Category: Architecture & Interiors

The Principles and Elements of Design

Architects and interior designers use a basic set of building blocks when creating. They apply principles and elements to design beautiful objects, satisfying a human instinct for visual order. The elements are the individual tools used to create, while the principles are the guidelines that dictate how they’re used. This has been the basis of…


A Retreat to the South Carolina Lowcountry

Florida-based interior designer Andrew Howard may be known for his playful use of colors and patterns, as well as his fresh coastal looks, but that doesn’t mean he’s shied away from a project differing from his usual mores. In fact, he embraced the opportunity to reinterpret a Lowcountry hunting lodge in the Savannah River Preserve…


A Seaside Beauty: Villa Gaby

Luxurious and striking villas tend to take our minds to the world of lavish parties, with famous figures in fancy dresses. But Villa Gaby is that and more—as it has been the property of a local hospital center, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), since the 1950s. In 2015, the AP-HM entrusted the villa…


‘Perfectly Imperfect’

Imagine standing in the entryway to the living room of a country cottage—rain streaming down the tiled windows, long drapes flowing to the floor—as a dog snores, curled up on his master’s lap in front of a crackling fire. Porcelain jugs hold the weight of a dozen plump roses, and a grandfather clock ticks like…


For the Love of Chinoiserie

Brendan and Kristan Kelly wished to create a house with interiors that respected their family heirlooms while honoring their love of the chinoiserie style, a European imitation of Chinese motifs in decorative arts, furniture, and architecture that became a popular aesthetic during the 17th and 18th centuries. They found the perfect match when they hired…


Romantic Aspirations, Vision, and Viaducts

Charles Carroll of Carrollton might well have been the Elon Musk of his day. The last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence was certainly an influencer. Carroll sponsored advances in agriculture, and, encouraged by his partnership with John, George, and Andrew Ellicott, Carroll promoted the use of crop rotation and pulverized limestone on his…


House of Beauty: Colonial Revival Style

In a series, master woodworker Brent Hull will introduce readers to the different architectural styles that were popularized throughout American history, explaining their significance and unique design features. In the early 1920s, two men of great wealth were investing their time and money into large restoration and preservation projects. These two men, H. F. DuPont…


Reawakening a Giant

In his illustrious design career, Chuck Chewning has executed major projects in Europe and North America, winning big awards. Yet it might have appeared that even someone of Chewning’s virtuosity would need to reach deep into his repertoire to restore the Armstrong Mansion in 2017. This 26,100-square-foot Italian Renaissance Revival palace stands at 447 Bull…


Georgian Style, with Flair

These days, it is rare to find a house made of handmade wood mold bricks and Georgia-sourced granite. Quite a bit of the craftsmanship was involved in building the property, which encompasses three floors, at approximately 15,000 square feet. A casual yet elegant Southern sensibility inspired the detailed millwork and paneling throughout, according to Yong…


Dream House Renovation

The team at Evens Architects faced a real challenge when they were tasked with restoring the house known as “Mi Sueño,” or Spanish for “My Dream.” It was a reinterpretation of Spanish Baroque and Spanish Colonial architecture, conceived by famed architect Bertram Goodhue while he was lead designer for the 1915 Panama–California Exposition. That event…