Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Better than Downton Abbey? Parade's End


More period drama eye candy!  In February HBO aired Parade's End the new BBC period drama based on a fictional work of the same name by Ford Maddox Ford. Parade's End has gotten great critical reviews. The miniseries of 5 episodes was directed by Susanna White and written by Tom Stoppard.    The series is set in Edwardian England, the same time frame as Downton Abbey.  Fans of Downton Abbey will be familiar with the dress and decor of that era. The stills from the series are beautiful...great costumes, architecture and interiors are stunning. The actors aren't too shabby either. The series stars Benedict Cumberbatch. He is the mesmerizing, fabulous lead in the recent British version of Sherlock Holmes. Other stars include Rebecca Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Rupert Everett, and Miranda Richardson. Much of the series was filmed on location at Dorton House in Kent.  I don't get HBO so I haven't seen it yet but am extremely anxious to...netflix?? soon I hope. 









 












Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Top 5 elements that will transform your home.



Huestis Tucker architects

One of the most satisfying aspects of our work is to take a homely house and make it beautiful.  We have done many transformative renovation projects over the years.  There are a couple of tricks which we use over and over that have a huge impact on how a house looks and feels. I'm going to share 5 really important elements that can transform your house into a beautiful home.

1.  Roof pitch:  It is really important that your house have the right roof pitch.  The house below, you've probably seen something similar, had a really low pitch roof that dated the house to the 1960's.


Before

2. Eave details and overhangs:  Every style of architecture has an appropriate eave condition.  Figuring out what it should be, what kind of mouldings to use, how deep an overhang you should have has a huge impact on the look of the house.  The house above had no rake overhangs and no detail on the eave overhangs.  We added crown mouldings and overhangs on the rake to create a more authentic looking home.


Huestis Tucker Architects

3.  Windows:  You also must have the right windows for the house.  Most traditional homes have vertically oriented windows, casement or double hung depending on the style.  The house below had awful square sliding windows...in the corners.  We added more appropriately sized vertcal windows with a traditional light pattern. 

Before

4. Siding: This house had extra large irregular shingles that screamed 1960.  We removed that and added a smaller clapboard siding. What you use depends on the look  you are after.  Here it was Colonial, so clapboards were appropriate.

Huestis Tucker Architects


 Before

5. A great Entry: A beautiful entry porch or trim detail can add a lot of character to a home.  We added a Shingle Style/ Colonial Revival front porch to help transform this contemporary into a Shingle style home.


Huestis Tucker Architects

Before

You can see that in each of these projects we implemented all 5 elements into total transformations.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Urning Dividends: Beautifying Gardens with Urns

Every garden needs an urn, or better yet a pair of urns.  Gardens always look better with a little architectural detail; an urn provides a wonderful focal point and a pair of urns can mark a path, stair or entry way.  They look great with a mix of flowers or a single clipped boxwood.




 























Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Spring Color Inspiration:Yellow

 Yellow is decidedly the color of early spring in New England.  At the end of a long winter I'm desperate to see some color.  The daffodils and forsythia are among the first things to start blooming, so their bright yellow is such a welcome color.  Yellow adds a touch of cheer on the inside of the home as well as outside.

White Flower Farm

 Christine d'Ornado's London Dining Room

 Jay Jeffers

 Huestis Tucker Architects

 Mark D. Sikes

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 via Habitually Chic

 
Kitchens and Baths Magazine

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