A modern rustic masterpiece, built on top of one of North Carolina’s highest peaks, offers sweeping 360-degree views while blurring the lines between what’s inside and outside. A large pivot front door on the uphill side of the home opens to a glass forest wall in the...
SEASONED With Love
Pots clanging, friends laughing, the smell of a hearty stew wafting from the stove, kitchens are where memories are made. Oh, and meals too. It can be difficult to design a kitchen that is both beautiful and functional for everyday use, but never fear! These log and...
Designing a Kitchen for Function and Comfort
As the saying goes: “meals and memories are created in the kitchen.” Creating a log home kitchen that is both practical and welcoming is possible with thoughtful planning, as many log-home owners have discovered. “Our goals were to have an open kitchen with lots of...
Planning Exterior Spaces
Your outdoor spaces are a bridge between your home’s interior and the natural landscape beyond. Some of my favorite time at home is spent on a quiet spring afternoon, sitting on my deck listening to the rain hit the metal roof overhead. Whether it’s watching the sun...
A Modern Rustic Gem
An eclectic blend of styles suits this young Wisconsin family perfectly. Set in a private Wisconsin residential community complete with lakes, parks, and tennis courts just a short walk away, Nate and Stephanie built a modern rustic home that will suit their...
Fabulous Family Rooms
Tips for Creating a Joyful Family Room Where Everyone Feels at Home. The family room is where memories are made. Where movies are watched. Games played. Gifts unwrapped. Laughter heard. It’s where couples cozy up and siblings snuggle. Where sleeping dogs (and cats)...
The Circle of Life
A Maryland grandfather left land to his grandchildren where one grandchild built a log home, another built a timber frame home, and the third grandchild dreams of building her log home. In the Tobias family, their Maryland childhood is remembered fondly. Their...
FAMILY ROOMS Everyone Loves
SOME SAY there's a "recipe" for cozy and comfortable family rooms. Of course, like apple pie, there are lots of different recipes - here's a basic recipe everyone is sure to enjoy. Bring out the blankets. Roll out the rugs. Light the fireplace and turn on soft lights....
Open Concept vs. Traditional Floor Plans
There are several key factors to consider before designing your home’s floor plan. You’ve seen it on TV—expansive windows, soaring ceilings, people chatting in every corner. Open floor plans, aka “great rooms,” can be fantastic for families with children and those who...
VINTAGE By Design
A new hybrid timber-frame home was created to have classic old house appeal. Paul and his wife Nathalie purchased 45 acres of land (parts of it extending to the edge of a quiet lake in the Lachute region of the Laurentians in Quebec) with plans to subdivide it into...
The Light Stuff
A good lighting plan can take your home from dark to dramatic, highlight key architectural elements, and illuminate work spaces. Warm reading light in a cozy den, bright task light over kitchen counters, strategically placed walkway lights along a garden path:...
Starting from Scratch
A new log home replaces a small cottage, making the most of a 300-foot frontage on Lake of Bays, Ontario. When Rick and Danielle bought their property on Lake of Bays north of Toronto, Ontario, they knew the existing cottage would have to be remodeled. For one thing,...