Author Archive

Here are some images from a recent shoot full of really fun design ideas.  Each room had a different concept, and each had a ton of personality.  Thanks to Michael Hickman for this one!

Have a great week!

Traditional architecture, yes.  Contemporary design, however.  Beautifully efficient and simple contemporary design…  I remarked to the client while on this shoot that I thought it was the most effective use of staging and colors used to sell a home I had seen in a very long time…. possibly ever.  I’m sure this is long since sold by now, even though I shot it only about a month ago.  Thanks to the Butler -Swayne Team for this one.

Have a great week!

Here is just some eye candy for your Tuesday…  A beautiful master math remodel by Kade Homes…

Enjoy!

True workmanship is an art.  Building stairs is also an art.  I recently visited the home of Scott and Melonie Thurmon, for whom building their dream house took careful and long planning, patience and time.  For them, the staircase in the front of the house had to be perfect – elegant, graceful and strong.  After all, a staircase is among the most prominent features in a home.  According to author Morris Williams, in his 1928 Stair Builder’s Guide, “Stairbuilding differs materially from all other branches of carpentry… Stairbuilding is a science that has its fundamentals in the solution of the most intricate problems in plane and solid geometry.”

The Thurmons had a few problems to solve—such as how to make the approximately twelve-foot descent from the second floor without blocking access to the front door and adjacent rooms.  They also wanted the stair to complement the dark, massive, hand-hewn beams throughout the house, and the 150 year-old, eight-foot, walnut front doors they had imported from France.   What they ultimately settled on was a freestanding curved design, but with a difference—it would incorporate recessed panels in the stringer bands.  A tall order.  Perhaps most interesting is that the house’s finish woodwork was to be made entirely from a truckload of rough-sawn, air-dried walnut from the Woodstock area, nearly all of it from a single, locally grown tree.  Not only the staircase, but all the cabinetry, door casings, jambs and moldings were made by hand from scratch, on site, by a variety of workmen starting with these rough planks.

I had heard of the beauty of the creation for weeks, and finally the day arrived when I got my invitation to come by and see the finished product. There it stood, as I walked into the house, a magnificent execution of workmanship. The freestanding walnut curved staircase stood elegant and inviting, its hand-rubbed oil finish glowing.  The curved, recessed panels with two-piece molded sticking spoke of its builder’s attention to detail, quest for quality, and appreciation of art.  Each piece of wood carefully shaped and attached to another, to create a work of art.

Complimenting the staircase are exquisite pieces of furniture, unique kitchen cabinets and beautiful colors.  Pieces of burl wood and crotch wood that were not used for the staircase provided unique elements for the kitchen cabinets, such as bookmatched panels and drawer fronts, creating intricate pieces of art of their own. A large measure of the enjoyment in a custom home comes from one’s own expression of individuality as art in wood and stone, and Scott and Melonie have rendered something truly unique.

Enjoy!

Here’s a quick image from a recent commercial exterior shoot of Forsyth Conference Center.  I love working on these exteriors… amazing sky colors, clean lines, and great design are such great matches…

Let us know what you think!