![Modern Home - Construction Update](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/TinkerBox-int-1.jpg)
Modern Home Construction Update : TinkerBox It has been a few months since our last update for TinkerBox so there’s much more to show and explain now that a little more house has been built. I’m only going to tease you with descriptions – you’ll have to wait for finishes before we get into the real
![Always Dreaming - What an Architect Does](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Future-belongs-EleanorRoosevelt.jpg)
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” “It is true – much of my life is work. The opposite is also true – much of my work is life. One of the first things I want to learn from my clients is how they live. After all, LIFE is
![Residential Architecture Inspiration: Modern Wood Kitchen](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/JCB_LR_SEAVIEW_09.jpg)
Let’s talk modern wood kitchen design! We haven’t done that for some time here in The Architect’s Notebook – our last kitchen post was many months ago! – and it’s one of my favorite spots in a house since I love to cook. For one of the projects we are currently designing, we are considering
![Working with an Architect: What To Expect During the design process](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DD-Meeting-2.jpg)
During the Design Development Phase the architect “develops the floor plans, exterior and interior elevations, and details to further describe the character of the project.” Basically, the DD Phase is when most of the Design Decisions are made. We like to draw interior elevations of almost every room in the house. This seems the best way to
![Modern Residential Design Inspiration: Edgeless Pools](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/07_Head-Road-1815.jpg)
Happy Summer! With the HOT weather we’ve been having lately I thought COOL POOLS was the best idea for this week’s Modern Design Inspiration… I’m not sure if swimming in these pools or designing them would be more fun…. but I’ll dream of both! Edgeless pool, infinity pool, modern pool… It almost doesn’t matter as long as it’s COOL!
![AIA Convention 2016 Highlights: Philadelphia](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Philly.jpg)
Celebrating Architecture: Highlights from #AIAcon16 IMAGINE MORE: more beautiful, more creative, more useful, more amazing, more efficient, more value…. The AIA Convention 2016 in Philadelphia last week was dedicated to inspiring architects to imagine more. LMN Architects won the AIA 2016 Architecture Firm Award and created this Thank You AIA video below – a pretty spectacular showcase
![](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Anglepoise.jpg)
Earlier this week we visited the International Contemporary Furniture Fair which is held in NYC every year in May during NYC Design Week. Furniture, textile, lighting, and other designers come to ICFF from around the world to show off and talk about their work. I have always loved designing furniture – not at a level
![Watercolors for Site Plan](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Watercolors-for-Siteplan.jpg)
Site Planning for Your New Home As a follow up to an earlier post, Looking for Property to Build Your Custom Home?, today I’m going to answer our client’s second question: Once you’ve found that perfect property, how do we decide where to put the house? A client we worked with to find “that perfect property” is about to close on 14
![What To Expect from Your Architect During Construction - Lake Wylie House](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_7775.jpg)
In our last What To Expect post we told you Studio MM would absolutely be involved during the construction process… “you should ALWAYS have your architect involved in the construction process. During construction, issues are going to come up. Sure, a good contractor can and will solve them. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to get
![Modern Design Inspiration: Black Houses](https://maricamckeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/02_Writers-Studio.jpg)
Shou Sugi Ban As with many of these Modern Design Inspiration posts in which I focus on a project we are designing and share some of our inspiration images, today’s focus is Black Houses… but this time I get to tell you that we are building this house and the video I’m sharing is even more exciting. With this house, we have the opportunity