Christopher Peacock Spreads His Wings

I received an email from Lane Brooks yesterday. Mr. Brooks is the Vice President of Communications for Christopher Peacock Cabinetry. He wanted to update us on the current status of Christopher Peacock Cabinetry and announce their launching of Christopher Peacock Home.

A few months back, I posted on the bankruptcy of the holding company that purchased the iconic cabinetry brand. The big news this week is that Mr. Peacock has regained control of his namesake company.

For more information, view the official press release here.

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Harlem Valley: Modern Ruin

On my road trip up to Westchester Modular Homes for a factory tour yesterday (more on that another day), I passed through the village of Wingdale, home of Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center. Shut down in 1994, nature has quickly reclaimed much of the site.

If you are a long time reader of the Living Well blog, you are familiar with my facination with modern ruins. An abandoned pychiatric hospital? It doesn’t get better than that.

Anyone interested in a midnight tour?

Visit my Picasa web album for a few images shot from road side.

For more photos, click here.

Kitchenspiration

If you’re looking for kitchen inspiration, look no further than Susan Serra’s Flickr Photostream.

Susan’s a busy lady. See what she’s up to all over the web by visiting her new website.

Brick Structures

My favorite activity as a child was to spend hours digging through the LEGO basket and build, build, build. Now my kids are just as fascinated with the tiny plastic bricks.

LEGO has come a long way since my day. Now you can build fully functional robots or go online to design, buy and build your own construction sets.

As a residential architect, I am very interested in what Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures, Inc. is doing with LEGO.

From Brickstructures.com:

The LEGO© Group in collaboration with Architectural Artist Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures, Inc.™, Inc. are excited to unveil a new product line called LEGO Architecture. Throughout it’s 50 year history the LEGO Brick has always been associated with creative  building. LEGO Architecture takes that initiative further by inviting children of all ages to build their favorite worldly architectural landmarks and structures.

The objective of LEGO Architecture is to celebrate the past, present and future of architecture through use of  The LEGO Brick.

Read more.

Spring 2009

We published our Spring 2009 online newsletter earlier this week. If you are not subscribed to receive our newsletters, please sign up here.

If you haven’t visited my Squidoo lens recently, take a look. They’ve freshened up the format…looking good!

Small Projects Can Make a BIG Difference

Fivecat Studio performs architectural and construction management services for projects of all shapes and sizes. We have designed everything from custom kitchens and master bathrooms to whole-house renovations and new homes. The thing that I always find interesting is how small projects can make a very big difference.

Annmarie and I just recently installed recessed wood paneling in our dining room. It wasn’t complicated; simple 1×4s fastened directly to the drywall and trimmed out with stock panel molding. We painted it all the same off-white color and for less than two thousand dollars and a few weekends of elbow grease, we enjoy a dramatically different room.

Kitchen renovations always make a big difference in the lives of a family. At Marissa’s Kitchen, we took the original 1980’s workspace, removed a wall and reconfigured the layout to allow for multiple workstations. The main island is designed for prep and presentation (Marissa is a professional chef and teaches from her home). Out front and adjacent to the family room is the beverage center with a built-in espresso machine and wine cooler. Hidden around the corner and out-of-site is the washing station, complete with a deep pot sink and an integrated stainless steel counter for easy clean up. Lots of thought, simple moves… big difference.

Curb appeal projects can have a big impact and add lots of value to your home. First impressions are everything, and the front elevation sets the stage for anyone visiting your home.

A simple way to make a big change is to add a front porch. In addition to doing all the things that porches were invented to do; keeping the rain off your head while searching for your keys and providing a cool spot to sit and enjoy a tall glass of lemonade, they’re also a great way to cover up the clumsy proportions of 1960s and 70s development dwellings. Porches add horizontal lines, repetitive elements at human scale and tons of “traditional home” character. For less than thirty thousand dollars you could have a new outdoor room, a wise investment and lots of impressive curb appeal.

You don’t need to spend your life savings to make major improvements. If your renovation is on hold due to the backwards economy, you may want to consider a small project. Small projects can make a very big difference.

Thank You

May God bless all the brave men and women, past and present, who have defended our country with honor and have served to keep our families safe and free.

Please take a few minutes today to remember all the servicemen and servicewomen who have sacrificed their very own lives, so that we may each follow our very own dream and live with liberty.

When you see a veteran, today and everyday, make a special effort to say “Thank You”.

Quick Drain

From QuickDrainUSA.com:

Quick Drain USA TM stands alone in the construction of today’s showers. Our leading edge is due to our superior construction, design and functionality. Our low profile linear shower drain is clean and unintrusive – the outdated round center shower drain is no longer needed! Our Quick Drain USA TM stainess steel channel slot shower drain can be used with any tile size and can be installed as a channel drain under the shower door or against the shower wall as a linear trench drain.

Quick Drain USA TM is the lowest-profile bathroom and shower linear drain in the world. It is easy to clean and has a very high flow rate. Ease of installation keeps this shower drain in demand by home builders and contractors as well as by discerning homeowners.

Living Well Link of the Week: Quick Drain USA

Terrific Transformations

Being a residential architect has its perks.

For one, we get to work with great clients, and experience some pretty terrific transformations. Not only do we have opportunities to design and build additions and renovations, which dramatically alter the appearance and function of Westchester homes, but we also get to help make positive changes in families’ routines and relationships. Changes that will influence their lives forever.

Deep, I know… but it’s true.

A new family room provides a place for a family to come together, experience life and make memories. An open social kitchen will bring a family together to prepare meals and provide a place to entertain friends. A master suite provides a quiet place for mom and dad to escape from their daily routines and relax far away from “life”. Even a third or fourth bedroom can make a dramatic difference in the way a family relates and interacts with one another. Residential architecture is not just about joists and rafters, and making places where people live. Its about creating homes and helping people to “live well”.

Throughout this post are image of some projects that we completed at Fivecat Studio over the past few years. Each project was developed to respond to specific challenges our clients presented. Their homes were just not working the way they needed them to. We’re confident that when we were finished, we not only solved their problems, but changed their lives in very positive ways.

Pelham Project Update 051809

I posted more photos of our Pelham Project over at Picasa.com.