Ah my very first blog post. There is so much I want to share but before I get to all the other fun stuff, let me introduce myself a bit. I am a licensed architect with 10 years of professional experience. Staying in one place has never been my forte so I have lived and designed buildings in many different parts of the country. This has provided me with an excellent learning lab for my climate responsive approach to design. For instance, growing up on a mountain side in New Hampshire, I never really had a need to appreciate water scarcity until moving to Tucson, Arizona for college. The time I spent living on the seacoast in Massachusetts and New Hampshire taught me valuable lessons on moisture management that I didn’t have to apply in the same manner once I moved to the very dry climate of Denver, Colorado. I swear that Denver’s climate is somehow drier than the Tucson desert! My sensitive skin and I are happily living back in New Hampshire, a state that has always remained my home throughout my travels.
Beginning
Starting my own design studio has been my dream for some time now. I am thrilled and terrified with this new venture, and I know it’s going to be a blast. I am passionate about sustainable design and wellness design – designing a home that promotes health and longevity for its occupants, and I am excited to make that a priority in all of my work from here on out. I am lucky to have my husband Pieter and our 2 year old son Crosby on this journey with me. When you can’t find me at home you’ll probably find the three us of on a mountain somewhere, either hiking up or skiing down. Or possibly skiing up and hiking down.
Why Balance?
Naming the business Balanced Architecture was inspired by an internal dialog I was having one evening on how I was going to convince my husband that we need to install a composting toilet in our new bathroom. In my mind it was obvious. Who doesn’t need a composting toilet?! But during this heated discussion in my head, it struck me- ‘Maybe we don’t need a composting toilet. It’s all about balance.’ Balance is necessary to maintain health and happiness in all aspects of life. It’s also necessary when designing a building that feels right. Balanced Architecture takes the approach of finding the right balance of wellness and sustainability features without going over budget, hindering the aesthetic value of the home or losing sight of the client’s design goals.
Coming Up
My current project is the renovation and addition of our newly purchased home. Over the next year I will be sharing the experiences of our reno project. Follow along with this blog to find:
- Tips on making your home a healthy living retreat
- Product and material reviews
- Design and space planning insights
- Stories of our renovation adventure
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