Architecture Profession is a committment to learning and teaching.

....It has been a big  SCHOOL week for the Clawson Clan. We took our oldest daughter off to college for her freshman year, saw our son walk out the door to start his freshman year at the High School and tried to keep up with our third as she sashayed down the block, rocking her own sense of style-- anxious only to collect her Safety Patrol Belt and take charge as a new Fifth Grader.

But it does not end there in our house....as my husband and partner loves learning and teaching and works as an Adjunct Professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology and The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.  This fall within the Interior Design Department at FIT he will be teaching Materials and Methods--providing students with an understanding of the construction process as it relates to the building of interior spaces and Interior Architectural Detailing--a course addressing the basic elements of architectural wooodwork and related joinery methodologies and their application to the detailing of various custom components of interior spaces.  At the ICA this year there is a new program Beaux Arts Atelier --a one year intensive program in New York City in the study of architectural design folloiwng in the method of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.  This year, the most exciting part for me, is that we will all join him when he travels to  California to Lecture in Los Angeles about "Literature and Theory of Classical Architecture."

As Chekov once said "knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.  Marvin has always been involved in lecturing or reviewing student work and prtfolios.  Besides his love of being an Architect, teaching and mentoring really compliments Marvin's spirit as he loves to share his passion of architecture and art. Have a question about how bikes go together, how scotch is made, why there are little circles embossed in the ring around the stick shift on a particular model car?-- give Marvin call he loves art and design and his attention to detail will amaze you.

I realized as I sat down on the couch last night, that on September 6, 2011 that I had actually attended 21 Elementary School "First Days". It is time for a new chapter in my life.  As you know from previous posts that being an Architect is a committment to Lifelong learning so, what do I want to learn about now?

Kitchen, Home and Bath Renovations ...could be in the Box!

If you are considering an addition to your home, you may want to stop and think for a moment. As professional architects working on older homes in the tri state area, we find that quite often the answer is "in the box".

Whether it is the need for a larger Dining Room...Achieved by removing a wall and relocating mechanical and structural componets into decorative beams and columns.....

Or a New The Master Bedroom Suite enhanced by relocating closets to the front of the room freeing up the area adjacent to the existing Master Bath so that a once very compact master bath is now spacious with framed views of the city that can be enjoyed from the shower and the rest of the bedroom suite. Pocket doors with antique glass can be used to close off the bathroom while still allowing natural light to filter into the bedroom.

Kitchens can present a real challenge. Relocating doors to redirect traffic away from the 'work triangle' can free up space for the cook while adding storage and comfortable seating within the space at the same time.

Before

Bigger is nice...but in these economic times,

Better may be the right answer for you.