Design Element: Metal and Canvas Awnings

In 2009, I wrote a blog post on this beautiful house, which was on the market at the time. The architect of the house is Keith Summerour. 

I had long admired the design of the house, and particularly liked the awning over the front door.  The color of the metal (zinc perhaps?), the curve of the design, the ornamental metal brackets that hold up the awning are beautiful details on this house. I didn’t know the name of this structure at the time I wrote the post, but several readers informed me that the proper term in ‘awning’.

According to the Wikipedia page on awnings, they are most commonly made of canvas. One of the most familiar uses of awnings are for store fronts, with the name of the shop written across the front. What better example of this than the famous Ladurée of Paris?  When I was in Paris this June, it was quite rainy and we took shelter many times under awnings such as this, which are all over Paris.  Note the wheel on the upper right – this awning is almost certainly retractable.

Another picture of a different Ladurée shop that I found on Pinterest shows an elaborate metal awning. I love this design for the arched door of the entrance.

Striped awnings seem so very Parisian to me. This image is the Hotel Lancaster in Paris. It reminds me of another iconic brownstone that has been blogged about too many times to count…

Miles Redd’s NYC home.  Although the door and the color scheme are often the focus of people’s admiration for this house, I think the awnings definitely add to the beauty and charm, don’t you?

Canvas awnings are commonly used as both a design element and a way to protect doors and windows from the elements. This example is particularly striking, found on the blog Beaux Monde. He completely transformed the look of his back yard with her outdoor set from World Market and those striking awnings made of striped Sunbrella fabric.  I imagine that fabric awnings are best suited for places that don’t get snow (these are in California), as the weight of the snow would certainly damage the awnings – or, the awnings would definitely need to be retractable so they could be pulled back in the winter.

A lovely green striped awning covers a side door. Given the umbrellas by the door, this location probably gets its fair share of rain – and what better way to shelter from the rain when opening the door. Via Pinterest, attributed to Serena Crawford.

I thought this awning was interesting – the window is arched, but the awning is straight. These are almost certainly inswing casement windows, which would allow the awning to stay in place even if the windows are opened.

I found a few dome shaped awnings that provide an alternative to the more straight line style. Here is an extravagant example from the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

Dome awnings over three arched doors work well given the limitations in space due to the door design and roof height. I wonder how much these block the view from the inside? Perhaps they are needed for light control.

I see more metal awnings in Atlanta than canvas.  Although this house is not in Atlanta (I believe it was featured in an old Southern Accents), the design of the awning with its pretty metal brackets caught my eye. I wish I knew which Southern Accents this is in – I have most of the issues from last 10 years of the magazine. I would love to see the inside of this house.

A small metal awning that fits perfectly into the cased door opening.

Another curved awning that complements the color of the lanterns.

This was one of the first awning pictures I found on Pinterest – simple but beautiful.

The angle of the photograph prevents a view of the top design of the awning, but the iron bracket design can clearly be seen from eye level.

A semi-circle design makes an interesting metal awning on this house.

This is a beautiful metal awning, with its delicate lacy pattern that is also reflected in the window boxes above. Via Pinterest.

This ventures more into eave or overhang category, but perhaps inspired by awnings.  Guest cottage designed by Bradley E. Heppner.

An awning that has supports is called a canopy – and this is a beautiful example. By Calhoun Design and Metalworks.

Via the Scout Guide, by Calhoun Design and Metalworks.

Gorgeous metal awning custom designed for this steel window.  Note the scalloped edges of the awning. I believe this is made of zinc.  Architecture by Stan Dixon (he designed the awning too).

I love the design of this awning - the metal goes right up to the bottom of the window on the second floor. Via Pinterest.

I have studied this picture many times. The house has exterior shutters, which are clearly operable. But, the three arched doors also have what appears to be an awning of sorts, or maybe they are solar panels?

Here is a close up from the architect’s website. What do you think? Contemporary awnings or solar panels?  I like that they are out of the way and protect the view from the inside. Architecture by Murphy Mears.

Here is another house from the impressive portfolio of Houston based architects Murphy Mears – and a similar design can be seen on the awning over the arched front door.

Finally, to round out the post, a few more awnings that are neither metal or canvas, and may not even technically be awnings but more eaves or overhangs. Via Pinterest.

I love this picture that I found on Pinterest. The structure is covered with the same material as the roof, and is tucked into the sides of the house and located between the upper and lower floors. The light and view from the windows is not obstructed, and the eave is a beautiful architectural element on the back elevation.

Beautiful arched overhang that reflects the shape of the door and is clad with what appears to be copper. Architecture by Bradley E. Heppner.

This door to the garage is elevated in importance because of the overhang overhead. The roof is clad with the same slate as the rest of the house. Architecture by Frank Neely, image by Limestone and Boxwoods.

A show stopper of an overhang (would you call this an awning?) at a renovation by Stan Dixon; it transformed the whole look and feel of the house. I love how it is anchored into the side of the house.  Architecture by Stan Dixon. Photo by Emily Followill.

What do you think of awnings? Do you have a favorite picture, or a favorite material (canvas, metal, or other)?  Of course, it all depends on the style of window or door, and the reason for the awning – light control, weather protection, or looks. Overall, I think I prefer metal awnings for the beauty of the material and their permanence, but I also really like the clean lined and simple contemporary awnings used on the Murphy Mears projects too; they provide protection without blocking the view or the light.

A big thank you to this pinner’s and her awnings board – she clearly has a love for awnings and is constantly updating her board with new pins.  Because so many of these images come from Pinterest, please let me know if you can identify a source.

Things That Inspire Favorites: Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloths

Things That Inspire Favorites: Oz Naturals Vitamin C Serum

Things That Inspire Favorites: Thera Breath Oral Rinse

To see my latest blog post, click here.
To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.
To follow my blog on Facebook, click here.
Twitter: @TTIBlog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ttiblog
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ttiblog/
Visit my online store, Quatrefoil Design: www.quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com
To see design, architecture, art, and decorative books that I recommend, please visit the Things That Inspire Amazon store.

Small kitchen islands

http://www.quatrefoildesign.com/

Atlanta is a great place in the spring (unless you are a seasonal allergy sufferer!), as every week seems to have a different home tour. One of the best home tours of the spring, the Atlanta Symphony Decorators’ Show House, is in full swing now, and it promises to be spectacular.

I have not seen many sneak previews of the spaces in the Symphony Show House, with the exception of the kitchen. The Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles blog has featured guest posts on the design of the Show House kitchen by one of Atlanta’s preeminent kitchen designers, Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria. Matthew and his team have been working for months on the transformation of the kitchen in the Show House (they gutted the old kitchen), and the results (seen above) are stunning. I took special note of the two small islands; according to one of Matthew’s guest posts, the design came out of a desire to improve traffic issues that one long island often causes in a kitchen where there are multiple people cooking. Also, it was noted the two islands creates more usable countertop space.

It was the second time this week I had seen a kitchen with two small islands. At the end of last week, the authors of the Whitehaven blog posted pictures of the kitchen from the house that I featured on my blog on Tuesday (click here for more images). Note that there are two islands, one of which has storage, and one of which is open. I think this is a great combination – the best of both worlds. Architecture by Brad Heppner (who is clearly very talented at kitchen design).

Here is a wider view of the kitchen – you can see the storage island better in this picture (and those fantastic lights are amazing in the space). Brad designed one island to match the cabinetry, and one island to look like furniture. The overall effect is beautiful. Image via Whitehaven.

A charming 1925 Tudor style house that is on the market in Atlanta has a stunning kitchen addition that is filled with light. Although it is hard to see in this picture, there are two islands, each shaped differently. A big island would have really changed the look of this kitchen, but the two small islands give the kitchen additional work surfaces without overwhelming the space. Does anyone know which architect helmed the renovation of this house (I have a guess…)? Image via real estate listing.

This beautiful kitchen is in a Mediterranean style house (circa 1929) that was renovated under the guidance of project architect Rodolfo Castro (who was with Summerour and Associates at the time, but has since started his own firm, Castro Design Studio). Ed Belding also worked on the kitchen design; Ed is a talented interior designer who worked with Rodolfo at Summerour, and has since started his own firm, the Belding Group. The kitchen has two islands of different sizes and shapes, with open shelving underneath. Photo credit: Blayne Beacham; to see more of this house, please visit Limestone and Boxwoods.

Rodolfo told me that the inspiration for the kitchen islands came from Castle Drogo, located near Drewsteignton, Devon, England. Castle Drogo was built in the 1910s - 1920s and was designed by Edwin Lutyens (the island in the picture above was designed by Lutyens for the home). An interesting side note, Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England, and more than likely the last private house to be built entirely of granite (source: Wikipedia).

What do you think of two small islands in a kitchen? I like the look, provided there is enough storage space in other places in the kitchen. I can definitely see the advantages from a traffic flow perspective, and I love the idea of having multiple independent work surfaces (during busy times in my kitchen, we have small battles for countertop space). The one concern I have is losing the storage that is in a large island. I am looking forward to seeing the kitchen in the Symphony Show House in person, and I will be paying special attention to those kitchen islands!

The Atlanta Symphony Decorators’ Show House opens this weekend (April 17, 2010), and runs through May 9, 2010. For more information, please visit the show house website: http://www.decoratorsshowhouse.org/

To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.

To follow my blog on facebook, click here.

To visit my online store, click here.

A beautiful Atlanta house

Last year, while running an errand, I missed a turn and traveled along a section of road that I had not been on in a long time. It was a serendipitous error, for I spotted a house that has become one of my favorites. It happened to be near the 4th of July when I saw this house, and I was charmed to see that the house had an enormous American flag hung across the front. It so inspired me that I went back at the crack of dawn the next day to capture a picture for my blog, and I dubbed the house ‘The 4th of July House’. A few months after this post, the architect who was in charge of the renovation emailed me and thanked me for the kind words in my post; the architect’s name is Bradley Heppner.

The name immediately rang a bell, as he was the architect who designed the charming house of the author of Whitehaven; I met her many years ago through a mutual friend, and was able to tour her house when I was trying to decide whether I should renovate or custom build.

The house I dubbed ‘the 4th of July house’

Since the time I first saw the 4th of July house, my path has crossed with Brad Heppner’s several times, although sometimes it was through one degree of separation. When I first met the amazing designer Amy Morris, she had a set of plans spread out on her desk, for a house designed by none other than Brad Heppner (not the house pictured above). More recently, my blog friend Architecture Tourist arranged for a tour of a house that was recently built in his neck of the woods, a contemporary masterpiece designed by – you guessed it – Brad Heppner (the interiors were by Amy Morris). I was delighted to finally meet Brad in person; he led the tour of the home, and it was spectacular.

Since the tour, Brad has become a ‘friend of the blog’. I recently asked Brad if I could feature the 4th of July house in a special guest post I was writing, and not only did he provide me with some excellent pictures, but he also told me the story of the house and how the new owners found it. This was clearly a special project for Brad, and now that I have seen the ‘before’ pictures of the house, I am in awe of the transformation that took place.

Here is the house in a ‘before’ picture, from an undated tax record. The house was originally built in 1967, and Brad calls it a ‘pseudo Greek Revival’ style so popular during that era.

This picture comes from the 2007 real estate brochure (before the current owners purchased the house). The color scheme of the house was softened by painting the brick, door, and shutters a lighter tone. Still, this was far from Brad’s clients’ dream home; in fact, they were reluctant to even show Brad this property because the house itself was so far from their style. The property was one of a kind, though; over 5 acres of usable land, and just a stone’s throw from their children’s school. Even after purchasing the property, the clients still weren't convinced they could ever get their ‘silk purse from a sow's ear’ from this house and contemplated tearing it down at several points during the project.

Here is a picture of the ‘after’ – quite a stunning transformation. Greek Revival was not the favored architectural style of Brad’s clients, so Brad recommended to "move in a direction that reflected a region interpretation of the Greek Revival style rather then adhering to the purity of the style itself”. The cedar roof was selected with this in mind; cedar is used as a roof material on some Greek Revival plantation homes in Mississippi and Louisiana, particularly in more agrarian settings. Brad used this as his precedent to begin to loosen up the formality of the Greek Revival and portray a feeling more closely related to a low country Natchez farmhouse. (Photo credit: Brad Heppner)

The formality of the Greek Revival style was also relaxed by adding a balcony between the front four columns of the house, breaking up what had been the rigid horizontal structure of the six columns. It wasn't until the interior functional changes began to develop (the entire floor plan was gutted and rearranged) and some of the formality of the Greek Revival style was relaxed that the clients began to realize that the house was becoming more then they ever thought it could be.

I asked Brad whether they had planted mature trees along the driveway, and he told me that the oak allée (a path lined with trees) was actually part of the original landscape, however no one ever seemed to notice them prior to the renovation. As Brad said, ‘they are one of those priceless assets that made this lot special no matter what we decided to do”. I also find the urns on the entrance pediments to be charming – the owners put different flowers or plants in them, according to the season. (Photo credit: Brad Heppner)

For more information on Atlanta based architect Brad Heppner, please visit his website - http://bradleyeheppner.com/. It is always inspiring to see how a talented architect and a client who is willing to trust the vision of the architect can transform a house and give it a whole new story for the next generation!

To visit my store, Quatrefoil Design, click here.

To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.

To follow my blog on Facebook, click here.

Beautiful framed intaglios, available here:

http://www.quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com/category/intaglios

Unique architectural renderings, available here:

http://www.quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com/category/architectural

Whimsical original crab and lobster paintings, as seen in House Beautiful, available here:

http://www.quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com/category/art

http://www.quatrefoildesign.com/