A Postcard from our New Choir Loft Design Studio!

As of July 1st our new office is the former Choir Loft of the old St. Mary's Church in Elm Grove! For those of you who are familiar with the area, the church is a well-known landmark at the foot of Watertown Plank Road. It had fallen into disrepair, and in 2007 TWP Architecture moved in and rehabbed the building from top to bottom (their offices are housed on the main floor).

It has been an incredibly busy year. We've grown and expanded at a fast clip - in many ways this has been a thrilling transition, but at times we find ourselves a little overwhelmed. Thank you to all our clients who've put up with our over-booked schedules. We wouldn't be here without you! We are looking forward to settling in to our new space and embarking on our next chapter. When you're in Elm Grove be sure to stop by! We'd love to see you.

A Few Pics from our Beautiful New Building:

Conference Room

The Choir Loft Window

Our View

My Hardworking Moving Crew

Another late night at the office setting up our new cabinetry. What would I do without these two? 

I can't wait to get the countertop for our mammoth new work island. It measures 4' x 9'! Each one of our large projects will have a dedicated storage drawer. 

Cat nap...

(nobody will find me up here)

Check our Airstream Project on Houzz!

Airstream Remodel Creates the Perfect Portable Getaway

Houzz- Kitchens, Bathrooms and More »

Home Design and Decorating Ideas- For Example:

Gym Design · Wine Cellar Design · Dining Room Design · Hall Design · Garage & Shed Design · Bathroom Design · Storage & Closets Design · Laundry Room Design ·

This year I combined forces with fellow designer Tom Hoffman and a talented group of local artists to create a sitting room & gallery for the 2012 Breast Cancer Showhouse. Our group -  Project Pink – transformed a second floor bedroom into a gallery space and retreat that showcases seven unique and beautiful paintings that were created specifically for our room.

Thank You Crate & Barrel!

For the third year in a row Crate & Barrel has generously supported my work at the Showhouse. I’d like to thank the wonderful staff at the Mayfair store for the opportunity to work with their beautiful furniture again this year. Here are a few of the great pieces featured in our room:

Shelter Sofa: I’ve always loved the lines of this piece, but not every space can handle such a bold, large-scale sofa. We were fortunate to have a spacious room with the perfect wall for this sofa.

Blake Chair

Echelon Table

Abaca Ottoman

Before & After Pics

The Art!

Our room showcases the work of seven remarkable local artists. Each created a painting specifically for the space, bringing their unique style and perspective to the project. All seven paintings are featured here, but truly need to be appreciated in person.

Terry Coffman

Pat Krejci

Rita Maria Schleck

Pamela Anderson

TC Hoffman

Jennifer Weichelt

Kerry Yandell

Before you arrive at our room, you'll have a chance to take in some of the amazing pieces that are a part of the homeowner's vast personal art collection. It's an impressive array of original pieces, with a number of artists you'll recognize immediately. 

The Flowers!

A special thank you to Sue, Mary & Kristin at Fresh Design for donating the beautiful floral arrangements. The fresh ginger and orchids look incredible in the room. Check out the Fresh Design website for more on their business: www.freshdesignflowers.com

Visit the Showhouse

Hours:

Saturday, June 2 10:00-4:00
Sunday, June 3 12:00-4:00

Monday, June 4 thru Friday, June 8 10:00-4:00

Saturday, June 9 10:00-4:00
Sunday, June 10 12:00-4:00

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday June 11, 13, 15 10:00-4:00
Tuesday and Thursday, June 12 and 14 10:00-8:00 

Saturday, June 16 10:00-4:00
Sunday, June 17 12:00-4:00

Cost: 

$20.00 Pre-sale at ticket outlets (see website for details)

 or $25 at the door

Welcome Megan

2012 has been an incredibly busy year so I am pleased to announce I have a new Design Assistant. Megan Lichterman, a recent UW grad, will be assisting in the office and getting involved in current projects. For those of you who are clients you will probably be meeting her sometime soon.

Interview with Megan Lichterman

Welcome to the team!

Thank you, I’m very excited to be working with you.

So you are a fellow UW alumni…

Yes I am, go Badgers! I have Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from the School of Human Ecology.

Do you miss Madison?

I miss State Street with all of the great shops and restaurants.

What was your favorite place to hang out?

The Ivory Room just off of the square is a fun place with a great atmosphere. I also like the Great Dane a lot.

So when I interviewed you we met at a coffee shop, and the first thing you told me is that you don’t drink coffee….I love coffee

A lot of people like coffee, it’s just not for me....

Hmmm....well, your skills and experience turned out to be more relevant than coffee drinking.

I’m glad I could overcome that!

Do you have a favorite designer? Any projects or public spaces you find especially inspiring?

I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite designer, but I really do love what Candace Olson designs in terms of lighting and her use of mirrors, but I also like Sarah Richardson and her ability to mix fabrics and patterns. Let’s just say, I’m an HGTV junkie! Who isn’t though?! It’s fabulous!

As for favorite places, I really enjoyed my trip to Taliesin in Spring Green, WI. I think that Wright’s integration of landscape and architecture is stimulating. Also, I love Milwaukee Public Art Museum designed by Calatrava. The clean, white lines are intriguing.

I’m really looking forward to introducing you to my clients and getting you involved in current projects....is there any particular aspect of this business you are most excited about?

I’m looking forward to learning more about window treatments and different furniture lines, and I’m excited to get involved in large scale design projects.

The Journal Sentinel Tours our Home

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel featured our home in this past Sunday's Entrée section. Walking through the house with writer Nancy Herrick gave me a chance to reflect on the many renovations and projects we've done since moving in seven years ago. It also gave me a new appreciation of Aaron's many talents - woodworking, finish carpentry, cabinet building....even photography. I couldn't have done it without him!

I hope you'll have a few minutes to check out the article and slideshow:

Riverfront Loft - Before:

I’m excited to share one of my favorite recent projects, a new entertainment center & bar in a beautiful modern townhouse along the Milwaukee River.

I already had the pleasure of working with Debie & Jim on the interior design for their home when they approached me about creating a design for their third floor loft. The loft already had plumbing roughed in for a bar and, although the space was regularly used for watching TV, it never felt to them like it was properly finished.

Neighborhood Architecture

Debie & Jim’s townhouse is a part of the Beerline Neighborhood, which was designed and developed by Vetter Denk Architects of Milwaukee.

Vetter Denk

Anyone familiar with this area of the city would immediately recognize the cluster of modern townhomes and condos along the Milwaukee River.

Vetter Denk

Project Design

For the design of the entertainment center I looked to the white stucco, gray brick, rich wood tones, and wide expanses of glass that are key elements of the surrounding buildings.

After...

Having the opportunity to act as the general contractor for this project meant I could provide a seamless transition from design to installation. I was able to work with the best tradesmen and guarantee the finished product was true to the original design. It was a dramatic transformation:

Construction Details - Key Elements of the Project

Hardwood Flooring: One of prettiest features of this project is the 3” Brazilian Cherry flooring covering the wall, which creates a stunning backdrop for the cabinets & faucet.

Trespa Countertop: We wanted a very thin, barely-there countertop and were excited to discover Trespa, a highly compressed laminate material. It’s most commonly used as exterior paneling on modern buildings and for wall surfaces in commercial spaces. It made the ideal countertop because of its low-profile 7/16” thickness. The only downside was the nearly 10 weeks it took for the material to arrive from its country of origin, the Netherlands.

Sleek Fixtures: I paired the Torq wall mount faucet from Kohler with a crisp & clean stainless steel under mount sink by Blanco.

Furniture & Accessories

We furnished the space with a new sofa & pillows from Room & Board:

The rest of the condo....