It’s in the Details

They say the devil is in the details, but we don’t buy it.  What we find in the details is delight.

Whether it’s an ebony wedge in a nicely executed scarf joint or a timber column scribed to a stone base, or a small, cozy space with just the right fabrics and furnishings, it’s the details that, in our humble opinion, make good work great.  So here are a few pictures from a recently finished project where the details really pop.  For this endeavor, we once again teamed with our friend Scott Hommas  at Gelotte Hommas Architects–a talented bunch of folks who have designed several of our favorite buildings, and Hamish Anderson of Hamish Anderson Custom Homes.

A Quiet Week

Four hundred or so wild fires are burning up in BC,  making the air hazy here in Bellingham.  There’s lots of beetle-killed pine  in the inland BC forests that are just dry as a bone, and  it’s been very dry for a month, and only a little rain in the forecast so it looks like they might burn for a while.  The sun has been a giant red ball as it sets.  But of course,  this all has very little to do with the purpose of this blog, except to provide evidence that, pardon me, it’s been a quiet week in here Hamsterland(FYI, people from Bellingham are known as Bellinghamsters, hence Hamsterland).

John,  Byron and Kyle employed some innovative techniques to raise a frame and install SIP’s for a home on Snoqualmie  Pass.  They came home last night, ready for a rest.   Sam, Jackson, RJ and Omar are working on Mercer Island.  So there’s no noise in the shop!  No routers. No planers. No saws. Just quiet.

Maybe there will  be more action next week.  Have a great weekend in the meantime!

Decorating Your Timber Home

Now that your beautiful timber home is complete it’s time to decorate the inside. Decorating a timber frame home can be somewhat different. The natural beauty of the frames must be considered, as well as the vast open spaces. Use these 5 tips as a guide when you begin decorating your home.

1. Create Seating. If you have a large living room create multiple seating areas. Place large seating near your fireplace for family time, chairs in a corner for intimate conversations and a single chair for reading. Keep all seating relatively close so guests have a level of privacy without seeming isolated.
2. Use Textiles. Use drapes and rugs to bring warmth, color and texture into your home. A large rug can tie all your seating areas together, or various rugs with a common thread can section them off and connect them at the same time.
3. Remember the Scale. Use large furniture and rugs to help fill space in a wide open room. Other heavy accessories will help proportion out the room.
4. Less is More. Don’t go overboard with trying to fill your space with accessories. Too many accessories will take away the focus from the simply, natural timber frames.
5. Consider Your Senses. As you’ve appealed to your sense of sight, include elements for your sense of smell and and sound. Light music or nature sounds will be relaxing to you and your guests and so will light scents of vanilla or lavender.

Tips adapted from Timber Home Living.

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