My daughter, Elle, loves to travel. She has been to Myanmar and Ghana as a high school student and enjoyed the challenge and rich education that those experiences provided. So when an opportunity to study in Paris for her Freshman year as a George Washington University student presented itself, she was all in. Me? It… Continue reading TRAVEL TO PARIS… Modern Life in a Historic City
Category: exteriors
Blending and Translating Design Styles
From Each Client’s Vision through the Mind’s-Eye of a Professional Designer As clients embark on the process of working with a professional designer, I am often asked what my process involves, in order to assure that the resulting design is comprehensive, cohesive and professional, while at the same time genuinely reflecting the preferences, personality and… Continue reading Blending and Translating Design Styles
Say “Yes, Please!” to a Kitchen Pantry
Say “Yes, Please!” to a Kitchen Pantry, and Create Unexpected Space-Efficiency, Flexibility & Flow There is no doubt a pantry in the kitchen can provide excellent functional storage. But if you have limited square footage to work with in your overall design – is it worth giving up space in the kitchen to create a… Continue reading Say “Yes, Please!” to a Kitchen Pantry
How to Choose a Design Style that is Perfect for Your Home
You’ve seen stunning homes where the interior design blows you away – its not in keeping with the architectural style of the home – but it looks so amazing and seems to work just right. How do they do it – thoughtfully integrating the intricate details of a Queen Anne Victorian, for example, with clean… Continue reading How to Choose a Design Style that is Perfect for Your Home
Downtown Living with a Sense of Privacy
When you live in close quarters to your neighbors, like Downtown Portsmouth, there are many things to consider when looking to renovate or add an addition. A key ingredient to living harmoniously with your neighbors is window location. There is nothing worse than looking out your window and straight into your neighbors private life, and… Continue reading Downtown Living with a Sense of Privacy
Creating a Barn Addition with Grace
Don’t you love barns? There is something about their simplicity, size, and function that help you lean into relaxing – both with your eyes and your soul. Today, barns are used for much more than livestock and hay but HOW we are using them is when designers get to have a lot of fun and… Continue reading Creating a Barn Addition with Grace
How to Create a “Forever Home”
Are you tired of moving? Are you looking for the opportunity to design your “last” home? Ironically, I have two of these projects on my boards right now. Life is life and is, of course, very unpredictable. But while you can’t control the circumstances and outcomes of life, we still owe it to ourselves to… Continue reading How to Create a “Forever Home”
Where Oh Where to Begin – Designing a Bathroom
Material Selections in a bathroom can be overwhelming! Why? 1) Because every single subcontractor is participating in the project and the scheduling timeline is intense. 2) It is also an expensive project. I suggest that you make sure that you are prepared for such an undertaking. One idea is to have me or another designer… Continue reading Where Oh Where to Begin – Designing a Bathroom
The Design Process
Are you looking for a designer for a future project? I thought I would fill you in on a few key aspects of the design process at amy dutton Home. We work in phases throughout the project: Discovery, Schematic, and Construction Drawings. At the end of each of these phases, I work with one or… Continue reading The Design Process
How to Select the Right Window
Are you in the market for new windows? If so, it is indeed a confusing and expensive process. I was talking to another designer the other day and we both agreed that about 30% of our time on a project with windows is spent on windows. That also translates to the amount of time that… Continue reading How to Select the Right Window