First published on Houzz
“A house is meant to inspire you, to feel warm and welcoming. You’re coming home" says designer, Andrew Feldon. “It's central to our work that we create spaces that reflect and enhance how someone feels in them.”
A passion to create.
“Design was what I did from day one,” says Feldon, who has offices in Portland and San Francisco. “As a child, I was constantly building forts and treehouses, always collecting bits and pieces of material and putting them together. It snowballed over time, and architecture was a natural progression of that.”
Inspiring with architecture.
Feldon says he enjoys coming up with solutions to his clients’ problems. “It feels good to make a difference,” he says. “I believe that architecture as an art really can inspire. It’s fun to not only problem-solve, but also surprise people and give them a final product that’s even better than they could imagine.”
See Feldon’s advice below to help you create a home that feels and looks great.
1. Rely on the Experts
Keep an open mind and trust your architect, Feldon advises. “As designers, we’ve spent years amassing knowledge about the technical and code realities of buildings, as well as exploring artistic ideas and movements,” he says. “Choose wisely, and then rely on the people you hire to create the spaces that match you.”
The owners of the contemporary home in Berkeley seen here wanted to install a large hot tub deck but were initially picturing something more basic. “We worked together and eventually developed a floating, multitiered series of platforms that melded into the steep hillside,” Feldon says. “The materials were derived from the colors and hues of the immediate landscape.”
2. Think Holistically
Your home should have a central idea or feeling; “otherwise the house is simply an assortment of various projects cobbled together, which can feel disjointed,” Feldon says. “Think about your home in all its parts, and the feeling that you want to achieve. The architecture and materials should work together to create that.”
The owners of the loft in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood seen here requested a modern aesthetic with a historic dimension. “We used a few salvaged beams and posts to suggest a story about the repurposed 100-year-old building and its history,” Feldon says. “There was a major juxtaposition of old, rough wood against stark white spatial elements.”
3. Start With the Basics
Even if you plan to live in a place for only a few years, build the best home you can afford, and then decorate it as time goes by. “It’s better for your pocketbook, your home’s resale value and the planet,” Feldon says. “Even small projects take a great deal of time and resources to pull off well, and you want to enjoy your space.”
“We imagined this house as a blank canvas that the experiences of the clients would bring to life,” Feldon says of the Portland home seen here. “Fleshing out the interior spaces will happen over time and represent a biographical accounting of the lives and travels of the owners. This creates a much richer environment, rather than forcing aesthetic choices upfront.”