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Collection by Kate Santos

Architect Couples At Home

When architects fall in love, designing their own home can be both rewarding and challenging feats. Through compromise and collaboration, these couples successfully made their dream home a reality.

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Thanks to IKEA, Pande and Misra were able to furnish their new home after construction took most of their funds. The light and airy bedroom, however, would make great spaces regardless of furnishings.
Thanks to IKEA, Pande and Misra were able to furnish their new home after construction took most of their funds. The light and airy bedroom, however, would make great spaces regardless of furnishings.
Surrounded by the books they love, Apurva Pande and Chinmaya Misra are finally settling in to their new home.
Surrounded by the books they love, Apurva Pande and Chinmaya Misra are finally settling in to their new home.
To stay within budget, Han and Mihalyo spent seven months and all of their free time building the house. As a result, the couple is well- acquainted with every square inch of their home. As Han says, “If there’s a nail in the wall, we know exactly what’s behind it.”
To stay within budget, Han and Mihalyo spent seven months and all of their free time building the house. As a result, the couple is well- acquainted with every square inch of their home. As Han says, “If there’s a nail in the wall, we know exactly what’s behind it.”
Even in ever-gray and gloomy Seattle, the 24-by-10-foot front window lets in enough light that the couple rarely needs to turn on any lamps inside the house.
Even in ever-gray and gloomy Seattle, the 24-by-10-foot front window lets in enough light that the couple rarely needs to turn on any lamps inside the house.
Sheets of hot-rolled steel were used as exterior cladding—as well as for parts of walls and countertops indoors—to heighten the industrial effect. “When hot-rolled steel comes out of the factory, it’s a very even-toned, blue-gray color,” Han says. “But we wanted to have a pattern. So we stacked the sheets of siding outside in the rain, and let it sit there so that the water would create texture.” Putting up the siding was messy, since each sheet had to be carefully dried before installation and then covered with a water-based clear coat to prevent surface oxidation. The result, though, is a quietly mottled surface that Mihalyo says “looks like slate” and will change color over time as dark brown tones begin to appear beneath the basic steel gray. Like the circular windows that seem stolen from the airplanes flying over the house, the steel siding is an architectural element made possible on a small budget only by Han and Mihalyo doing it themselves. As Han exclaims, “Can you imagine specing this out for a contractor?”
Sheets of hot-rolled steel were used as exterior cladding—as well as for parts of walls and countertops indoors—to heighten the industrial effect. “When hot-rolled steel comes out of the factory, it’s a very even-toned, blue-gray color,” Han says. “But we wanted to have a pattern. So we stacked the sheets of siding outside in the rain, and let it sit there so that the water would create texture.” Putting up the siding was messy, since each sheet had to be carefully dried before installation and then covered with a water-based clear coat to prevent surface oxidation. The result, though, is a quietly mottled surface that Mihalyo says “looks like slate” and will change color over time as dark brown tones begin to appear beneath the basic steel gray. Like the circular windows that seem stolen from the airplanes flying over the house, the steel siding is an architectural element made possible on a small budget only by Han and Mihalyo doing it themselves. As Han exclaims, “Can you imagine specing this out for a contractor?”
The prohibitive cost of outfitting the structure with radiant heat led Dunbar and Astrakhan to pull down the solid south-facing rear wall for additional sunlight and solar gain.
The prohibitive cost of outfitting the structure with radiant heat led Dunbar and Astrakhan to pull down the solid south-facing rear wall for additional sunlight and solar gain.
"Small IKEA kitchens drive me crazy, but six kitchens' worth of IKEA cabinets can be made into something beautiful," says homeowner Andrew Dunbar. Staggered by width, the cabinets have exposed kick-plate gaps for storing CDs.
"Small IKEA kitchens drive me crazy, but six kitchens' worth of IKEA cabinets can be made into something beautiful," says homeowner Andrew Dunbar. Staggered by width, the cabinets have exposed kick-plate gaps for storing CDs.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste make up 20 percent of what we throw away. Composting organic materials keeps them out of the landfill, which cuts down on greenhouse gases, and enriches the soil. To compost at home, make a pile in your backyard, or introduce an indoor bin for throwaways like apple peels and eggshells.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste make up 20 percent of what we throw away. Composting organic materials keeps them out of the landfill, which cuts down on greenhouse gases, and enriches the soil. To compost at home, make a pile in your backyard, or introduce an indoor bin for throwaways like apple peels and eggshells.