RETURN ON DESIGN Can You Quantify the Return, or Gain, from Excellent Design?YES! With truly artful design, fees deliver exponentially. “Architecture is frozen music,” Goethe said, but it’s not a frozen asset. Exceptional design gives back from the conceptual stage through resale, like a high performing stock with dividends. This happens in three ways: saving money […]
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FOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL OWNERSLake Garda, ItalyI enjoy traveling and being home in New England about equally. Interestingly, home and hotel are inextricably intertwined. Well designed, they both express an evocative narrative about a unique location, or what I have termed The Poetry of Place. Webster defines a resort as a frequently visited refuge. A successfully designed […]
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STRESS TEST – SUMMER 2020 2020 should be a year Marty McFly is told to avoid as he climbs into his time traveling Delorean! Always looking for silver linings, I’ve liked articles pointing to the huge progress that has followed major plagues throughout history. (um, why do we need major plagues to figure this stuff out?) […]
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STORYTELLING – THANKSGIVING 2019 This Thanksgiving, I’m especially grateful for the consultants and colleagues who offer their time, great work and inspiration. I couldn’t do it without you! Inside you’ll find a story about Jennifer Lader, who has helped me with articles in these newsletters and other writing for the last three years. Wishing you the […]
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OF BOOKS AND BUILDINGS – FALL 2019 Summer was officially over last week, although the weather didn’t agree. I hope you got out to enjoy it! My summer highlights were weddings on the west coast and a special college reunion in Santa Fe. Nothing like celebrating with amazing friends in beautiful places, second only to […]
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CONNECTING WITH THE OUTDOORS – SUMMER 2019We’re finally enjoying the outdoors after a cold, rainy spring – only to hear the whine of pesky mosquitoes! Spraying pesticides will wipe out birds, amphibians, and pollinating bees – but there are a lot of safe products and good practices out there (see below). Mainly I’m feeling sentimental […]
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ARTISTIC MOTIVATION – SPRING 2019As the school year winds down, college seniors like our Katelin are looking at seemingly endless possibilities. For the 55+ group, decisions may seem more final – but the same feelings can exist at opposite ends of the timeline. I like the spiritual perspective that opportunities are ever-present if we only […]
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METROWEST MAGIC – FALL 2018A snowy New Hampshire hike with friends last Saturday got me psyched for (in addition to a nap!) one of my favorite winter spectacles. Right about now, distant views in the landscape that were concealed by leaves start to be visible. Dark evenings that feel a little ghostly here in historic […]
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LIGHT IN ARCHITECTURE – LATE SUMMER 2018As the days grow shorter, I have to remember not to get totally disgruntled! We New Englanders are nuts about our short season of bright sun and outdoor evenings. So I force myself to anticipate different kinds of light – mellow September, crisp vibrant October, and long blue shadows on […]
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I hope you’re relaxing, enjoying water, gardens, and travel. Sunday afternoon we headed out on the Sudbury River for a Father’s Day picnic. Aside from the usual Blue Herons, turtles, beavers and deer, we paddled past Concord families on their decks and had a chance encounter with friends. In this newsletter we’re focusing on why: […]
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