By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Garages are a typical problem in older Salt Lake neighborhoods. You’ll find garages too small for modern vehicles; garages built for one car when the family has two; garages with ceilings too low for
Help garage fulfill its potential
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon With a narrow driveway, a one-car carport and no parking on the street, parking was always an issue for the Smith family. For some, garages are among the least exciting home renovation projects. But
Storage needs vary for each family
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Food is a major category of storage. Shelving that takes advantage of space all the way to the ceiling, plastic storage bins and good organization are keys to storing food or a variety of
Bathrooms can make big splash
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon A well-designed family bath goes a long way toward helping your home function better for your family. Nice finishes and fixtures can add an extra splash to a very practical room. Many feature two
Kitchen Design: Blending function & aesthetics to design kitchen remodeling project
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Well, how did it go? Was the meal fabulous, the company charming, and your home the perfect setting for a family gathering? Did your kitchen handle the four extra cooks as well as the
Master Bathrooms: Master bedroom designs, a luxurious getaway
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Besides the bedroom, a private bathroom is an essential part of a master suite. The use of luxurious finishes adds to the sense of escape from the pressures of daily life — a sanctum
Ceilings: the lowdown on what’s up
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon If you’ve read our columns, you might be getting the picture that we believe in defining the spaces of a home — from public and private spaces to circulating paths to gathering space. Defining
Great rooms are gathering places
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon The addition of a great room off the kitchen (Image 1 & 2) created the ideal gathering space for the family of seven living in this 1940s home. Every home needs space for gathering.
Rearrange a home’s rooms for better use of its space
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon In the past few weeks we have looked at defining your public and private space and improving the overall flow of your home. These are fundamental design principles for any home, whether it’s new
Customize House Plans: Plan pathways to create flow in home
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon If you own a home, you own space. The question is, how does that space flow? Replacing the solid wall of the hallway with a series of columns and beams preserves logical flow and
Home’s entry should be warm and welcoming
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon When was the last time you washed your doorbell? You probably didn’t think to put it on your fall cleanup list, but hopefully your front entry does receive attention. In fact, we know your
Customize House Plans: Considering public & private space is key to floor plan design
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon If you stop to think about it, it really makes sense: There are places in your house meant to be public and there are places meant to be private. When thinking architecturally, there are
House Style Remodel: Ranch (Rambler) home is American original
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Rounding out our tour of popular 20th-century home styles, we make a stop on the West Coast where one of the first truly American housing styles was born — the California Ranch (also referred
Cape Cod is an American classic
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon If you’ve followed our columns for the past few weeks, you’ll know we have been taking you on a tour of some popular homes styles of the past century to help you identify (or
Craftsman bungalows are simply beautiful
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Last week we began a monthlong series to help you discover the style of your home. Many homes were built true to the popular style of their day and some were built with a
Charming historic districts bear responsibility
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon One of our clients, Noreen Heid, purchased a home near downtown Salt Lake City in 1991. She loved the charm of the neighborhood and the quaintness of her 1930s house, but the house had
Home Renovation: Before home renovation, know home’s style
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Several predominant home styles have evolved over the past century in the United States. You’ve seen them as you’ve driven the streets of Salt Lake City: the fairy-tale Tudor Revival, classic Craftsman bungalow, charming
Master plans save time, money, sanity
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon We had a client who struggled for years to come up with a design to unify a duplex into a single-family home. This family completed several small remodel projects, only to rip out some
Allow plenty of lead time for that remodeling project
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Believe it or not, if you want to remodel next summer, you better start planning today. We can’t tell you how many people call us each spring hoping to begin (and complete!) construction in
Ideas for an exterior nip and tuck
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon So you think your house could use a face lift — the weathered siding, the boxy front, the white painted brick. If it’s time for an exterior nip and tuck, then look to your
Give ‘vanilla’ exterior a timeless, attractive style
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Houses are like clothing. There are classic forms that never go out of vogue, while other structures have no particular style or character and quickly look unattractive. A Sandy couple wanting to give character
Home Additions: Small home addition can make a remarkable difference
In last week’s column we explained that when it comes to home additions, bigger is not always better. We presented some less-expensive yet effective alternatives to large room additions. The simple addition of a second-story bay window above one that
In architecture, bigger not always better
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Existing floor plan of house where clients wanted to add an addition to their family room. Recently a couple in Murray asked us for help in designing an addition to their house. This couple
Capitalize on views and natural light
Everyone knows that curb appeal, or what you experience as you look at a house from the outside, is an important aspect of a home’s architecture. But did you know that what you experience from the inside of your house
Capitalize on views and natural light
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Everyone knows that curb appeal, or what you experience as you look at a house from the outside, is an important aspect of a home’s architecture. But did you know that what you experience
Add on by excavating basement: Digging out.
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Greg and Nadia Letey bought their Sugar House home for sentimental reasons. “Nadia’s grandparents were the first owners of the home and raised Nadia’s mother here,” explains Greg. The Leteys also loved the location
Redo that dark, scary basement: Basement Remodeling
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon “We need more space!” is one of the main things we hear from clients who come to us for help with basement remodeling design. A basement remodel can turn unused space, above, into a
Dog Shower makes life easy for pet, owner
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon The thousands of dog owners and their pooches on parade at last month’s “Strut Your Mutt” event in Sugarhouse Park demonstrated one thing: Utahns love to pamper their pets. Pet lovers pamper their dogs
Plan now for a fireplace remodel
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon We know what you’re thinking. It’s the beginning of summer; why are these architects writing about fireplace remodels? Well, besides the fact that with this year’s crazy weather you might actually still be using
Home Remodeling Costs, Options vs. Move: Architect can help
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon We see it all the time. Homeowners come to us needing more space for a growing family or desiring home features that their current home just doesn’t have. The tough question they face is:
Tap unused space in house, garage for extra storage
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Something about spring invokes the urge to get rid of winter clutter and tidy up the home. If you’ve “de-junked” your home but still feel like you don’t have enough room to hold everything,
Attic Remodeling: Attic renovations add usable space to a home
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Space is like the wind: You can’t see it, but you can feel it. People tend to look at the space in a home in terms of quantity — either there is too much
Well-designed porch looks good and welcomes visitors
We have all had the unwelcoming experience of approaching a home without a porch. It’s raining and you hug as close as possible to the door to avoid the dripping rain from the eave. Balancing with one foot on the
Mudroom design helps keep the house organized
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon If you have children living in your home, you can probably attest that you don’t have to hear kids come in to know they’re home from school — the telltale trail of coats, backpacks,
Good laundry room design can ease laundry task
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon This remodeled laundry room design includes plenty of floor and counter space, a built-in ironing board, bins for each family member’s laundry, and a clothes steamer closet. Does it seem like your laundry piles
Home renovations should keep to original style to retain value
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon News reports have highlighted controversial home renovations in some of Salt Lake City’s classic neighborhoods. Understanding the history, style, and architecture of your home — and the other homes in your neighborhood — is
Connect inside of your house with the beauty outdoors
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon With the advent of spring after a particularly foggy winter, you may already be connecting more with the outdoors through hiking, biking, golf or puttering around in the garden. But have you ever considered
Architects’ focus is remodeling jobs
After designing a handful of high schools in the region, commercial buildings with little local character, and high-end homes with sky-high budgets, Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon decided it was time to come back to earth. The two architects were
Give the gift of architecture for Christmas
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Whether someone on your list simply appreciates good architecture or is gearing up for a major home remodel next year, books, below left, magazine subscriptions, above, and even gift certificates for future services are
