Joel Beals is our newest designer at Giraffe, and he’s also a customer. He and his wife Patricia are building a home in Ann Arbor’s Water Hill neighborhood. They wanted to hire Giraffe for the project, but we were so impressed with Joel’s design sensibilities that we brought him onboard our team.
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The dream you have for your home is the genesis towards realizing a living space that’s custom-made specifically for you. It’s the privilege of your design team to catch your dream and translate it into a design plan that will guide your entire homebuilding or remodeling project.
If this is your first time remodeling or building a home, you may be wondering what to expect from your design team. What will they expect of you, and what can you do to make your experience as rewarding as possible? Let’s explore those questions.
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Jessa and Tony blend careers, family, and personal growth—all with a dash of grace. But their living space wasn’t conducive to that balance. With living areas that created barriers instead of inviting flow, they experienced conflict between how they wanted to live, and what their environment could provide.
“We have a nice house, but it didn’t come with a formal office,” Jessa explained. “We’re both physicians, and we can do admin duties from home, but we didn’t have a good base to do that work.” Instead, they were operating out of a spare bedroom. (more…)
For many homeowners in Southeast Michigan, a basement is an afterthought—a spare area for storage, laundry, and utilities. For others, it’s a fun space for play or entertainment. But for Ann Arbor homeowners Paula and Allen, the basement is the emotional touchstone of the entry into their home. And it was setting the wrong tone.
Paula and Allen’s home is built into a hill, and the garage enters into the basement. For them, the lower level serves as their foyer. It’s the space that welcomes them home after a long day of work. But the greeting wasn’t the warm sanctuary they longed for. (more…)
Ten years ago, when Joel and Patricia were looking for a home for their growing family they fell in love with a 1970s Tudor style home and saw so much potential for what it could become. The existing floor plan felt dated and segmented; several rooms without continuity, and an outdated kitchen. For this house to feel like home it needed to be more open and flowing, but they wanted to keep the traditional feel. The new design had to marry the traditional with the updated functionality. (more…)