#standardcreative

At one point during this project, I stood out front of the house and said, "Should we have just torn the whole thing down?" About three months in, completely torn up inside and out, and with the final grey chilly months of winter clinging on, the house looked forlorn to say the least. 

But we pressed on, honoring the previous owner's wishes not to raze the site, and knowing that the new owner's one-story needs neatly fit inside the existing footprint. Slowly but surely the little house came back to life and now I find a certain pride that we were able to carve out some pretty decent spaces out of home found hard on it's luck. Take a look at some of the before and afters:

The day we finished this project we all had a glass of wine at lunch. Truly a legacy project for our office, we could not be prouder to have a house atop Red Mountain. Since the advent of the iron ore days when the iron barons were gobbling up mountaintop sites, land with city views in Birmingham has been in high demand. So when we were awarded this new construction project, we could not have been more thrilled. Fast forward nearly three years later, the owners have settled in. Here are a few snapshots from their perch next to Vulcan:

This one was easy--easy to photograph, that is. It's all white and stands so stately that it looks good no matter how many mistakes I make trying to shoot it! We finished this project about 18 months ago and waited to let the landscaping grow in and install the furnishings before getting behind the camera. An addition to a federal style home in Forest Park, this little project could actually stand alone. It settles into the lot seamlessly and offers what was once an inaccessible backyard a new focus. Entering through the garden gate is surreal as the entire property now feels so private and peaceful. The interiors feature a fully paneled Den with built-in bookcases, custom limestone surrounds on the enormous fireplaces, and a delightful study nestled into the valleys of the roofline. The double portico offers lovely views of the pool and huge operable louvered doors seal it off when it's not in use. I definitely wouldn't mind a cold drink and a warm summer day on one of the chaises...

This post could go up with the hashtag: "reasonsilovemyjob."Obviously I love the residential work that fills up the majority of our job board, but getting to do a building that the general public can experience and enjoy is really something. This project--Carrigan's Pub--was a year in the making. Tucked at the end of one of Birmingham's most historic cobblestone-clad streets, it was conceived as an upscale bar and gastropub. After months of grinding through permit documents and health department paperwork, the space was finally ready for a soft opening. Birminghamians flooded the place, which glowed like a soft yellow beacon at the corner of the city grid that night. The interiors are strung together with groups of cozy seating areas. The original load-bearing brick is exposed, and along one wall an original hand painted ad is still intact. A private booth is nestled in the old freight elevator shaft; huge boulders act as tables and benches in the courtyard. We were honored to get to partner with an owner who had a great concept and help him bring it to reality. And that's exactly what makes us love what we do!