In nature, often it’s small details dotting the landscape that make a view more riveting. Above, it might be the shape of clouds or the pattern of stars. From a peripheral perspective, the hue of spring blooms entices the eye.
Likewise, in Design Home 2008, minute details blend together, bringing beauty and life to the architect’s plans.
Visual impact begins in the main entryway, where a unique palette of materials and colors coexist. Light and dark slate forms in a circle where a 54” round table will anchor conversation and camaraderie. Traveling down the hallway, a brick hopscotch pattern will become a focal point where plainness normally would prevail.
In the kitchen, Mendocino cherry cabinetry integrates with lighter window trim, stainless steel, and distressed flooring, lending lived-in, yet polished allure.
As the rest of the home unveils itself, creative use of materials — especially on the winding staircase — continues. Here, cherry handrails, metal spindles, and lower level hickory flooring are made even brighter and more inviting by the natural light flooding in from ample windows.
“The stairway leads down to the indoor sports court, and so it’s the lead-in to the home’s ‘surprise factor,’” said Wayne Visbeen, AIA, IIDA of Grand Rapids-based Visbeen Associates, Inc., and architect for Design Home ’08. “It had to be fun.”
Exposed rafters and column details throughout the home make the ceiling just as interesting — if not more so — as the flooring, railings and cabinetry. These small details make up the whole, affording each room a distinct personality while preserving a practical traffic pattern.
Just like a diverse collection of flora and fauna make up the total package of nature’s best views, a variety of materials makes this home masterful.
