When clients come to us with the goal of designing a custom home, they are often embarking on a new chapter in life. Transitional moments such as the following create an opportunity to examine how you want to live with fresh eyes:
- After years of round-the-clock work, you’ve finally sold the small business you started. Now it’s time to set your own hours and get away from the city.
- Or, you’ve inherited a plot of land that’s been in the family for generations. It has a beautiful view of a lake but is in serious need of updated lodging if it’s going to be your weekend getaway.
- Maybe you’ve accepted a job in a new city, and after months of searching for the right home, discovered an infill lot that’s in commuting range of your new office.
In each of these cases—or whatever your next chapter may entail—the design of your new home should improve not only this phase of life, but future phases as well.
A program for your life
At Turkel Design, our interactive design and planning process prompts you to consider how your home will facilitate the lifestyle you want. We guide you to think about the spaces in and around the home, the emotions they should spark now and in the future, and how you will use them over time.
Whether clients are coming into the process with a clear vision of their new home, or they need more guidance, this exercise inevitably generates excitement. Sharing priorities for a new home provides a window into one’s hopes and dreams. Our team then synthesizes those hopes and dreams into a design that often exceeds the clients’ expectations. “Turkel Design listened to us and came up with ideas and solutions that were far better than we’d even imagined,” says a homeowner in Ontario, Canada.
An Aspen aspiration
The owners of Aspen Valley Home were looking forward to a quiet retreat in pristine surroundings. In addition to the larger goal of a home that “existed seamlessly within nature”—a goal accomplished in part by enclosing the primary living spaces in double-height glass—the couple had specific ideas about the program. For example, they wanted a primary suite on the main level, with guest suites above. “I wanted to feel like we were in a small home that was really just for us and we wouldn’t have to walk by other rooms,” says one of the owners, a former tech executive.
The resulting primary suite, framing views on two sides and with retractable glass doors that lead to a patio and swimming pool, is a magical space within the home. “We have this incredible proximity from our bedroom to the kitchen, to the swimming pool, to the landscape, that guides us in a really clear, super livable way as we move from our bedroom into our morning ritual.”
The Aspen homeowners praised the holistic nature of our design process, as well as the thinking and reflection that it sparked. “What I found unique, and what no other architect I’ve worked with did, is that before [the Turkel Design team] designed anything, we talked about life stages and how we are living today, and then what the next chapter will entail, and then the next chapter,” says the former tech exec.
“[Turkel Design] really challenges you to think about what you want over a long window of time, because their homes are intended to evolve with you over more than one phase of life. Working on the home became a beautiful journey that I’ll always remember and treasure, because it allowed me to reflect on my own life’s journey.”
The phases of our lives are often framed by our homes. A well-considered custom home can help make the next phase of your life the best one yet.
Get in touch
We would love to speak with you about designing a home that fits your life, for the next chapter and beyond.
Contact us today.
