Real, natural materials. (Not fake)
Black window frames. (Not white)
Big glass.
No trim.
Two simple, well-defined 3D shapes contrasted (consistently) with color, material, height, and depth.
BIG overhangs. (No, not 2 or 3 feet. 8 feet!)
Two or three materials maximum.
Get rid of clutter.
Exterior materials that continue seamlessly to the interior.
Don’t use so much damn drywall.
This one needs repeating: stop using so much damn drywall! Design a house to be smaller with nicer materials to stay on budget. McMansions are uninteresting giant boxes clad with boring hardie cement board or vinyl lap siding on the outside and drywall on the inside. A smaller home with nicer material is more enriching to live in:)
That’s it. Follow this format, and you will have a cool house.
If you’d like to learn more about our design process, visit www.josharch.com/process, and if you’d like to get us started on your project with a feasibility report, please visit www.josharch.com/help