David Small Designs
  • About UsWe believe that transformative design involves a well-considered, practical use of space. Learn more about our design philosophy, our team and our award-winning projects.
  • Architectural Design ServicesTo us, a home is a platform for dreams and ambitions. We specialize in designing custom homes and realizing dynamic renovations that perfectly reflect our clients’ lifestyle aspirations.
  • Interior Design ServicesA home’s interior should interact seamlessly with its architectural façade and natural surroundings, while being the perfect space for a family to live and thrive.
  • Our PortfolioExplore our modern, transitional and traditional home designs—and experience the Natural Modern design aesthetic in its many forms.
  • Get StartedOur team is waiting to help you realize your distinct home design vision. Let’s take the road less travelled together.
  • Menu

The majesty of Mountain Modern design

July 15, 2021/in News /by Jack Shepherd

In developing the Natural Modern design ethos early in our firm’s history, we focused on the seamless integration of custom home architecture with the surrounding landscape. The goal was to create a school that was as distinctive as it was unmistakable. We’ve since employed it across a wide range of urban locales, but it was when we introduced Natural Modern to an alpine setting that it took on an entirely new life. In that context, we began referring to our design approach as Mountain Modern. It’s one that has garnered the attention of home owners from across North America for its uncompromising commitment to architectural truth. It embodies a spirit that combines family-friendly features while accommodating a multitude of diverse lifestyle needs.

Construction photo of natural modern home.

Perhaps it goes without saying that situating a custom home amid towering mountains sets the stage for architectural design success. Rugged cliff sides, seemingly endless sunsets and awe-inspiring vistas offer the ultimate natural canvas to create a truly unique home.

But capitalizing on those opportunities requires a deft architectural hand. It’s not uncommon for aggressively-designed homes to dominate their mountain setting, drawing attention to hulking forms and ill-conceived material selections rather than carefully integrating the home into the neighbouring landscape. Mountain modern is a design language all its own, one that’s voiced softly—listening and respecting rather than attempting to obnoxiously overpower.

Colorado custom home mid construction.

An enduring presence aligned with nature

So, what defines Mountain Modern? The style relies heavily on natural materials—think exterior use of stone and timber—textured treatments and robust structuring. But it also welcomes the use of industrial-inspired materials such as exposed steel columns. It nods to traditional European alpine architecture with sharp roof peaks and ample use of exterior glazing, but references the topography that frames it with an embrace of chiselled angularity and a distinctive boldness.

It conveys a sense of durability and resilience. This is a reflection of the enduring nature of alpine environments themselves. They are a steadfast presence, staking claim to their space for millennia. While we would never be so presumptuous to assume that one of our homes would enjoy that sort of epoch-spanning longevity, our structures are designed for multiple generations of families to enjoy and build lasting memories.

A Mountain Modern home also makes extensive use of earthen tones and a neutral colour palette that forms a natural bond with the rocky or coniferous-covered terrain that surround it. It is striking, yet blends in seamlessly. The mountain speaks, while the home sits patiently listening.

Perhaps most importantly, it works with the property on which it sits, leveraging slope and immovable natural features such as rock outcroppings or boulders as design features. It seeks to create a boundary-less connection between indoors and out.

Our signature use of covered terraces, outdoor living areas and floor-to-ceiling designs, flooding indoor spaces with natural light from soaring windows, create a feeling of warmth and comfort. Mountain Modern homes are positioned to maximize seasonal light exposure and to capture year-round alpine views.

Architectural rendering with monoslope and large windows.

A Colorado alpine escape

Informed by breathtaking Rocky Mountain scenery, our current project in Evergreen Colorado—approximately 20 miles west of Denver—is likely the finest example of our Mountain Modern ethos put into practice.

When complete, the family home’s mono-slope roofline, floor-to-ceiling windows and accentuated deck overhangs will allow its owners to unwind and enjoy the space throughout the seasons. Maximizing the time for family connections and relaxation was a key focus in the design discovery process. We worked with the owners to understand their lifestyle requirements, how they planned to utilize this inspired structure, along with their long-term residential ambitions.

In the final design, every space was utilized to its full potential, with flat roofs on each storey unveiling multi-level decks that integrate exterior and interior spaces and help focus attention on the nearby peaks. The cascading effect of the home’s design is informed by nearby mountain streams and further underscores our goal of creating direction connections to the local environment.

Inside, nearly every principal living area is defined by towering glass panes that frame the Rocky Mountains in all of their idyllic splendour. The objective was for the residents to wake up each morning and look across the horizon as if they were staring into the pages of an alpine magazine, daydreaming about one day immersing themselves in the mountains’ dream-like magnificence.

Only in this case, that view is theirs to cherish for as long as they occupy their Colorado home.

Looking to create your own Mountain Modern masterpiece? Contact a member of our team today to learn more about our custom home design process and our architectural design methodology.

The David Small Design Team

https://www.dsdamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/feature-us-mountain-modern.jpg 971 1200 Jack Shepherd https://www.dsdamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/David-Small-Designs-Logo.svg Jack Shepherd2021-07-15 12:00:012021-08-11 16:45:06The majesty of Mountain Modern design

The intrigue and opportunity of the corner lot

July 1, 2021/in News, Custom Home Design /by Jack Shepherd

Every corner is an opportunity. In geometry it’s the point where two straight lines meet, creating an entirely new dynamic. Those lines can then diverge in different directions, but their intersection serves as a foundation for the journey that comes next. When a custom home is built on a corner lot, it takes pride of place in a neighbourhood and creates a similarly intriguing junction. It becomes a focal point. The architectural designer can leverage that intersection to frame the home’s composition in exciting ways—creating a structure that’s both interesting and distinctive, then grounding everything around it.

Living room with green chair, exposed stone and black frame windows.

With three elevations visible from the street, the angularity of the corner lot home’s architecture can sit on full display, accentuating glass, stone, wood or whatever material clads the exterior. Feature windows can take on exciting prominence just as pavilions are poised to elevate sightlines and exposures.

Stepped rooflines and corner peaks add layers of dimension and depth, producing a home design that speaks to its owner’s identity, while engaging in a lively conversation with the surrounding neighbourhood. Landscaping can be designed to add flare and complement the architecture in stunning ways. That includes potentially creating multiple outdoor living spaces that capitalize on the home’s positioning.

Corners allow for unparalleled creativity, in other words, but demand the utmost attention to detail. Thoughts on privacy and the intricacies of engaging in harmony with the streetscape should always warrant careful consideration.

As such, leveraging the full opportunity of a corner lot requires a strategic approach to design. Developing a holistic site plan that accounts for the property’s defining characteristics and integrates important considerations such as outdoor elements requires a deft design hand. At David Small Designs, for example, our Natural Modern aesthetic is focused on ensuring that our custom homes take their natural surroundings into account in a meaningful and deliberate manner.

Corner lots at play

One recent project, aptly named The Corner Lot, perfectly captures that design ethos.

The home’s positioning and extensive use of feature windows helps flood its living spaces with natural light. By positioning the garage on the narrow wide of the lot, our team was able to ensure that rooms such as the kitchen and den were afforded optimal views of the property. That includes sightlines to the remarkable backyard featuring a pool, cabana and spa area designed to maximize the owner’s year-round outdoor enjoyment of the home.

Mississauga house with stone columns, wood front door and wall sconce.

We achieved a similar result with The Glass Corner, winner of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association Awards of Distinction 2017 for Most Outstanding Custom Home (5,001 sq.ft. and over). In this case, a two-storey glass corner offered sweeping views of the property, produced an instantly-recognizable architectural feature and forged a clear connection between outdoor and indoor spaces. As with The Corner Lot, this home’s high-traffic spaces are immersed in natural light, enhancing livability and achieving the home owner’s goal of marrying a modern aesthetic with a warm and welcoming interior ambience.

Modern California home with natural stone, corner windows and black trim.

For the California Corner, in Menlo Park, CA, we took inspiration from the Natural Modern aesthetic of David’s House, positioning the home in a way that leverages sight lines to the street and maximizes light exposure. Once complete, California Corner’s contemporary architecture is sure to become a prominent feature of this fast-growing Silicon Valley neighbourhood, located a short 15-minute drive from the area’s most notable architectural landmark, Apple Park.

A chance to create something special

It’s not uncommon for aspiring custom home owners to be reluctant to build on a corner lot. From a perceived lack of privacy to the need for more intricate landscaping across elevations, they often worry that designing a corner-based property involves excessive complexity and added architectural design costs. In most cases, this simply isn’t true.

In fact, we see a corner lot as an architectural gift—a chance to create something special for you and your family to thrive. It’s an opportunity to build a cozy and inviting home with architectural allure—pitched angles, structural roofs and towering windows that add detail and life to the interior spaces where most of your memories will be made.

It’s an opportunity that should never be overlooked.

The David Small Design Team

https://www.dsdamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/178Norman_HR003-1800x1202-1.jpg 1202 1800 Jack Shepherd https://www.dsdamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/David-Small-Designs-Logo.svg Jack Shepherd2021-07-01 12:00:092021-08-11 16:45:06The intrigue and opportunity of the corner lot

Pages

  • Homepage
  • LP – Colorado
  • Modern
  • About
  • Traditional
  • Architectural Design Services
  • Transitional
  • Interior Design Services
  • Renovation
  • Our Portfolio
  • United States
  • Blog
  • In the Media
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • David’s House – The Design
  • David’s House – The Build

Categories

  • Design Showcase
  • News
  • Custom Home Design
  • Interior

Archive

  • April 2022
  • January 2022
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • July 2020
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2015
  • February 2015
  • July 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • June 2012

Design Matters

Contact

Toll Free:
+1 833 271 9100

Copyright David Small Designs | Privacy | Newsletter

Copyright David Small Designs
Privacy | Newsletter

Scroll to top

 

Stay in touch

Let’s continue the design conversation and share ideas as we take the custom home journey together.

  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.