June 1, 2013 | TAB Associates Blog

Inside Scoop: How Do Rooms Get Their Names?

Have you ever wondered about how the rooms in your home received their name? To help you understand, we have broken down the meaning of the most popular rooms and where they get their name from in a recent post we published on the DCD Home website. Check it out for yourself:

What is in a name anyway? Great Room, the most misused room name today. A BIG Living Room is not a Great Room. It may be a GREAT room, but unless the Kitchen and Dining are part of the same space, it is just a plain old Living Room, maybe large nonetheless.

Colloquial terms are head scratchers too. In Florida, a room that started as a screened porch, then got jalousie windows, then finally awning windows was a Florida Room. It is just a renovated closed-in screen porch. And the screen porch here in Colorado is a Lanai. I think it is a Hawaiian name?!

The room next to the Kitchen, the one with the couch. No, not the Living Room. The less formal one. Some places it is a Family Room. Oh, not here in Colorado, it has a fireplace, so it must be the Hearth Room.

We once got a project from a developer, a lot in Beaver Creek, that had a set of design drawings with it. We threw them away, but in these drawings there was a foyer, then a hall named the Antebellum, then a cross axis hall. What in the hell is an Antebellum? We looked it up. It means “before the Civil War”. I guess it was a very OLD hall?! Why not Grand Hall? No, ‘Hall’ is negative, “that house has a lot of halls.” Wasted space. So we rename halls to friendly names, like Gallery. Yes, that is where we find art or sometimes just windows with plein art. Art is cultural. Culture is good. Gallery is good.

Office, Study, Library. Which is it? Can not be a Library unless it has lots of shelves and books. Lots of books. Is it a Study? What are we studying? It is probably an Office. But just part time.

Breakfast Nook? Is it really a nook? You can get six people and a turkey in there.

Mud Room. If you bring mud in there, Mom will whip your butt! Take your boots off in the Garage.

Awwww…. Powder Room. Not since the 80’s. It is not a half bath either. It has no bath, let alone a half of one. What should we call it? The Crapper? John D. was not fond of that one.

We need a Colorado Room. What do you think? A large dark room, with a nice bar, a pool table and a lot of dead animal heads on the walls, cigar smoke, and tequila. I like it. Feel free to use it. Or make up any other names that come to mind. We do, but we keep it in this century.

If you are looking to redesign your home or one of your rooms, please contact us at TAB Associates, Inc. We can be reached at 970-748-1470!

Architect 101: When to Call It Quits

When hiring an architect, you are hiring someone to come in and design your personal property to your liking. However, sometimes it just does not workout to your liking. That is when you may be thinking about relieving them of their duties. But when is the right time to do so? We are here to help and let you know when to call it quits on an architect.

Check out our published post on when to fire your architect that was published on the DCD Home website:

We have had a few clients who came to us after they fired their Architect. One client actually fired three different Architects before coming to us. They all live happily in their new homes in various gated communities in our beautiful valley. They have had various reasons, but the most common reason is the previous Architect’s inability to listen to their desires.

Architects need to keep their clients involved in every phase of a project. Starting with a proper analysis of the site, the client’s program needs to be developed primarily from client input. Program relationships follow suit here. The client’s involvement is most important during the conceptual design phase. A great concept with the full involvement goes a long way to a client’s embrace of the final results. An Architect who designs in a vacuum has done himself and his client a grave injustice. We say, “An Architect’s worst enemy is his ego”. Give up the ego and gain a satisfied client.

We, as Architects, are destined to provide our clients with professional expertise and design competence to fulfill their program requirements. A combination of art and science, sculpture and technical resolve, form the relationship of the Architect’s challenge to structure and site. Architecture is unlike the practice of medicine or law, because most people have a strong sense of what they like or dislike. Everyone has been in or seen a building they fancy. Few know the best medicine for their ailment or the most practical means of resolution to their legal woes.

Should I fire my Client?

Attentive clients are great. Those that share the enthusiasm we do make the process fun. This is an experience that takes at least five months in design and up to a year and a half or more in construction. The net result is a project that everyone can enjoy.

We have had to fire a few clients. One contracted for one size home and programmed a larger home. When informed their program exceeded their contractual size, they suggested we continue and see how it works out. When the completed home’s design exceeded the contractual amount, they would not pay the increased fees for the increased size.

Another case consisted of a client that was consistently absent minded of previous discussions. It made the process hell. The Project Manager was either contemplating suicide or murder. Life is too short to deal with people with no scruples.

Are Contractors good or evil?

We say Contractor make us look good. Sure we have to draw the right lines on the paper, but they are just lines. The constructed environment is far more difficult. Protocol in the office is if a Contractor calls with a question, stop what you are doing and help him solve his problem. We consider the Contractor an integral part of our team, Client, Architect and Contractor. Together we can make something great. The day of the Change Order Contractor is basically gone. Everything has value and someone is going to gain from it. Mistakes are inevitable, but the finesse of corrections is substantial.

Should I have fun?

Speaking of life being too short, if we are not having fun, doing what we do, then we stop! Architecture is a passion, far beyond a profession. It is in our brains, heart and soul. We get excited about the process and revel in the results.

Are we having fun yet?

Hell, yes. Come join us! It is how it should be!

If you’re looking to bring on a highly skilled architecture firm, contact us at TAB Associates, Inc. today.

TAB Additions & Renovations: Eagle River Presbyterian Church

Vail architects provide a variety of services to clients, from complete designs to renovations on residential and commercial property. Another part of the field that Vail architects have entered is working with organizations, providing construction, labor and materials that are in need for repairs, remodeling, or renovations.

A successful project involved the Eagle River Presbyterian Church. Renovations and additions were provided through the efforts of TAB Associates, Inc.

The construction and upgrades provided by TAB were designed to increase floorspace and update specific church areas. Changes included expanding the sanctuary, upgrading classrooms and office space and designing a new fellowship hall to include a larger kitchen. The fellowship hall and sanctuary have views of the Eagle River from the newly installed patio.

The addition of 11,000 square feet allows the church to expand and welcome new church members, provide additional room for Sunday services, and allows them to be available to serve as a venue for events such as weddings, christenings and group meetings. The Eagle River Presbyterian Church also serves as an office and home for Habitat for Humanity for Eagle County.

With foresight, vision and the client’s specific wants, needs and goals always in sight, TAB Associates, Inc. leads the way in design services that produce positive results for its clients and the community.

Explore the Latest Innovative Shower Fixtures from Kohler

With TAB Associates, Inc. in charge of bathroom designs, customers can be assured the latest styles in innovative bath fixtures will be included in the project. Several new shower fixtures available from Kohler feature what customers envision when it comes to modern and upscale fixtures.

Moxie is a combination showerhead and wireless speaker ideal for enjoying a relaxing shower to the accompaniment of your favorite music or singing along to your favorite tunes. The speaker has 7 hours of battery time.

Awaken provides three signature sprays. The wide range spray provides an overall thorough rinse. The intense showerhead features a more forceful and concentrated spray while the targeted spray has a powerful and focused water stream. The Awaken is available as a showerhead or handshower. Each allows easy movement between the spray types with a convenient lockable tab.

HydroRail is available for showers only or bath/shower combinations. The HydroRail shower column allows customization of a standard showerhead to an in-depth experience when choosing a handshower, rainhead or showerhead configuration. The HydroRail does not require any alternation of current in-wall plumbing and is easy to install.

Kohler has the sleek looking, easy-to-use and cutting edge fixtures you need for an extraordinary showering experience.

Custom Home Building Trends for 2013

Balancing space with modern luxuries is still a designing challenge in 2013.

Like most things in our day-to-day lives, current trends tend to play a role in our choices. For the 2013 season, several trends are leading the way in home design. Some trends are for space savers while others focus on convenience, technology and energy efficiency.

Space: Homes with a basement or a lower level offer the option of an additional room for adults, teens or children. The extra space is ideal as a place to entertain family or friends, set up a complete home theater and entertainment center, design a game room or create an exercise and weight room.

Formal dining rooms are being replaced and redesigned to use the space in a more productive way versus using the same space once in a while for special occasions. This adds more value to a room that can commonly go unnoticed until holidays or large gatherings.

Convenience: Creating a family work area, or resource area, in other words, near the kitchen provides a place to work whether it’s for school, business or the home. Work can be done without being isolated from the family.

Designing technology-friendly homes using multiple applications from an advanced cell phone to handle electronics, appliances, security and lighting is on the rise.

Energy: Current trends lean towards energy efficiency using geothermal heating and LED lighting.

At TAB Associates, Inc., we cater to our clients’ needs and vision in every home design project. For more information, contact us today at 970-766-1470.

Vail Interior Designer Spotlight: Tracie Schumacher at Studio 80

Vail interior designers are worth their weight in gold when it comes to putting a client’s vision into reality. One such Vail designer is Tracie Schumacher. With a team of talented designers with more than 50 years of experience collectively, Schumacher leads the Studio 80 team to the final goal of bringing a clients vision to fruition.

With a collaborative working environment that includes Architects, other design firms and contractors for private, residential and commercial projects, the end result by Studio 80 ensures the client is satisfied on all levels.

From renovations to luxury accommodations, Schumacher and company take on the task from start to finish providing project management, interior architecture and structural styling for specific designs such as fireplaces, custom designed furnishings as well as non-fixed furnishings.

Through visual presentations, clients see the project in progress through sketches and drawings that emphasize the lay out, space planning, special features, furniture placement and the overall style of the project. With clients as part of the team, it encourages a successful project will be achieved.

One of Schumacher’s latest projects is working with architectural firm, TAB Associates, Inc. ,on the Chen 3 Timber Springs project that focuses on open spaces and positive utilization of square footage to the maximum.