HGTV House Wars: Let the Battle Begin!

As a part of their TV show, House Hunters, HGTV has created a game on their website called "House Wars," where homes of all types go head-to-head for America's votes. Four of our homes have been included in this competition - the Ingleside, Ellsworth, Winhurst and Rylestone. The Ingleside has become one of the top fourteen most popular homes with over 5,000 votes so far!

To play the game, click here to visit HGTV's website. You will be shown a photo of two homes that are battling it out. Just click on the photo of the one you like best to cast your vote. When you see our homes come up, please vote for them!

Great Lake Story: Final Chapter

Here is the final chapter of Michigan Blue Magazine's Great Lake Story in their winter issue, on newsstands now. Blue Magazine is chronicling Jim & Susan Buda's experience with Visbeen Associates and Bos Homes and their journey designing and building in South Haven's Boardwalk. In order to easily read the article, click here.

Office Building & Fitness Center

Here are a few conceptual 3D views of an office building and fitness center designed by Visbeen Associates. It is designed to have 6,500 sq ft of office space on the main level with a lower level fitness center complete with full service locker rooms. Contact us today if you have any commercial designing needs!

To view more images of this project, visit our website > gallery > commercial projects > offices > Watermark Office & Fitness Ctr.

Sports Author David L. Brown Endorses Visbeen Associates, Inc.

Visbeen Associates has been endorsed in a press release by David L. Brown, a sports author out of Ohio who wrote the book compilation, Athlete Career Killers. Read what he has to say about our firm:

Architectural Tutorial: Windows, Windows, Windows!

The lesson for today is on windows, windows and more windows! There are many different types of windows and component terms that go with them, so we will be outlining what the terms mean and pictorial examples of each in Visbeen Associates designs.

1. Casement

Definition: A window unit hinged along the left or right side. The opposite side to the hinge, opens away from the house (like a door).

(http://www.stegbar.com.au/services/resource_centre/general_information/glossary/)

2. Double-Hung

Definition: Two vertically sliding sashes which by-pass each other in a single frame.

(http://www.stegbar.com.au/services/resource_centre/general_information/glossary/)

Cottage Style double-hungs are windows in which the upper sash is shorter than the lower sash. (www.roofingstorellc.com/consumer-education/glossary-roofing-windows.html)

3. Divided Light

Definition:

True divided light sashes have small panes of glass separated by muntins. Visbeen Associates typically use simulated divided light windows, where there is one pane of glass with muntins affixed to the glass to create the illusion of a division.

(http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/glossary/)

4. Mullions

Definition: a nonstructural vertical strip between the casements or panes of a window (or the panels of a screen). (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)

5. Muntin

Definition: A vertical or horizontal divider between individual panes of glass within a window.(http://www.almanac.com/content/homeowners-glossary)

6. Picture

Definition: A large non-oerating window designed for maximum view without obstruction. (http://stegbar.com/au/services/resource_centre/general_information/glossary/)

eightWest River House Condo Design Challenge

The judges of the River House Condo Design Challenge were interviewed on eightWest yesterday. Go to our facebook page for photos from the interview and view the video clip below. If you missed the first segment on the challenge, click here to see our post from October. We will be posting more information here on our blog and on Facebook as the challenge progresses, so check back!

Muirfield

Luxury reigns in this French-inspired estate, with its distinctive Mansard roof, European-style stone façade and copper detailing. The sprawling main level includes a central living and dining area with an adjacent gourmet kitchen with central island and nearby master suite with large master bath and walk-in closet. The lower level includes a home theater, exercise area, billiards room and guest bath.

To view more images of this home, visit our website > gallery > residential projects > estates > Muirfield.

Designed by Visbeen Associates and built by Doug Sumner Builders.

Made in Michigan #1: Pewabic Pottery

Many of the products that are used in the homes we design are made right here in Michigan. With interest to "think global, buy local," our blog will be featuring products and companies in the construction industry that are made or headquartered here in Michigan. Read our first feature below and check out photos from our visit to Pewabic Pottery's studio below:

Pewabic Pottery is a glazing studio and pottery school in Detroit, Michigan. A long-standing example of renowned local craftsmanship, Pewabic is the only historic, early 20^th century pottery studio still in existence today. The tiles and decorative pottery produced by Pewabic made a mark on the world of art and architecture, and remain a recognizable symbol of the Arts and Crafts movement of post-industrial America.

Ceramic artist Mary Chase Perry and her partner, Horace Caulkins, founded the studio together in 1903. Caulkins was considered a kiln specialist. His expertise provided Pewabic Pottery with his one-of-a-kind invention, the “Revelation Kiln.” Originally created to supplement his dental supply business, Caulkins realized this portable, high heat oven might have a market with artists who worked in ceramics or china painting. The two entrepreneurs partnered to demonstrate and sell the kilns and went on to establish a new studio, eventually called Pewabic Pottery. The Chippewa word means “clay with a copper color.” It was chosen in remembrance of Perry’s childhood spent in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near a mine named Pewabic.

Although the first major purchases from Pewabic were for vases and bowls, Perry was convinced the company should expand its horizons. Her friend and future husband, architect William Stratton, was working on a residential project in the Detroit area, and looking for new materials with which to decorate the home’s fireplace. Stratton gave the commission to Perry’s small company, and the result was a new direction for Pewabic. Architectural tiles became a large part of the business, and the founders began to consider expansion and the construction of a larger workspace. William Stratton designed the Tudor Revival studio built on East Jefferson Street in 1907, where Pewabic Pottery continues to operate today.

In keeping with the artistic philosophies of the time, Mary Chase Perry began to move away from the frilly intricacies of Art Noveau and the lifeless, mass-produced art of the Industrial Revolution. She expressed a desire to capture the best of her creativity in its simplest form. Her pottery and tile designs reflected this notion, and were in high demand by artists, builders and architects who were defining the Arts and Crafts era. There was a pull toward authenticity, handcrafting, and rawness that Pewabic provided with their individually designed pieces. Perry was constantly working to create new glazes, and in 1909 she finally achieved the iridescent finish she had been striving to discover. The glaze was said to glow. Critics praised its beauty, and declared the pieces priceless. Thus began the true prominence of Pewabic Pottery.

Residential and commercial orders came in from all over the country. Pewabic designed tiles and created murals for churches, state capitols, hotels, museums, office buildings, restaurants and private homes. The shimmering glazes of this small Detroit pottery studio adorned facades from Nebraska to New York. Some of the more notable projects completed by Pewabic over the years were St. Paul’s Cathedral in Detroit, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the Public Library of Detroit, Nebraska’s state capitol building in Lincoln, and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

After the death of Horace Caulkin, Perry continued to run the company, with the help of Caulkin’s widow. She remained the chief decision maker and artistic voice of the studio until her death in 1961, at the age of 94. At that time, the studio was given to Michigan State University in order to facilitate art education. In 1991, Pewabic Pottery was designated a National Historic Landmark, and continues to operate as a non-profit educational institute.

The impact of Pewabic tiles on the world of art and architecture is undeniable. This small Michigan business set a standard for simple, beautiful handiwork and simultaneously transformed the face of decorative architecture. The studio on East Jefferson continues to function, featuring a commercial store at the front of the building. Curious shoppers are obliged to sneak a peak behind the scenes, as the studio and workspace are accessible to visitors. Pewabic tiles remain in high-demand, furnishing private homes and public projects nation-wide with authentic designs and iridescent glazes created by Mary Chase Perry over 100 years ago.

Genevieve Sylvia, a designer at Pewabic Pottery, tells Wayne Visbeen of Visbeen Associates and Joel Peterson, from Insignia Homes, about residential applications for Pewabic's products. Behind their showroom, Pewabic's products are hand-crafted and painted on site in their pottery studio.

Wilcox Gardens: Chapter Five

In that latest edition of Grand Rapids Magazine, you will find Chapter Five of the Wilcox Gardens Story. If you have missed previous chapters, you can view them all here on our blog. Just put in the key word search "Wilcox Gardens" and get caught up!