I have no idea what is in your brain so the best you can do is troll the internet to find something close that you can modify .

Yes I’ve tried and haven’t found a thing I like that’s bang on, you know?

Maybe I’m just terrible at searching?

I have saved images and such but while I admire them I’m discovering I like ALL SORTS of beautiful homes and there is no unifying theme. I have no ‘vision’ because I can find anything from a Federal to a Cape Cod to a Brutalist cube pretty. And my interior loves seem to range from Arts and Crafts to Contemporary, but I just can’t pick one style that feels ‘me’?

I like too much on here, and love almost none of it. That’s why I was hoping to describe it on here and get other people’s eyes on it to help me narrow down or zero in on which way we should go. Functionality we have nailed, but we have no strong design aesthetic that we can take to her :(. I don’t want a hodgepodge house but I also can’t to a slavish period interpretation of a style, none of those work for us.

Just typing it out feels so depression LOL

@patricia That’s what I’ve been doing for years. Sigh. I was hoping that by describing some of the site and our history and what has appealed to us that some talented folks may be able to direct us to something we may not have considered?

Are we even on the right track in terms of PNW modern but transposed onto the Midwest in a way that wouldn’t make a hillside house in a subdivision of nice real estate stick out like a sore thumb?

What's wrong with these from your own ideabook?

La Grange Park Residence · More Info

Tarrytown House · More Info

Porch of the Week: Covered Deck Transforms a Ho-Hum Backyard · More Info

Country Retreat · More Info

@color zen - thanks for the idea. The modern craftsmans all look pretty awful to us - the complex rooflines are ick, we don’t like the rafter tails, and they tend to be too gaudy and too tall for a home that would already sit higher than anything else in the neighborhood by elevation (it’s the highest point in our county and the lot next to it is pretty much unbuildable in terms of driveway).

The interiors of the modern craftsmans feel pretty close to what I like, maybe not quite sleek enough? But the exteriors are all wrong.

Could be even mix that sort of interior with a cleaner and more horizontal exterior without it feeling like it doesnt know what it wants to be?

I’m not sure where I saved this image from, but we like this feel except for the lack of symmetry? And the roofline is way too complex.

This kitchen is so beautiful, but maybe too traditional? Because I also love these stairs!

We love wood, painted wood, tile, concrete, some masonry. But we like modern too. I don’t know how to wed the two :’(

@groveraxle - I just saved those this past weekend but I wasn’t sure if I was on the right track. I sound like the most indecisive person in the world as I type this out and I’m sure I’m overthinking it big time???

I popped those projects into my ideabook to talk over with my husband because I like projected entrances and the hipped roof feel of prairie, I think.

I’m afraid I like a lot of the La Grange one, but it would be too expensive for us to build right and would of scale to a multi story accessible hillside dwelling In terms of style? So many of the Prairie homes are, well, flat. Our site is kind of complex and that has added to my worry and confusion over what could possibly work.

Are there more images like those you can find? I’ve had a rough time with finding modern FLW-inspired stuff that doesn’t have crazy angles or is multi story :).

Oh, and the Tarrytown house is good on that exterior elevation, but too modern and Asian inside. https://www.houzz.com/projects/8488/:seo

That but maybe a bit more Arts and Crafts in the styling, so my fiberarts and love of nonsense like tile mosaics and antiques doesn’t feel totally weird?

Ugh, looking over La Grange again the budget isn’t even just the issue - it’s too dark and serious. No playfulness or ease about it, no color. I like the trimwork and column shape though, but with a fair bit of that painted out in white and with a whole lot more variety on the wall colors?

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/la-grange-park-residence-traditional-exterior-chicago-phvw-vp~100464[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/la-grange-park-residence-traditional-exterior-chicago-phvw-vp~100464)

Exterior has some incredible beauty, though I think we prefer concrete/stucco, masonry, siding, and steel to brick!

https://www.houzz.com/projects/545859/:seo

Just found this one again - no to the exterior materials, a little too heavy with the masonry, but the interior is so beautiful. Maybe a little more color and some painted out wood mixed with the natural?

I FEEL LIKE I’M GETTING CLOSER! yay? How do I find more like this?

When seeking out architectural styles, I like to start with the source and modernize from there (sometimes the budget will do the modernizing). Don't forget to design all the way to the property edge.

This one has a gentle slope but the flat roof may not work well.

This one has nice stone That was originally brought to Michigan for the original construction, but stone from Indiana was used for recent renovations.

This one may be too vertical for your site.

This one may work. (Renovation of the landscaping is being preformed to bring it back to the original design)

Make your design so nice you can sit inside it and look at it.

And make sure to make the interior compliments the exterior.

Photo #1: Melvyn Maxwell Smith and Sara Stein Smith House

Photo #2: Howard Anthony Residence

Photo #3: Darwin D. Martin Gardener’s Cottage

Photo #4-7: Darwin D. Martin House

as an FYI - in a new neighborhood in my area - I am seeing more lower roof pitches, modern craftsman looking exteriors and less McMansion-y, French Country, white / back windowed, board and batten, and roofline abominations and some more simple lines that are invoking a more FLW style. $1M plus.

My guess is that if you take this style - you'll simply be ahead of the curve.

@Mark - interesting idea! That’s kind of where I was landing with thinking we might go prairie school but modern... but didn’t know how to get there. I can see your points in the picture analysis and we have the same issue with snow here in Ohio too, where a lot of the lower roof slopes are a no go (and optimal solar for our site requires a 6 on 12 roof pitch).

The landscaping is a good point too. I was drawn to some properties that had extensive courtyard and backyard hardscaping, even if a natural and unfussy variety, because it felt more thought out and intentional. With the slope of our site I figure a fair bit of the upper flat area and shoulder by the garage and entrance would have to be tiered and landscaped from the getgo as part of the architectural so it felt cohesive.

That Darwin D Martin house is amazing! I LOVE it, except for the dark/heavy aspect. How would one go about lightening the exterior facade in ‘feel’ without making it not fit anymore - would that be just a change in color or could one adjust the material too? Interior has much the same thing - it just feels a little too closed and heavy, too dark, brightening that would be on the right track. How do I show or describe that in a way our architect (or even my spouse?) would understand?

Saying “like this but.... different” makes him want to throttle me ;)

We are in Michigan, so a little north of Ohio. Try looking at Frank Lloyd Wright works in Chicago area, maybe a little Alden B. Dow too. Love the aesthetic minus the flat roof...snow and flat roof space just don't play well together.

Nearly all Frank Lloyd Wright houses suffer from severe structural issues, lack of proper foundation and correctly sized support, undersized beams and leaky roofs, very expensive maintenance.

=

Other than that they are awesome.

This one looks like sort of a mix with the symmetrical frame.

I wish you much luck! We are currently building a house and the roof line is a little complex, which is making the process take a little longer than we like.

I also found this one.

@BT - my husband is a licensed structural engineer and we have talked about this at length. It’s the aesthetic and design of the prairie school we like, not so much a slavish faithfulness to an ideal. Sound structure is both a must and a given, I totally agree!

The architect knows the house will be ICF (fiber reinforced concrete, not rebar) with post tensioned strands and precast roof panels, so undersized beams and a leaky roof won’t be a thing hopefully. Husband reassured me that, whatever style I picked, he could make it happen with concrete and steel instead of timber frame so I’m holding him to it!

I do love the idea of a motif that is repeated throughout the structure, like window design or enfilade archways/doorways. Would that work with a more modernized arts and crafts style still? I think it should but I’m no expert, I figured I’d tell the architect I thought it was important and hope she could work it in sanely and without messing up the building envelope and making my spouse twitchy!

The more I look at that Darwin D Martin House online, the more I love it! Lots of symmetry and repetition in the geometry. That gardener’s cottage is nearly perfect!

@rebecca - I like the second picture, though I’ve been trying to figure out how to keep the proportion correct with our site and necessary basement level garage, which will make the right side of the property have two or even theee stories of home (we have six children, space is a Thing ;) ).

The first picturw feels out of proportion with that front mass though, I like the symmetry but something about it is off. Maybe the column height plus the bay window?

Have your architect read this thread.

Speaking of Alden Dow, I did an addition to a cottage with one of his retired partners. It was one of the best architectural experiences I ever had. He was looking for an architect to complete the design, produce the construction drawings, and supervise the construction (while he golfed in South Caroline over the winter). I showed him my work in my portfolio and he asked me to help him on the project. He asked me if I would like to see some of his projects and I of course said yes. He pulled out magazines with articles written about buildings he designed. I was humbled and honored to work with him.

He spoke very highly of Alden, and is a great designer and gentleman himself. He taught me the architectural term "tickle".

I will totally share this thread with the architect, that’s a fantastic idea.

Have you read this? http://www.ohiohistory.org/file%20library/historic%20preservation/survey%20and%20inventory/rpstyles.pdf

There's this too: http://realtywise.com/types-of-houses-found-in-cleveland-ohio/

@aphaea No I hadn’t seen either of those! The first one is very lengthy but I can tell just by a skim it will be a useful read, so I’ll chew through that tomorrow. Thank you!

The Realtywise link is very concise, I appreciate that for the quick overview.

Two of the best books I have found on residential architecture styles are:

American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home by Lester R. Walker

A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia Savage McAlester and Lee McAlester

I’d agree Virgil, except she specifically asked for images and inspiration of things we like and the style we want the home to be, before we begin, so she has an idea of what sort of elements would be appropriate with our list of desires. And I have had a heck of a time figuring out what is ‘me’ when I like everything and love nothing, because my bookmarks and images are all over the place and the style from my previous locale that I truly loved isn’t appropriate for where we moved.

I do think it’s probably in the weeds for me to worry about massing and proportion, but because of our site those are major concerns in keeping house-on-a-hill syndrome from setting in. And it’s just been a struggle to find good examples of arts and crafts/prairie/craftsman homes really well integrated into their hillside topography - I think I know what I want but I haven’t seen anything that screams ‘YES!’.

I did go over some of these with DH last night and he was mostly positive, though concerned about adequate eave vents on some of the designs. But after talking it out and exploring some of these images and what doesn’t work for me with them I think we are edging in on our ‘style’, which was what she requested. I don’t want to design the house for her, though we are capable. But she had two requirements to go into the initial design meeting and I could only really fulfill one (a list of needs and how we live, want the space to function day to day - I’ve had that solid for ages). I really wanted to whittle down my design ideas to something cohesive for our region and personal tastes, maybe ten or fifteen images I could be confident actually would be fairly descriptive of what we wanted.

When I started this it was like a tour of architecture and design and nothing that would work in the same state, let alone the same house ;)

I think what Virgil is saying is come up with pictures of elements that appeal to you not an entire design. Then flesh out verbally what it is that appeals to you about those elements. An architect, or at least a good one, isn't going to just willy-nilly slap those disparate elements together and call it a house. But it's a jumping-off point for an architect to get a visual of what you find appealing.

@DLM that makes sense, certainly. I‘m feeling a bit more confident on that count after having talked through some of this, but I still feel like I need to whittle down my ideas quite a bit so it’s not so all over the place, but at least I kind of feel like we can get something we like that fits in this state now - that was a real concern, when we were previously planning to build on an arctic mountainside and all design ideas were oriented toward that for the previous decade!

Your architect will be very resourceful in helping you whittle things down. All my clients have ideas that are all over the place . . . except the ones reading this.

As far as architectural style, all your architect may need to know is what Statement you want your house to make.

@Mark do you really think so? That was my original hope, that she could kind of guide us to what look and feel would work based on our goals - classic but not a time capsule, warm, symmetrical and well balanced, but comfortable and colorful too. So when she requested images of the style that spoke to us the most I think I made a deer in the headlights face. But I recognize she’s doing art as much as science in trying to draft up a dream space, and a picture is worth a thousand words (though I could provide thousands of words, obviously ;) ).

This has honestly been an embarrassing problem to have. I’ve been on Houzz for years, and thinking about this project for over a decade. But now that we are finally getting ready to pull the trigger on design I come to find that I have no clear vision in my head of ‘my home’. I know how I want it to live and what it must have. Can see a tile finish or built in or vista I know I want windows to capture. However the actual building envelope is a complex enough problem that it’s like a fuzzy blob overlaying our site every time I try to picture it.

It feels like everyone else on this forum knows exactly what they want or what their style is, what they resonate with. But there’s so much beautiful work out there (and much more awful!), so many architects and interior designers I respect and appreciate. It seems to have given me analysis paralysis to try and actually make a decision ane narrow down a huge field of gorgeous that isn’t quite clicking.

This thread was apparently my pre-charette therapy session!?

Well...have you considered saying to your architect, "...I want the house to be one with its site...and I want it to be comfortable with this region...". "What do you suggest?" "Why don't we explore some options and see what develops?"...

@Virgil, we are definitely going to express how we want it to integrate with the site.

That’s also such a good day way to phrase the style issue - we were a little trepidatious about asking for what is common to the region because we actively dislike much of it, but *comfortable* among the local stuff without actually being like it is a better way to capture the sentiment.

Thanks for the idea!

Just remember that "design is a patient search"...the ideal, exciting solution almost never derives from the first idea. In fact, I used to tell architecture students that their first idea is almost always not their best idea.

Good architecture takes a bit of time to investigate all the important things and find ways to get them into a creative resolution.

But the design search is almost always worth it. And in your case, with your taste and issues, it's likely it may take several conceptual studies to find the one worth developing.

Good luck on your project.

Excellent advice and I can see the wisdom in it, thank you Virgil.

After ten years...

I have had a heck of a time figuring out what is ‘me’ when I like
everything and love nothing, because my bookmarks and images are all
over the place and the style from my previous locale that I truly loved
isn’t appropriate for where we moved.

A residential architect must be half (or is it one quarter? or one half? or one eighth? or two fifths? or....) psychologist!

@worthy, I really think they must be! Ha! If they didn’t want the “figure out people’s thoughts and desires” part I figure they’d have stuck to commercial architecture and not residential ;)

The older I get the more I appreciate the law and psychology classes I took.