Uncategorized – Page 19

2 05, 2004

Sightlines make a huge impact

By Steve McKee|2004-05-02T05:11:31+00:00May 2nd, 2004|My favorite columns, Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Sightlines make a huge impact

Men, have you ever used a urinal where you are on display as soon as the door to the restroom is opened? Great piece of design, that. (Does sarcasm work in a newspaper?) Women, how about that restroom where you feel private as you work on your makeup, only to realize the mirror is reflecting everyone’s view in at you from the door after all? It’s about sightlines. They can be used for good as well as evil. They cost nothing and their impact is big. An example of a good sightline could include the long diagonal view across your [...]

Meeting of the minds in your design

By Steve McKee|2004-04-11T05:12:22+00:00April 11th, 2004|Before you begin, Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Meeting of the minds in your design

Want to know the main ingredient that goes into designing a house or a major remodel? It’s the collaboration between client and designer. It’s what you won’t see on the reality design shows on TV. None of them show the real interaction that goes into a good design process. (“Dream House” on HGTV at least gives it a nod.) I suppose showing this wouldn’t make for television as exciting as watching some poor sap whisked away temporarily so that his/her home can be “made over,” usually in some shocking way. It’s only natural that the best home designs are always [...]

Welcome to the new column

By Steve McKee|2004-03-21T05:13:35+00:00March 21st, 2004|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Welcome to the new column

Hi, folks. I’m an architect with an idea for a new column for the Herald. It’s inspired by the fact that many of the people I meet around Benicia have the same questions about home building and design. Maybe I can answer some of them here, in what I hope will be a casual and loose format. I anticipate this column to run once or twice a month. I’d like to write about all things having to do with the design and building of houses as I’ve come to know them, or as I can best research them. There may [...]