Image excerpt from Fine Homebuilding Drawing Board column about entry stoopsPick up the December 2010/January 2011 issue of Fine Homebuilding to see my latest "Drawing Board" column titled "Problem-solving entry stoops". 

In it, I illustrate both lower and taller stoops, a few with limited access, and one ideal (illustrated to the left) which includes porch-like, built-in seating. No matter your home's style, a thoughtfully designed entry-stoop can make a positive first impression.

View a PDF of the column here. Issue #216, December 2010/January 2011.  Reprinted with permission copyright 2010, The Taunton Press, Inc.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

A bay window like this embellishes an exterior elevation and creates an appealing nook on the interior from which to enjoy a stunning view. 

This one-story addition has the look of a beautifully enclosed porch. The cross-braced, half-wall suggests a guard rail, now infilled with vertical boards. The overall assembly has porchiness.

Corbelling beneath the bay softens the transition from the brick wall below to the projecting bay above, known as an oriel. There's something organic about how this oriel bulges out from the plane of the adjacent walls. It offers distinctive personality, bonus space, and a clear view beyond the confines of the primary structure. It's a keeper.

Read more about bays in an article I wrote and illustrated a few years ago for The Journal of Light Construction, available on the JLC website.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Dining room looking toward the living room in the Colonel William Moulton House c. 1920Salem enjoys a wealth of elegant historic homes from the Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival periods. Yet, often overlooked, but equally worthy of our attention, are Salem’s more informal (some might even say more approachable) homes of the Gothic Revival, Victorian Stick, and Craftsman movements. 

Luckily, Christmas in Salem (presented by Historic Salem, Inc. December 3-5) shines a light on a wide range of styles from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries on this year’s tour within the North Fields area of town. Expect each home to be decorated for the holidays by professional florists and/or designers, and for several to offer a peek into Salem’s unsung architectural history.

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House Enthusiasts interested in savoring the sight of New England vernacular buildings, landscapes, seascapes, and gardens all year might want to consider the new Katie Hutchison Studio (KHS) 2011 calendar. Drop by the KHS Lulu storefront to get a preview of the full-color photos on the 13.5" x 19" calendar. Christmas is just around the corner, hint, hint.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

view from outside Thoreau's cabin

Lecture: Thoreau as Climatologist:                                                    Tracking 160 Years of Climate Change

Harvard Museum of Natural History: Thursday, November 18, 6:00 pm
Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Mass.
Free and open to the public

As part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial Celebration, commemorating the founder of the Harvard Herbarium, the Harvard Museum of Natural History is offering a series of public lectures and programs. One looks particularly interesting to me as a fan of the New England landscape and all things Thoreau. Charles Davis, Assistant Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator in the Harvard Herbarium, will speak about his work which picks up where a nature study conducted by Henry David Thoreau left off. 

More than 160 years ago Thoreau documented flowering times at Walden Pond. And, according the Museum’s website, “Davis… has updated Thoreau’s records with current data and integrated them with modern evolutionary biology to reveal how climate change and earlier flowering times have affected Walden’s plants. Those that have greatly declined include many charismatic native wildflower species, while those that have thrived include many nonnative and invasive species. Davis will explore how an integration of historical records combined and cutting edge science can help us potentially mitigate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.”

This local investigation into a global condition could prove fascinating and informative. Mark your calendars.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast