With snow showers reportedly en route here in New England again soon, architect Sergio Lopez-Piñeiro's essay in Design Observer about the architectural potential of snow got me thinking.  He writes, "Few architects and urban planners have considered the aesthetic, spatial or ambient qualities of the accumulation, organization and distribution of snow..."  How true.  Why not sculpt with design intent the snow covering our cities, villages, and neighborhoods?  Lopez-Piñeiro's slideshow captures the unintentional artistry of snow-plowed parking lots in Buffalo, New York. 

Imagine if we shaped the snow in our backyards, patios, or driveways to create inspired winter designs viewed from within our homes and experienced outside them.  Winter snow gardens are a largely untapped home-design opportunity.  Sounds like an idea that might appeal to the inner child within us all.  Let it snow.  Let it snow.  Let it snow.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast