creative solutions for intentional living

inspiration found | asheville’s flatiron hotel

location: asheville, nc // the flatiron hotel

the flatiron. a name that is ubiquitous with an architectural style + depending on where you live, synonymous with a building you yourself have seen. most people growing up on the east coast know the flatiron building in new york city + have most likely seen at least an image of the iconic landmark. situated where broadway makes its diagonal cut thru the heart of manhattan at 5th avenue, this marvel rises up as a soft transition to a less than ideal road instersection.

photo by Jermaine Ee on Unsplash

in our travels we have seen them at these types of intersections as a creative solution to an urban crossroads + we discovered one such building last summer in downtown asheville. its original incarnation was as an office building extending out of the central business district of booming turn-of-the-century asheville. long home to wwnc studios (radio) broadcasting all over the appalachian mountains, but had fallen out of favor + was in need of repair. its most recent life is as a newly envisioned boutique hotel with its past honored, preserved + even highlighted in a way that echoes its past while preserving its future. the once bustling business district of asheville has a different tone these days as it caters to retail shoppers, downtown diners + tourists looking for an urban mountain escape.

the flatiron hotel sits right at the heart of a bustling food scene + walkable shopping in a unique mountain urban environment + is most easily (recommendably) approached on foot. this is the ideal way to take in the architectural scale of how the building rises up from the downtown walkable landscape, as well as the many intricate details seen upon entering: its copper front doors, large-bulb lit canopy, turn of the century brick work + large windows rising above the tree lined street instantly adding a layered depth + rich sense of times past in a moment’s journey.

stepping inside is walking back into to an era of handcrafted details: stonework, metal framed windows with cast iron accentwork + hardware, soft interior lighting + architectural handiwork that isn’t seen often in today’s construction. no detail is left unnoticed as the antique elevator + mail shaft have also been refurbished while the textiles + wall coverings bring in a fresh touch of interest in every nook, all relating back to this building’s timeless location.

as you mosey around throughout your stay at this singular building, you’re sure to experience how it might have felt to come here a hundred years ago to visit your pharmacist, dentist, accountant, florist, take dance lessons….or maybe even to hire a local architect! all these + more previous tennants’ doors are beautifully preserved with timeless frosted glass + painted signage dotted between newly created suites + it gives the feel of being a part of this community, even while just visiting.

architect who designed the s&w cafeteria building around the corner

little glimpses around each corner point to the large exterior + often arched windows that still bring in the daylight that was essential in a time where interior lighting was harder to come by.

not-to-be-missed is a journey up to the rooftop bar + terrace which together provide breathtaking, near 360 views of the smoky mountains + surrounding buildings, making it easy to see why wwnc called this spot home for broadcasting down to the region around it.

these verdigris rooftop details were crafted to be seen both from the street + up close!

there is much more to be said about the history, the thoughtful details, + even the sublime urban setting here. overall, this a place that balances what once was with a newly realized purpose in a building that is ready for its next chapter as well as a downtown that is embracing its core—just, all around fantastic design for an inspiring stay in asheville, north carolina! we look forward to going back soon.

from the desk of...

inspiration found | craft breweries

we’ve often found our way to local breweries in our time in georgia + almost always look for them in our travels, but most recently, we’ve been taking family hikes every weekend + found ourselves including these spaces in the cool down rotation following the active time outdoors. sometimes it’s a meal shared together before or after at a new restaurant near the trail + sometimes it’s a stop at a brewery around town. it eases our transition back into the weekend/mealtime routine + it’s a nice mixup for us in different ways for each member of our family.

it’s a fun way to shake up the typical meal circuit when there’s a food option available in tandem with the beverages being served, but we also love checking out these places from a design point of view. ryan explains, “the establishments that i’m most attracted to are one-offs.” ryan, as an architect + mary catherine as a designer, both find it’s interesting to see how the beer + the aesthetics coincide. “it helps inform our designs,” says mary catherine. “because it’s more than just the beers, though that is certainly a part of the reason we go there at all. like the tasting that occurs, we notice every detail of the visit from start to finish, the structure, the floor plan, the lighting, hardware, unique touches + the branding.”

visiting local craft brewers has served a few purposes for us over the years + i’m sure for you all as well, they have been on the rise as popular spots to go to take a beat + relax usually outdoors. they also serve as a kind of public house, a place to be among others in the nearby areas. “we had my high school reunion at westbrook in mount pleasant back in 2014!” now, for mc, it’s about getting to know the different neighborhoods of atlanta + understanding a little more about the culture of where we are currently living + raising our family beyond the suburb. it’s important to pop our familiar bubble from time to time to remember there’s a great big world out there, just beyond our daily hub.

remember to stop by the porch to catch up on our summer hike series! please, let us know where you’ve been too. hiking, breweries, travels…

ryan’s approach to visiting a brewery is akin to ordering the daily specials at a restaurant. we aren’t there to see how much we can imbibe; instead, it’s about taking a peek at what they’ve come up with lately. we find these places to be epicenters of creativity flowing freely. the product is not mass produced, but created from the best, fresh, seasonal ingredients, much like a farm to table restaurant. at the breweries, we’re seeing the subtlies of expression that exist among brewmasters, as they each find different ways to use sometimes similar ingredients or hops which leads us to realize that so many of these establishments have grown out of home brewers who have had a boon of passion + innovation for the old-as-monks craft. ryan says “i may not like each + every flavor profile or style, but seeing the varieities + iterations these creatives come up with is enjoyable.”

it may come as a surprise to some that these “watering holes” are usually quite the family friendly stops with water bowls for the dogs, food trucks, music + games. we appreciate not only the crafting but also the stories behind the beers + brewery + see a lot of creativity in it. we usually split a pint or a flight of the drafts on tap just to taste what they’ve been working on + occasionally will purchase a can or two to take home in support of these hardworking local entrepreneurs, who are at their core creative, small-business owners just like us.

here’s to sharing more of what inspires everyday!

x pencil + ink

behind the design

old fourth ward craftsman revival

behind the design of a 1920s home in downtown atlanta
location: old fourth ward, atlanta ga

upon our first visit to this home, despite fire damages + altered floorplans from previous renovations, we were able to see some of the original character still in place here. with a desire to present some options to our clients as requested for restoring some of the lost charm to this 1920s home in one of atlanta’s historic neighborhoods, we were able to see where the existing laundry hall was likely once a porch–for laundry!

viewing some craftsman style floor plans in similar shapes + varied sizes also revealed more of the intended flow in the original design of this style of house. common features seen were a central staircase, porch off the back corner + a more closed off kitchen. seeing these details, helped inform our designs we presented to the home owners. overall, the function in a craftsman + typical at this time in american history saw dedicated, intentional rooms knit together seamlessly under one roof. while looking at these plans, it was neat to see which areas had not changed over the 100 years since it’s building as well as the remnants of spaces that remained.

we were excited, as we now could begin to imagine the family who might have once lived in the home, how they may have used the various areas based on the original structure, as well as how it may have looked when it was newly built. ultimately, our clients did decide to convert their floorplan back to a more traditional layout with a simpler, designated space for the kitchen. we were able to achieve this by moving what previously had served as rear-exterior porch stairs to a more central location which in turn improved the flow as well as function of multiple spaces throughout the house. moving the stairs created a dedicated area for the kitchen + it also created a more private hallway to the bedrooms + bathrooms which had been lost in the opening up of the home, the stairs also became a safer + more accessible way to reach the basement floor, which now connects the floors cohesively. in moving the original stairs, we were also able to open up a half sized storage room to an additional bedroom or office area.

perhaps most exciting of all, the home owners were able to locate some original bookshelves once built into a craftsman home in indiana + had those incorporated into the renovation to create a subtle separation between foyer/living room + dining space as also would have been traditional to the original design. when it came time to select the exterior paint, they chose a combination so perfect that their neighbor who has lived in the area for decades, informed them that they chose the original color scheme–it’s safe to say this house is once again a happy home!

overall, this house was a privilege for us to study + help design. we love how it turned out + couldn’t be more pleased for the kind couple who finally got to move back home last month!

of note | i especially love how craftsman homes lend themselves to beautiful, bold decor with beautiful wood staining + art deco details. ryan + i are both drawn to this style + era, so i wanted to also share a few of the beautiful inspirational images our clients shared as an aid to anyone looking for a way to infuse some bold style. if you have been afraid to incorporate color in your home–this is your sign that now is the time!

from the potting bench

starting seeds

…a musing from the potting bench side of mc’s desk

what is it about a packet of tiny, almost microscopic seeds that gets my heart beating fast well ahead of the warm spring weather? so much can be said for starting seeds under grow lights…a task that many may never consider doing, while others order their winter days by it!

i’ve been starting flowers from seeds since 2021 + that first year, it felt so massive a task that i almost quit before i started. thanks to erin benzekain’s steady encouragement + seed starting “class”, i stuck with it. she coached me to expect failure, but also to expect to see flowers earlier in spring. i learned resilience from the process + got to see first hand that in nature sometimes you win + sometimes you lose. watching anything grow from a speck of almost nothing into something altogether + vastly different does something to our minds!

watching anything grow from a speck of almost nothing into something altogether + vastly different does something to our minds!

for someone who has found tremendous peace while “playing” with flowers bought from the store, i have learned some pretty sad things about these beautiful flowers that magically appear in neighborhood grocers 12 months of the year. namely, thay they’re exposed to many chemicals + pesticides throughout their growing + shipping cycles to ensure a “quality product” results upon arrival (after a while after). while i get needing to reach goals to run a business, to not disclose these pernicious details to the consumer when buying, eventually handling + smelling these flowers is just wrong. who knew such a simple act puts one in contact with those pesticides, unknowingly; to say nothing of the monstrous flower import industry that flies “fresh” flowers in to the US from all over the world. isn’t it a part of our basic human nature to be drawn to these harbingers of spring + symbols of what is good + full of hope in life? haven’t people been smelling, picking + sharing flowers since the dawn of time? ask yourself, is there any wonder why so many people find themselves with a longterm illness?

the solution is plain + simple: there needs to be more flowers grown locally, everywhere! not everyone has the land or time to be a full-fledged flower farmer, but if you would consider buying even one packet of seeds, let’s say zinnias for a start. not only would you not need to purchase as many flowers, but you could cut + cut again, all summer from your own flower garden that hasn’t been exposed to pesticides. this won’t mean something to everyone, but for some, once you know the reality of what those lovely “fresh” flowers are exposing you to, you can’t go back.

i’d really love to help you learn how to start flowers from seed. not just for the end result but also for the joy you may discover along the way, nurturing a seed into a flower. it is also a rich metaphor to be explored, so if you’re at all interested, consider this your invitation to reach out to me. we can get started today planning a garden in bloom as quickly as this summer!

if you aren’t quite ready to scatter a few seeds on a little dirt, then consider googling the flower farmers in your area who direct source their flowers from small pesticide free farms. enter “local flower farmer” into your search bar + you’ll be supporting a small business owner + have gorgeous toxin-free flowers to enjoy too.

i challenge you to try this + tell me you don’t notice the difference!

〰️ pencil

from the desk of...

too much

too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. the past two years have revealed many things that were ignored for far too long. in my opinion the ‘too much’ disease was one of those things. everyone has things they like, things they love, things that bring them joy. any one of those things in moderation is great. you enjoy yard work? great get out there + enjoy it! when yard work becomes 100% of every day, you’ve not taken a passion + made it your whole life. when that happens in any facet of our life then we start to miss the bigger picture. having a favorite show, attending a concert, going to a ball game, enjoying dinner out at your favorite restaurant, a favorite candy, a workout routine. none of those things are bad in any way, when they become all you do then it’s too much. there doesn’t have to be scheduled breaks or dead times, but there does need to be time to stop, to re-charge, to just be a person. rushing from one meeting, marketing event, church event, school event + never actually sitting down to eat dinner with your family….too much.

as an architect, this too much follows over to the professional world as well. accent walls, trim, colors, patterns are used to draw attention to areas of the spaces we all inhabit, however it is no longer an accent if it covers every wall + every surface. it has become ‘too much’. just like in life, our buildings, outdoor spaces, rooms…they can become too much by taking what we like + doing it to the point that it no longer is special or meaningful.

let’s all take a look, see what we enjoy + filter it thru the ‘too much’ filter. see if it is something that we have taken from an simple accent or a hobby, to something that has become our everything. if it has, it’s never too late to step back + say “that’s just too much!”.

from the desk of...

beer or whiskey

quality. what does it mean? is it the most expensive, the oldest, the latest fashion? well from where i sit it depends. no, not dodging the question, just providing a complicated answer because to me it’s a complicated word.

take coffee– a staple around here. it depends on the day. is today a ‘one-step-up-from-motor-oil-need-to-get-rolling kind of day? or is it a day to sit + see where the first wisps of steam will lead the pen to? so, perhaps quality is judged based off the task at hand.

a good drink. is tonight a double hopped ipa, burger paring kind of night? or is it a slow sip bourbon whisky over a detail that just needs to be worked out? quality depends on what you’re trying to do. neither drink is of bad quality, but depending on where your headspace is, this could be a vastly different answer as to whether it’s a quality drink, or just a drink.

you don’t need to always look at quality in the vein of what you need right now. it can be something that is based off your feeling, your mood. it’s okay to have a different yard stick for what quality means to you in that time.

when it comes to design of any kind, the challenge is that quality is going to be measured over a much longer period of time than the sip of a good drink by the fireside. you will inhabit, interact with, modify + grow with whatever space you are in. you can’t switch between wood flooring + carpet depending on what warms your feet the best from night to night. those quality decisions are much more complicated + nuanced. those decisions are going to have pluses + minuses, but they don’t have to start off on the wrong path. stop, think, grab the drink of the night for a few nights + see where the mood averages out to. when you get to that space then you’ve found something that can be quality for the duration.

ultimately, quality comes down to what is right for you + not for someone else. design is meant to help you in the process + it’s okay to be the only glass of whiskey at the bar, if that’s what quality means to you.

from the desk of...

sweet + inviting

coffee. yes, again. it’s a constant here at pencil + ink. it pre-dates our business + will be apart of our lives long after business is a care of our minds.

we’ve tried many different beans, brews, + services in recent years. lately we’ve been using a service that helps curate small + medium sized roasters all over the country. sitting here going over the past dozen or so bags we’ve gotten, something struck me in the descriptions. two words jumped out: sweet + inviting.

sweet. first, the only way coffee gets consumed in this studio is straight black. not a hint of sugar or milk. to see this word made me stop + think about it. coffee beans are naturally sweet. no, not the sugar type of sweet, but an earthy, natural first bite of an apple sweet. that’s the first notes + the lingering after taste. a good bean doesn’t need help, just a chance to release the sweetness it’s been holding in, ready to come out in the brew.

inviting. yes–beans that are freshly ground, brewed with hot water + their resulting aroma, rising with wisps of steam–that is inviting enough. even more inviting, is the cup that you sip from + hold in your hand partly to feel that steam + hold that warmth, but more importantly, to take a second sip before sitting it down. it presents a moment worth slowing down for, even if only for a moment. an inviting cup not only summons you to drink a little more, but it invites you to linger, to think, to plan, to sketch, to be intentional.

sweet + inviting. that’s our current flavor. what’s yours? every season will be different but here’s to hoping whatever describes your cup helps define even a small part of your day + the intention for it.

from the desk of...

fast, right, or cheap

choices. life is full of them. design + construction is no different. there is a saying i picked up early on in my career while looking over a set of plans on a tailgate of a contractor’s truck at a soon to be new construction site. he stopped, looked at the owner + said “do you want it fast, right or cheap? you can pick two.” everyone stopped + digested what he said. then the owner of the soon to be project responded with i’ll take all three…while everyone got a good laugh.

this lighthearted moment at the start of a construction project that i helped design has stuck with me. it was true then, it’s true now + it doesn’t just apply to design + construction. we have to decide daily: do we want to invest our time into things that are instant + give immediate gratification or things that will last.

the world we inhabit today is full of things that are fast + cheap. we can see it from the clothes, food, items we buy + buildings we inhabit. when you have to have something right now + you inevitably have a budget; you get that level of quality. what if we all just slowed down + got what was right? for one we’d all be a lot less busy + maybe we could go on that extra walk with our family, have that sit down dinner, sit + actually ask + listen to how everyone’s day went. in that slow down we would inadvertently -but not accidentally- be getting more for our money as well. being brave enough to buck the trend, choosing right + quality may take some getting used to, but it will be a reward that will outlast + outlive any instant gratification.

there is a theme i will touch on a lot here in this space. having something intentional, authentic, + lasting requires patience….time. in a time-is-money society this is so incredibly hard to grasp + even harder to accept. however, once you start to realize just how good right is, you can then make the decision to have the patience to wait for it.

you can’t rush a good brisket, good beer or whisky, or a tree to produce old growth wood any faster. those things require resolve, patience + the right amount of perspective.

from the desk of...

porch

porch: (noun) an addition to a dwelling that allows for a covered seating area. e.g. “meet you out on the porch” / (verb) filling up your cup; resting your bones e.g. “let’s porch this”

a porch is a place. a porch is a feeling. a porch is where nature meets man-made. it is a room “missing” a few walls. that is just the start of what a porch is + can be. there is no wrong way to do a porch (other than to not do it at all). when you need a place to sit, to stop, to crossword, to relax, to talk, to listen….to be, the porch is it. a few simple actions taken make just as big a difference as the items found there. from an architectural standpoint, each part of a porch has a story, each has a purpose + most of all, a function. some aspects are purely functional: a way to keep out the rain, push back the harshest parts of the sun, welcome in the breeze + enjoy the smells. a place that is neither in nor out, coming nor going. a place that is never meant to be everything, but somehow provides a vehicle to all that we need, whenever we need it. like the fireflies that come by in the summer, or the sound of a late-season downpour. it can’t be captured, only experienced.

most importantly a porch becomes a part of who you are, if you will take the time to let it. it isn’t intrusive or distracting or demanding. it is something that ages as we do + it is timeless in a way we can’t be. a place where memories are made + remembered simultaneously.

what makes a porch? that is difficult to answer, yet easy for anyone to sense. for one person it might be a rocking chair that invokes time with a parent or grandparent. for another it might be a well worn spot of a family dog. for someone else it might be a swing that can fly you to some destination you’re dreaming of or simply watching children at play in the yard. whatever the porch elements, that feeling is what makes the porch, well the porch.

x ink

from the desk of...

coffee

today’s thoughts come to you over a nice hot cup of coffee (okay maybe it’s actually my third cup of the morning, but who’s counting). most days start this way for me; studio days, saturdays, job site days, travel days, + church mornings. this morning’s cup comes from a roaster called stumptown that we ran across right here in atlanta in a favorite bookshop in vinings. when we discovered the coffee came all the way from the west coast, we knew it would have to be a standard on the shelf at home.

coffee to me is a constant. yes, it is enjoyed every day + yes, it is always brewed fresh + served black. however the roaster + flavors rotate, depending on the season. the consistency comes with the first pour, no matter what is going on that day. i take it everywhere in a plain white mug which accompanies me throughout the day to many places. see, in my world coffee never stays long enough in the cup to justify keeping it warm for hours. it’s meant to be consumed as it’s poured + refilled often.

it wasn’t until i was an adult with an all day black coffee consumption habit of my own that i realized without thinking about it, i was echoing a habit of my grandfather’s. my mom drank coffee growing up, but, looking back i recall, it was on saturdays helping grandad i watched him have coffee for breakfast, lunch + dinner. it was never odd to me then + it’s oddly comforting to me now. my coffee habits include a full day of coffee (along with some water at meals or a good beer in the mix). it’s the smell, the warmth, the taste + the consistency.

i hope to cover more coffee over time in this space just to let you know what’s brewing in our studio. until then it’s time for another cup to keep the creativity flowing (+ me moving!).