Preserve history--but keep it modern |
News |
Tuesday, December 12, 2017 04:00 AM |
“I look at Houzz for inspiration, but it’s just that,” says Bloom. Her A to Z list of inspiration folders cascades the length of her computer screen from aquatic pools to Zen gardens. From here, she draws upon hundreds of carefully categorized photos to invigorate her creativity on projects, often old properties with rare quirks and budget-sensitive. “I prefer clean, modern designs that match my client’s vision—and their budget,” Bloom says. A recent project that earned the firm the 2017 ELITE Award for Sustainability presented a challenge with an historic twist. “My client had interviewed three or four other companies and complained, ‘They weren’t listening to me and ignored me when I told them I wanted the landscape integrated with the architecture.”’ The client had well-informed ideas about how the updated landscape should fit with their house in Morrison, CO. The landscape needed to blend in with a home repurposed from an 1875 schoolhouse as well as with the industrial vibe in their recent add-on to the antique structure. The project involved a composite of LEED-inspired guidelines and historic preservation, as well as site safety concerns involving four kids and their friends, two dogs, four bunnies, lots of chickens and roaming rattlesnakes. Several mounds of dirt with suspected debris also had to be graded and perhaps cleaned of trash. And don’t forget the budget. Bloom got a tall order when she agreed to rehab the disheveled one-acre site with a not-to-exceed budget cap. Landscape archaeology Digging up other grass-covered mounds uncovered stones thought to be from the original school construction. These stones were repurposed into new mortared walls that terrace the new landscape. Discarded school desks and chairs were also unearthed and repurposed for the kids’ play areas. Savings Old materials and newer applications ultimately delivered the integrated respect for history and updated look the client sought. Old stone was crafted into new formal walks in sync with the schoolhouse and board form concrete planters—Micah’s specialty—blend with the recent addition. Modern irrigation supplements redirected drainage. A teepee in the play area is both historic and fanciful. “We cleaned up the yard, made it function safely for the family and stayed within the budget. It’s what I love to do,” says Bloom. Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW: |