Design snapshot: Dutch door

I didn't go scouting for this Design snapshot, it comes straight from our own small house, our cottage. It all started several years ago with my husband's desire for a screen door on our side entrance. At the time, I wanted to ponder what design the screen door might take. But I couldn't escape the fact that no matter how delightful a thoughtfully designed screen door might be, it would be leading to an existing unsightly steel-and-glass door installed by the previous owner. So the project sat on the back burner percolating.

Then this past fall/winter while working on my upcoming book The New Cottage from the Taunton Press, I looked anew at a photo of a sunny Dutch door entrance on one of the featured cottages in a pocket neighborhood designed by Ross Chapin Architects. A light bulb went off. I remembered the original 32-inch wide wood-and-glass side door that the previous owner had stored in the garage when they replaced it with the code-conforming 36-inch wide steel-and-glass side door that I found lacking. Why not modify the original wood-and-glass door to become a 36"-inch wide Dutch door worthy of a new screen door?

Voilà. The newly reconfigured Dutch door is a versatile joy. It offers window-like ventilation when the upper portion is open and door-like separation when the bottom half is closed. Since the Dutch door itself is the primary feature, the screen/storm door design is as simple as possible so as not to obscure or detract from the main event. (The exterior color is "Magnet" from C2 Paint.)

Is there an old wooden door with character in your garage? Maybe it's worth transforming into a Dutch door? There's something so fun and friendly about a Dutch door.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

KHS on EntreArchitect podcast

I had an enjoyable conversation with Mark R. LePage over at the EntreArchitect podcast. Here's the podcast episode link. Mark has a specific interest in the business of small-firm architecture, and has conducted an impressive series of podcasts on a wide range of topics of interest to those pursuing a career in architecture and those shaping their small-firm architectural practices.

Mark indulged my interest in spreading the word about my recent call for submissions for the new book that I'm working on with The Taunton Press. The book's working title is The Cottage, Now. Here's a link to the House Enthusiast blog post with the details of the call for submissions.

Hope you'll give the podcast a listen, and that you'll send me your cottage projects to consider for the book.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

My new cottage book: Call for submissions

It’s always fun to begin a new category in House Enthusiast, and happily, today, it’s for good reason. I’m following up on The New Small House with a new book project, and I need your help. I'm looking to collect submissions for a book I'm writing for The Taunton Press about cottages, now. The book will feature cottages that range from approximately 1000 square feet to 2000 square feet and serve as primary residences or vacation getaways for their homeowners. 

I'm hoping to find creatively designed cottages from across North America: located in a community, near the water, amidst the wilderness, and some experimental cottages, too. Featured cottages will primarily be newly constructed, but a few might be fresh renovation/additions to older cottages. With the aid of the featured cottages, the book will illuminate approximately ten fundamental design qualities that characterize captivating cottages. I’ll be defining “cottage” fairly broadly, so traditional and more contemporary takes on “cottage” are welcome.

If you know of a new (or newly renovated) cottage that you think I should consider including in the book, please let me know. For now, simply email me Katie@katiehutchison.com some low-resolution jpegs of the exterior, interior, and context, along with some background information about the size of the cottage, where it's located, who owns it, who designed it, if it has been professionally photographed, and if it has been featured in another publication. Also, please let me know if you're aware of any architectural drawings that depict its plan and its site.

I'll be collecting cottages to consider for publication in the next few weeks and look forward to reviewing those that you may recommend. Together, I look forward to creating a book that informs and inspires readers who may be embarking on their own cottage designs. Please join me!

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast