Web (and actual) neighbor: DownCity Design, The Change Agent

"Design Thinking" has been a hot topic for quite some time now. Many of us in the architecture and design fields have been a tad irked to see our process co-opted by enterprises focused on monetizing "user experience" and the like. So I was heartened to discover the different angle that Providence's DownCity Design has taken. Follow the link to explore their design-thinking toolkit for the classroom: "The Change Agent." And here's a video about it.

According to the DownCity Design website, "The Change Agent Toolkit is a set of fun, hands-on learning activities that guide groups of students through the Design Thinking Cycle. It's like a game that helps kids tackle any challenge they've identified, in any subject. The free web-based resource includes everything an educator needs to lead students through the design process."

It's a great example of design thinking put to work to generate a classroom learning tool for the design-thinking process. Very meta. Bravo!

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

"Fernweh" for Norway: the landscape, dwellings, and outbuildings of my imaginings

I learned of the German word "fernweh" last month on NPR. It translates as "farsickness" or "a longing for a place you've never been." Apparently, many folks have this feeling for a place that relates to their ancestry. I certainly do. For me, the place is Norway. One of my great grandmothers came to the U.S. from Norway, or was it my great-great grandmother? In any case, I grew up enjoying a tradition of Norwegian holiday baking. But I've never been to Norway or been told much about it. 

Yet somehow I seem to be hardwired to design buildings with a hint of Norwegian influence. Take the little outbuilding in the photo above. You may recognize it from the KHS website, or (back in the day) from Cottage Living, or perhaps from my book The New Small House. Now that I'm more actively pursuing photos of Norwegian vernacular architecture on Instagram and such, I'm noticing that it almost looks as if I floated this little building over from Lofoten to Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Yet I only recently learned of Lofoten, more than ten years after designing the Manchester Garage/Garden Room.

And my taste for Norwegian and Scandinavian design doesn't stop at the vernacular, it includes the more modern, too. Just today I spotted this post from @Nordicwall on Instagram, and it momentarily took my breath away. So what is this about? Is the Norwegian/Scandinavian aesthetic in my DNA? Or am I subconsciously (and now consciously) absorbing Norwegian/Scandinavian influence to reinforce what I know of my heritage? It's one of the delightful mysteries of being human: why and how do we connect with the world, not just the world we know but the world we feel we know, if only in our imaginings.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Vote for the Touisset Small-House Renovation for Fine Homebuilding Readers' Choice Awards!

The KHS Touisset Small-House Renovation/Addition is eligible for a Fine Homebuilding Readers' Choice 2018 award. Starting February 6 through March 2, 2018, you can vote once a day in support of the KHS Touisset Small-House Renovation/Addition. Yay!

Since KHS is a firm of one, KHS may be at a bit of a disadvantage competing with firms that are potentially larger, but you could make the difference. I hope you'll cast your vote for the Touisset Small-House Renovation today, tomorrow, the day after that...

If you choose to participate, thanks! If you choose to share the voting opportunity with friends and family, many thanks!! (Plus, there's also a sweepstakes involved.)

Vote today! Vote daily!

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Happy Holidays 2017!

Wishing you a cozy holiday with family and friends. Cheers!

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

KHS Touisset Small House in RI Monthly

If you haven't done so already, pick up the October 2017 issue of Rhode Island Monthly to find the KHS Touisset Small House featured. What fun! Here's the online digital version. Enjoy!

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast