When we went on our first AIA tour a few years ago, we went to every home looking for ideas and inspiration before we embarked on our own design/build journey. We visited each home with a sense of naive excitement. Going on the AIA tour now is a slightly painful reminder of the things we wish had gone differently during our build.
We sacrificed quality in order to meet an aggressive deadline (see Baby Erwin, et al) and while it might not be immediately obvious to those that first visit our house, it is to me! The devil is in the details, right? The sloppy masonry and imperfectly mitered corners drive us nuts! But, then, we were out and back in the home in record time, and it jumpstarted our business, so I can’t complain too much
Our first stop on this year’s tour was the Avenue G home designed by alterstudio. This home was perfection. The flow and efficiency of design supported a positive energy that emanated throughout the home. No awkward turns, no bulky corners, no rooms that masked as hallways that masked as rooms. I found myself constantly turning to David and grabbing his elbow and saying, “Look!” and “Cool!” and “We should do this!”
I loved that the character of the original home had been preserved; it was in every room, every detail. It reminded me of our remodel:

• Original (masonry) siding contrasted with new (wood) siding
• Original casement windows remained intact
• Modest-sized rooms enhanced by an open floor plan
• New wood flooring that evoked the old
• Retro-inspired tilework in the bathrooms
• Complimentary interior/exterior elements (in their case, exterior wood siding to compliment the veneered paneling and built-in bookshelves on the interior)

Even though the home retained elements of mid-century design, they were obviously unafraid to boldly represent contemporary designs including a japanese-spa-like master shower enclosure, translucent 3-form table-tops (in a very un-50’s but nonetheless cool dining booth), and sleek new kitchen cabinetry, granite countertops and European hardware.
For me, at least, the other homes we viewed paled in comparison to this one which got so many things right on so many levels. Kudos to alterstudio! You can see more photos of the home on their website.