Category Archives: Architecture

Magic in the forest

Posted on September 27, 2015 by walkerg

We paused on our hike Saturday to admire a stand of mature American Beech trees. In this part of the Ohio valley they are the kings of the forest, their smooth grey bark shining in the shadows underneath the canopy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 4 Comments

Visit the Design Graveyard…

Posted on October 22, 2014 by walkerg

With Halloween just around the bend I’m reminded of one of my favorite haunts (no pun intended) for thinking about design – old graveyards. The monuments in all shapes and sizes are like a lexicon of design, sort of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 5 Comments

Training your eye for Design

Posted on October 15, 2014 by walkerg

“We need to be willing to let our intuition guide us, and then be willing to follow that guidance directly and fearlessly.  Shakti Gawain If you are new to design, telling you to trust your eye sounds like some joke … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 10 Comments

Learning to See

Posted on May 1, 2014 by walkerg

An artist and teacher I respect told me that anyone can draw. He said, “You can pick up a pen and write letters on paper, that’s drawing – you did that in the first grade. Drawing isn’t the barrier people … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 3 Comments

Design Intangibles

Posted on August 19, 2013 by walkerg

Beauty is a hard thing to put a finger on. We know it instinctively when we see it, but struggle to put into words. One of the attributes the ancients saw in beauty was ontological. That’s a fancy term for … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 4 Comments

The shortest distance between two points is a curve

Posted on October 30, 2012 by walkerg

Contrary to what you learned in 7th grade geometry, a straight line is not the shortest distance between two points. A flowing curve pulls your eye along sweetly, whereas a straight line often halts the eye. I just finished proofing … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 9 Comments

Designer’s Alphabet…B is for Baluster

Posted on July 24, 2012 by walkerg

is for Baluster. A small column or post that supports a handrail. They come in a wide variety of forms and can be cylindrical or square in cross section. This form above, illustrated from James Gibbs “Rules for Drawing” is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Designer's Alphabet | 1 Comment

Designer’s Alphabet

Posted on July 10, 2012 by walkerg

Starting this month I’ll be posting a little feature I call the Designer’s Alphabet. A collection of design related trivia with bits of architecture, tools, wood, designers, and obscure facts about furniture design you can wow your spouse with.   I … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Designer's Alphabet, designing moldings | 6 Comments

Design Sourcebook

Posted on October 19, 2010 by walkerg

I hear this question a lot. “What book could I recommend to dive deeper into design? “ My brain freezes at that point. Reason is, the path I’ve taken is filled with blind rabbit holes, quick sand, and endlessly verbose historical … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics, Resources | 6 Comments

Structure

Posted on June 20, 2010 by walkerg

It never fails to amaze me that many of the debates we thrash about with furniture design have been the subject of much thought for centuries, even millennia. Ornament in its many forms seems to draw fire and always seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Structure