The Most Ancient of Design Features Still Warms Our Hearts

We’ve been talking about warmth recently here on the blog.

One day in the distant past an unnamed hunter-gatherer suggested moving the fire from deep inside the cave to just outside the cave opening. That way the cave would stop filling up with smoke. Plus, the neighbors wouldn’t be able to see everything they were doing inside the cave after dark.

And that was the birth of the interior design profession.

Fireplaces seldom now serve the original function of heating homes or providing heat for cooking, but there is no more potent design feature to create a sense of comfort, coziness, or emotional (as well as literal) warmth.

When it comes to designing a home, the living area is the first place we think of to include a fireplace.

But fireplaces work well in other rooms, too.

A fireplace  also provides opportunities to add different materials and textures to an interior. And, as in this case, a fireplace can add vertical drama to the room.

Nor does a fireplace have to be inside. (You’ve seen this fire pit before.)

Nor do they have to be particularly traditional.

If you have an idea for a fireplace, or just the warm atmosphere you want to create in your next design project, let’s talk.

Call Leslie Saul & Associates at 617-234-5300.

Fire Pits, Saunas and Pools

It’s been quite a winter. It’s hard to avoid daydreaming of warm days lounging beside a pool.  Let’s warm up a bit with two recent projects Leslie Saul & Associates worked on recently.

This pool takes full advantage of the beautiful setting. Including even just a few natural stones and adding texture to the concrete invites the natural surrounds into the pool area.

Adding a fire pit means you can enjoy the pool almost year round. Even if it’s too cold to swim, you can stay warm next to the fire.  It also adds the basic element fire to the water of the pool and the earth of the stones.

Note the blue in the stone work and in the cushions. What element does that make you think of?

This pool relies more on geometry to create strong visual impact. The unpainted wood of the bathhouse adds warmth that tempers the straight lines.

A sauna and expansive shower in a Boston waterfront condo.

Feeling warmer?

We’d love to talk to you about your next design project. We’re experts in residential, corporate and institutional and senior care design.

Give Leslie Saul & Associates a call at 617-234-5300.