I recently read an article in Custom Home magazine about architect Sarah Nettleton called “Simple Pleasures”. The entire article can be read here.
The article resonated because Ms. Nettleton focuses on “the luxury of enough” in her design, which boils down to “asking what is really important, what’s authentic. It’s about the experience of living in the house, not just about what it looks like.” Ms. Nettleton talks about explaining to her clients what quality building is, and how most production houses “skimp on the quality of important components… They seem really fancy and they have granite counters, so the owners are astonished to find out that they’re not all that they could be in terms of durability and performance.”
This is a phenomenon we come across a lot, especially when discussing the “price per square foot” of our homes. Yes, our houses are more expensive than similarly sized or trimmed homes in the area, but they are more expensive because of the things below the surface that you can’t see when you are shopping for a house but that you can feel when you live in a quality home. Our customers understand this importance difference; you may end up with a home that is smaller in square footage, but it has no wasted space and is designed for the way you and your family lives.
Ms. Nettleton states, “I think we are coming to a time when quality will trump quantity.” Well said, Ms. Nettleton. I think that living in a home built with quality below the surface as well as quality finishes and trim not only means living in a beautiful space but also in one that will be comfortable for years to come.
