Hiring a Residential Architect to Design Your Home to Fit Your Lifestyle

Googled “reasons to hire an architect” lately? If you have, you’ve probably noticed article after article repeating the same laundry list: architects are specially trained and licensed, able to visualize your expectations, equally mindful of aesthetics and function, skilled at prioritizing, cognizant of the bottom line, clear communicators, and adept problem solvers. All of which is true. And none of which addresses the most important reason to hire a residential architect to design your home.

The real answer, in my experience, is that residential architects possess a unique understanding of the many ways a house can offer its occupants comfort while enhancing their daily lives. A talented architect exploits every opportunity to make life simpler, easier, more convenient, and more comfortable. By asking the right questions – loads and loads of them – an architect will gain insight into how a family lives. And just as important, how they aspire to live. You see, designing a house is often as much about creating a wished-for lifestyle as it is about conceiving the residence itself. Under an architect’s direction, the architectural planning process goes well beyond allocating square footage for generous closets or a guest bedroom. Rather, it lavishes profound attention on a wealth of nearly-imperceptible details that substantially alter the way a home is experienced.

For example, consider the difference between a standard, 13-step staircase and one that rises more gently, to ensure carrying a sleepy child up to dreamland doesn’t tire you out, too. Or the natural light that streams into a kitchen when glass-front cabinets are backed not by solid wood panels, but windows. Bookshelves lining a stair landing enrich otherwise-wasted space and may even supply a cozy nook for reading; dining room walls can be paneled, and then hinged, to secret table linens (and that platter you only use once a year) within their recesses. And the list goes on.

At Morgante Wilson, we believe good design shapes lives. It’s just that simple. And it’s the single most important reason you should hire a residential architect.

Comments? Questions? We’d love to hear from you!