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See our blog for new projects, announcements, and all things TMS Architects & Interiors.Designing Gorgeous Rain Garden with Style & Functionality for Landscapes
Looking for something extra to add visual interest to your outdoor landscape? If you’re unfamiliar with the idea of rain gardens, you’ve been missing out on a quintessential, sustainable garden staple. The things that attract us to gorgeous rain gardens are their undeniable reduction in pollution, their contribution to water preservation, and they allow you to enjoy beautiful native plants.
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Stunning Cupola Designs that Flatter the Home
Looking to make a statement with a refined, unique architectural feature? Long forgotten in the design world, people are once again starting to take notice of an iconic rooftop structure — the cupola. So, what is a cupola? And why has it taken the spot of the most pinned Pinterest photo for TMS?
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Luxe Energy-Efficient Kitchen Appliances for your Passive Kitchen
Sustainable homeowners are smart homeowners. After all, wouldn’t you rather spend your money on a weekend getaway or a fun day out with your family than waste it on your electrical bill? Upgrading to energy-efficient appliances in your kitchen can mean less waste, less resources consumed, more peace of mind, and more money in your pocket.
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Control Rain Runoff with Landscaping Design
Rooftops, pavings, and other hardscapes can negatively affect landscapes and the environment. An unfortunate side effect of these impermeable surfaces, rain runoff, can deprive garden beds of natural irrigation and prevent groundwater tables from replenishing. It can cause erosion, slides, and even flash floods. Stormwater can pick up contaminates and lead to increased pollution of streams, rivers, and oceans.
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Eco-Friendly Steps to a Zero Energy Home
Looking for ways to follow a more eco-friendly path? Working towards the end goal of having a zero-energy home — that is, a home that uses the same amount of energy as it produces — involves a lot of careful planning. However, jump on board the tips below, and you’ll quickly see smaller energy bills, shrinking water bills, and more.
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Roof Overhangs Keep Energy In for Comfortable Climates
Decorating your home is fun, but you want to make sure your home is functioning well, too. Spring is a great time to give your home a maintenance check up and tackle some of those projects that have been on your to-do list.
One aspect to consider is your home’s energy efficiency. By adding energy efficient systems, you can save money in the long run and help the environment in the process. These include things such as programmable thermostats, solar heating, insulation, windows, and more.
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Portsmouth’s Forgotten Textile Industry
TMS always learns something interesting about Portsmouth when we publish a post from J. Dennis Robinson, our guest historical contributor. Last time we learned about the building that presently houses our offices when it was part of the Eldredge Brewing Company ; this time we learned more about its earlier history in the textile industry.
In our last history installment we learned that the site of the modern TMS Architects offices was once a brewery. Heman (not Herman) Eldredge and his sons ran the Eldredge Brewing Company on the same spot off Bartlett Street in the second half of the 19th century. Although their brew, including Portsmouth Ale, was hugely popular, the Eldredge brand was drowned out by the even greater success of the Frank Jones Brewery just across the tracks in the city’s West End.
But there’s more. The brewery was built on the site of an equally important, but now forgotten, textile factory. Yes, during the 1800s, Portsmouth was also known as a key city for the production of stockings. Who knew?
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Hampden Country Club Entering the Home Stretch!
A TMS Architects designed project in western Massachusetts, the Hampden Country Club, is in the final stages of completion with an opening date of early May scheduled for the new Clubhouse and end of June for the Banquet Facility. This three year project features a 24,000 square foot Clubhouse complete with a generous dining room, separate bar and lounge, men and women’s lounges, a pro shop, luxurious spa, golf simulator room, exercise room, conference room and a wedding garden.
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Clever, Eco-Friendly Styles for Reclaimed Wood
Spring is just around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to update or renovate your home. There are many smart options for building materials on the current market, so it can be understandably difficult to choose the right ones for your particular project. We love the way reclaimed wood adds warmth and introduces texture to a space. With reclaimed wood, you can make a huge design statement, so we have some tips and ideas to get you started.
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Not Just for Asethetics or Shade: Benefits of Trees
What has bark but no bite? You guessed it — a tree! We see them all the time, and they’re part of our everyday landscape, but do you know why they’re so important? Trees are crucial in absorbing greenhouse gases and helping to protect Earth from the heat of the sun. But that’s just one of the many benefits of trees.
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Eco-Friendly & Smart Designs for Homes In Colder Climates
Warm weather is nice, but there’s something about a snowy landscape that is so enchanting. Nothing quite compares to the way it sparkles in the sun and glows in the moonlight. Colder climates can make for picturesque scenery, but they can also leave you with ice damns, slippery stairs, drafty interiors and – a homeowner’s nightmare – burst pipes. Homes that are located in regions with colder climates come with unique challenges. With these challenges, however, come opportunities for smart, sustainable home design. With winter still underway, here are some of the colder climate design ideas that we find inspiring.
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Harness the Power of Passive Energy in Home Design
Passive home designs work with the environment rather than against it. By taking advantage of location, orientation, and local climate, a passive home is designed to maintain comfortable temperatures while reducing energy consumption.
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Crystal Clear Views with Corner Windows
Do you have a particularly lovely garden? A spectacular view from your home? Is there a particular tree, rock formation, or other landscape feature that deserves to be honored? If so, large corner windows for homes offer a way to add unique design impact.
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See Your Ideas Come to Life in the Interior Design Studio
If you’re in the market to design a new home from the ground up, the possibilities are endless. But, how can you be sure that what you put on paper will look good in your home?
The Interior Design Studio at TMS Architects has the answer.
The studio, a 16’x12’ space at the TMS Architects office, features fully-customizable interior design options that allow you to see first-hand what will work — and what won’t — in the space that you envisioned.
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Corner Drawers Optimize Space In Your Kitchen
What used to be an impediment is now an innovative storage solution. The Z axis is no longer something to work around but rather something to work with. Kitchen cabinetry design has evolved to optimize even corners. They may look like ordinary drawers until you see them in action. These clever designs take advantage of every square inch to bring you the ultimate convenience and efficiency.
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Is Your Kitchen Ready for a Full-Sized Wine Fridge?
Wine cellars aren’t the only at-home features for wine connoisseurs. If you are a wine collector looking to take your wine storage to the next level, you may want to consider a wine cooler.
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Deciding on a Countertop Color for Your Kitchen
The photo we pinned of the modern traditionalist kitchen was designed during a project we call the New Hampshire Hilltop Home and has made its way to several Pinterest boards. This popular pin has us thinking about granite countertops, and how to pick the perfect color.
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Seaside Restoration Custom Bar Reflects Home’s Charm
The homeowners of this seaside home in New Hampshire wanted a renovation in order achieve a gorgeous vacation getaway they can enjoy with extended family and friends. Their number one goal was to achieve larger, more open spaces that would lend themselves to gathering and spending quality time together as a family. Instead of a formal dining room, they wanted plenty of space for casual dining in the form of an expansive kitchen island and a full home bar adjacent to the kitchen.
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Sustainable Projects: Working with Reclaimed Wood
These days, reclaimed wood can come from a vast number of sources, like boats, barns, sheds, mills, and even your own remodeled home. You can even find reclaimed wood for free if you know where to look. The Northeast has a plethora of barns and farmhouses surrounding the landscape, and local excavation companies can also be a viable source. What’s more, distinct age marks visible on reclaimed wood add personality, character, and warmth.
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Ocean Outlook Home Refreshed with Stained Glass Window
Stained glass is more versatile than you might think, and the visual effect it has on living spaces is incomparable. Take advantage of natural light and let stained glass windows produce luminous color and create an ethereal feel. Here are some of our favorite design ideas for incorporating these artful architectural features.
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