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Our Homes Tell Stories

We value residential design’s impact on shaping our homes and lifestyles. Our homes are both the backdrop for our life story and a significant participant within that narrative. All I have to do is recall some of my favorite childhood memories, from gathering around the large round oak table in the kitchen to fighting over the single bathroom! With the opportunity to design your home, what types of stories would you create?  Dive into today’s blog post for ideas of how your home can participate in the narrative. The blank page In our Framingham Mid-Century Modern Campanelli house renovation, we designed flexible

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Products we love

The season of gift-giving is upon us and we at Atelier et Alia wanted to assemble our own gift guide showcasing some of our favorite well-designed products that will surely please some of the pickiest gift recipients. *please note, we are not affiliated in any way with these products and companies and are not earning any royalties for featuring them in our blog.      Our favorite Kitchen products: Colour Chopsticks, Set of 6 Pairs; HAY Norm Architects Bottle Grinder, 2-Piece; MENU Chef’n Reusable Berry Baskets; Food52 The Toaster, toaster oven; Balmuda Seoul Straw; Articture High Gloss, Pleated Pitcher; Areaware

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Kitchen Design

Contextual Modern: The Merging of Old and New

At Atelier et Alia we practice architecture mainly in New England, which boasts of having the country’s oldest housing stock, yet our passion is contemporary design.  As luck would have it, we are not alone!  We often find ourselves tasked with merging traditional and contemporary design for clients who share the same aesthetic goals. Our approach to solving this design quandary begins with the study, understanding, and appreciation of the project’s context to inspire the design of the renovation. Our design solutions aim to support a modern lifestyle and aesthetic while evolving from the history of the project site. We

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Compact Multi-use Spaces

We often are asked to get a small space to perform like a big space.  Luckily, the size of a space is only partially determined by its square footage.  A room’s proportions, adjacencies, and layout all play a substantial role in its perceived size.  Over the years, we have developed many tools for having a small space feel much bigger.  Here are three strategies: 1. The programmed edge One way to have a small space feel larger, and perform multiple functions successfully, is to pack a lot of program and storage along one wall while leaving the rest of the

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Biophilia + Strategies for Warm Modern Design

Biophilia is defined as a desire or tendency to commune with nature.   Over the last several years, it has been increasingly demonstrated that people thrive more in spaces that incorporate natural elements.  This includes elements such as daylight, exterior views, ecological materials, and patterns that mimic the rhythms of nature.  Many sustainability and wellness architectural standards, such as LEED and Living Building Challenge, incorporate biophilic requirements into their rating systems. Combined with modern design, a biophilic approach enhances the clean lines and open plans of contemporary architecture to create engaging spaces.  We term this approach warm modern.  It employs elements

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Small Kitchen Renovation

Small Kitchen? Create More Space, No Addition Needed

Have you ever wondered how you could have a larger or more functional kitchen without adding more square footage to your home?  If so, this video is for you!  Atelier et Alia was honored to participate in a panel discussion for the Boston Globe Magazine’s series on kitchen design solutions called “Creating More Kitchen Space, No Addition Needed”. Through a presentation of project examples, co-owner Kristen Giannattasio highlights three strategies to getting more space within the existing footprint of a home: 1. Co-opting underutilized space to expand the kitchen footprint and create a walk-in pantry that supports an open plan

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