Going the Distance

At Ramsay Gourd Architects, we have a policy that we want to be your architect for life.  And while not on the same level as the covenant of marriage, we do take our relationship with our clients very seriously.  Not always will we see things eye to eye, but through open and candid discussion, we can usually gain an insight into each other's paradigm and learn to appreciate our differences.

 Park Avenue Residence

I believe this is why so much of our our work is with repeat clients.  From our little practice in Vermont, we have had opportunities to work, not only in New England, but also in New York, New Jersey, and most recently, Southern California.

While I am a big advocate of regional contextualism, I believe that through careful study, good visual communication and an understanding of site conditions and indigenous construction practices, a thoughtful designer can do responsible work.  Sometimes, this requires tapping into local talent to achieve our goals.  In Manhattan, I have employed an excellent expediting consultant to help navigate through the bureaucratic labyrinth of New York permitting.  On the New Jersey coast, I worked with engineers who understand the nuance of appeasing the Zoning and Building Administrators.  In Monecitto, CA, my role is that of the designer, working with an architect of record who will be doing the heavy lifting by generating the working drawings and permitting packages.

Montecito, CA Residence

While this may seem like a laborious and potentially costly way to approach the design process, it does have some built-in efficiencies.  Primarily, we know each other.  As a designer, I understand my clients' tastes and idiosyncrasies.  They know how to communicate with me, and hopefully have established a level of trust in our work.

Food for Thought

Computer Model View of Dining Room and Open Kitchen

 For over a year, I have had the pleasure of working with a passionate couple who are following their dreams to Vermont.  Michel Boyer and Beth Whitaker packed up their stable urban life to move to the country and open a Provence-inspired Brasserie.  Michel has spent his life in the hospitality industry, most recently as manager of Brasserie 8 1/2 in New York.  Trained as a graphic artist, Beth has developed her hand as a fine oil-painter.  This husband and wife duo combines their creative energy with experience in the business of hospitality.

Michel labored over the restaurant's name.  He wanted something clearly French, pronouncable by the great American un-washed, and reflects the sense of place he envisioned. Brasserie L'Oustau de Provence sums that up for him.  For those of you, like me, who have no idea what that means, the following definition should shed a little light.

Oustau  (oo – sto’), -noun  1. an ancient Roman agricultural homestead structure found in the South of France, often occupied by landowner, farm workers, and their extended families, serving as the heart of community. 

Working with Steven and Lauren Bryant, who helped to locate and evaluate potential properties, we seriously studied two other sites before selecting the building at 1716 Depot Street in Manchester.  The property was a going concern, but had little to do with the concept or menu of what was to become Brasserie L'Oustau.  What it did have were high ceilings, an open kitchen and an antique bar that oddly enough was perfect for our vision.

I took a field trip to New York and attended the annual hotel and restaurant show there.  While in the city, I met with Michel, and he took me on a whirlwind tour of the best brasserie spaces that Manhattan has to offer.    Balthazar, with its cool vibe and great sense of place has the recipe well worked out.  The architecture and details at Brasserie Ruhlmann are exceptional.  But what would would you expect from a restaurant named after the great Art Deco designer Emile-Jaques Ruhlmann?  Artisinal Bistro on 32nd and Park combines the brasserie dining experience with an exceptional fromagerie that purveys some of the finest hand-crafted cheeses available in the city.

Massive Columns,  brass-capped banquettes and
carefully selected lighting combine with a custom mosaic
floor to create a true brasserie environment.

Armed with this vision and sense of experience, we attacked the plans with enthusiasm.  (I had also just read Danny Meyer's book, Setting the Table, which re-lit my hospitality sense from my years as an innkeeper.)  The thesis was clear.  The concept concrete.  And the scope of worked pre-defined.  We set out taking down walls to create the open feel and dynamic flow.  I designed a custom mosaic tile to paint the floors with, and detailed massive columns that are iconic elements of our brasserie precedents.


We are not yet two months into the project, and as the tile is laid, the space is really coming together.  Lighting will be installed next week and furniture arrives as staff training takes place the following week.  A soft opening will launch three weeks from now, and I can hardly wait.  I'm sure that L'Oustau will prove to be a comfortable and envigorating hub for our community.

Eat Your Garden!

Ellen Ecker Ogden’s new book, The Complete Kitchen Garden has just come out, and it is worth buying if you are at all interested in growing your own wholesome food.  The book is a great collaboration, bringing together Ellen’s vast knowledge and eloquent writing, Ali Kaukas’ brilliant photographs and a catalogue of watercolor illustrations that I painted.

The New York Times book review states “Ogden’s recipes zero in on the freshest possible ingredients.  If you don’t have a garden when you crack this book open, you’ll be ordering seeds by the time you put it down.”

Ali’s photographs range from the broadly illustrative to the intimate.  Her landscape shots will take you away to warmer days and secret gardens while her close-ups will make your mouth water.  Ellen’s fourteen garden schemes make for delightful watercolor compositions.  Intricate geometries are rendered with a loose hand that brings about colorful interpretation.

More than just an inspiration, this book provides step-by-step instruction on how to develop a beautiful, edible landscape and literally bring the fruits to the table.  You can now purchase copies through Ellen’s website, or at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT.

Designing for Designers

This morning I had the pleasure of working with photographer, Lisa Cueman, and client and designer, Daphne Markcrow on a scouting session at Daphne’s barn conversion.  What a treat it was to have all of that talent coming together from different disciplines.

Craig & Daphne Markcrow were amazing clients.  Craig’s business, Vermont Structural Slate, provided the resources for the beautiful stone slabs and tile we used on the job.  Daphne is the founder and lead designer of the equine –inspired handbag and luggage company, Oughton Limited.  Her understanding of detail and construction paired with a disciplined editorial eye meant that she could clearly articulate her vision. 

The resultant project is so simple and elegant.  It is a reflection of both confidence and sensitivity.  If my job is to provide a portrait of my client through the built environment, the success of this project lies in the simple sophistication that this talented couple exhibits.

Today we hung some of Lisa’s amazing photographs in the space.  Her equine portraits and abstractions were such a natural fit in the space, they looked as though the project had been designed around them.  Check out her work at her website.  

Additional snap-shots that I took at our session can be seen at Ramsay Gourd Architects.

Handsome Little Faucet

Every now and then, I come across a product that gets me excited.  My good friend Frank D’Angeles, at Close to Home recently introduced me to this amazing little company called Watermark Designs.  Located in Brooklyn, NY, this socially and environmentally-conscious business produce all of their products here in the US.  While they manufacture kitchen fittings, and lighting as well, their primary focus is on bathroom fittings.

This little faucet, The Stratford / Waltham, is my favorite new piece to come on the plumbing market.  Evoking the romantic feel of early 20^th century design, it is up-to-date with the precision performance of ceramic cartridges and quarter-turn function. 

Getting Coordinated, Part IV in a series on the design process

It has been quite some time since I updated my blog.  I wanted to bring my readers up to speed on the progress being made on our case study.

Through the photos attached, you can see how the prescriptive bylaws of this seaside community shaped the final building massing.  We were not able to add the shed dormer to the left of the primary gable, as that area falls outside of the building envelop.  The primary roof ridge is pre-existing, but taller than is currently permitted.  This is why I had to step the building down where we extended it to the right.  As architects, our job is to work within the confines of zoning restrictions, client needs, engineering limitations and site context.  We produce our best work when we meet these challenges head-on. 

My last trip to the site was a time for systems coordination.  I have been meeting  with the HVAC contractor, plumber and electrician to coordinate trades and make certain that things like ventilation grilles don’t end up in either unsightly locations or in configurations that are at conflict with how the house will be furnished and used.

By looking at our point of construction, it may seem early.  But all plumbing, lighting and appliance selections should be made by now.  We have assembled comprehensive fixture schedules that are keyed into the drawings.  Once fixtures and finishes  have been selected, we draw them into the interior elevations, indicating tile layouts, lighting and plumbing fixture locations and any other specific product installations that will need to be accommodated.   It is this early coordination that limits the number of costly mistakes that can be made along the way.