On the EdgeTowerPinkster partnered with Catalyst Development on the Warner Building, located in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 275,000-square-foot redevelopment transformed 1.4 acres of surface parking into a lively mixed-use destination with health, wellness, outdoor, and collaboration spaces that help rejuvenate the urban core. The project adds parking, market-rate residential units with balconies, natural daylighting, and community-focused amenities. Sixty-six thousand square feet are dedicated to Class A office space, now home to organizations including Southwest Michigan First, the Kalamazoo Promise Institute, Warner Norcross + Judd, and the Stryker Johnson Foundation. “TowerPinkster elected to use Dekton at the base of the mixed-use Warner building because we love the ability to create dynamic, knife-edge conditions.” Dekton’s factory-bonded corners and advanced fabrication techniques allowed for some intricate compound intersections of the material. Dekton, from Cosentino, has a strong character that both resembles a natural veined stone and can withstand potential environmental factors such as impact, graffiti, and extreme weathering. The choice of Dekton was one we reviewed against many other alternatives and felt it offered us the most creativity of expression, with longevity and material patterning at a human scale. —Jason Novotny, Principal and Vice President of Design, TowerPinksterView
An Irish LullabyWritten By Charlotte Vale Photography By Paul Massey Designer Suzie Mc Adam’s American clients wanted a peaceful retreat where they could entertain and have a home away from home for their European adventures. They purchased this Victorian barn just before the Covid lockdown, and commissioned leading architect Coli O’Donoghue of DMOD Architects to update the two-story layout while respecting and restoring original details like the pigeon-gray stonework and rosy-brick door frames. To complete the interiors, they brought in Suzie Mc Adam, who created a home that honors the past and celebrates the present with contemporary comfort and flair. The house dates back to the 1800s and originally formed part of a Victorian model farm. Over time, it evolved into a turreted country retreat, with stone walls and a romantic, quietly storied character. It sits in rural County Wicklow, surrounded by dramatic landscape and literary history. Sensitive architectural interventions preserved its historic character, while Mc Adam’s interiors layer unexpected detail with deep respect for the building’s origins. Mc Adam says, “We were invited in by clients whose main residence is contemporary and restrained, but here they wanted to lean into mood, storytelling, and atmosphere. They gave us creative freedom, and together we embraced the tension between raw stone and refined elegance, creating a suite of rooms that feel collected, personal, and timeless. I had the freedom to be playful, which felt liberating.” In the kitchen, the gingham-wrapped dining nook is her clients’ favorite space. “In wet, windy Ireland you need a […]View
Next GenWritten by Kelsey Mulvey When Murillo and Esther Schattan founded Ornare in 1986, they wanted to leave their sophisticated stamp on the design industry. “We were inspired by a desire to transform the intimacy of spaces through design, recognizing a growing demand for personalized solutions that could integrate seamlessly into everyday life in a refined and elegant way,” Murillo shares. Make their mark, they did. In 1989, the Brazilian company opened its first factory, followed by a flagship store at São Paulo’s revered Alameda Gabriel Monteiro da Silva four years later. After decades in business, Ornare has become a respected cabinetry company and industry leader— merging old-world craftsmanship with sustainable initiatives, and cutting-edge technology. “We were inspired by a desire to transform the intimacy of spaces through design” —Murillo Schatten “We’ve built an identity that combines technical industrial precision with artisanal care,” Esther shares. “Respect for manual craftsmanship and the careful selection of raw materials have always been at the heart of the brand, but over time this appreciation has become more structured and linked to sustainability practices.” To date, Ornare touts FSC certification, waste-reuse programs, as well as the creation and implementation of reverse logistics initiatives as some of its greatest sustainability accomplishments. As the company approaches its 40th anniversary in 2026, Murillo and Esther prepare to pass the proverbial baton to their sons, Pitter and Stefan, who have both helped build the brand’s national and international presence. “Our sons [are able to] preserve the company’s DNA while imprinting […]View
Following SeasWritten by Deborah L. Martin Photography By Christoph Philadelphia How do you reproduce the feel of yacht life in a home in landlocked Munich? According to designer Thomas Mang, you employ bespoke details, custom, perfectly fitted furnishings, warm wood finishes and polished surfaces, and an ample dose of Japanese-inspired Zen. For his client with a passion for the high seas, Mang designed a four-story urban abode in the heart of the German capital. Having done a few projects with this client before, Mang was comfortable proposing new ideas. “The brief was to create a cozy and warm home, with the best quality in the surfaces and craftsmanship,” says Mang. To do that, he worked with Italian brand Promemoria to create custom, one-of-a-kind furnishings that evoke a nautical feel but are also perfectly suited to a home in the city. Take for example the bold, curved armchairs in the living room, upholstered in coral-red suede and backed with sleek metal. They would be perfectly at home in the main salon of an oceangoing vessel, but fit perfectly in this urban environment. Mang says, “This home fits with our usual design aesthetic, but in this case, we implemented a much warmer and more powerful colorway, a palette that developed from honeyed, amber hues to bronze and coral red.” He shares that the client loved the design concept from the beginning, but it took a little time to incorporate the vivid red tones found throughout. “Red is a color that runs vividly throughout […]View
A Sense of CalmWritten by Thomas Connors Photography by Mike Van Tassel Design may not be a science, but it’s not all art, either. When her clients began expressing a desire for spaces that could actually change how they feel when they walk into them, Rose Praino, creative director at YDC Design, got busy studying neuroscience, biophilia—the incorporation of natural elements—and environmental psychology. She devised a structured framework for design decisions she calls the Neurosensory Design Method, built around three interconnected layers. “The sensory layer,” she explains, “considers materials, light, acoustics, and tactile cues. The cognitive layer focuses on clarity, wayfinding, and daily rituals. The emotional layer engages color psychology, biophilic patterns, and textural balance to create connection, safety, and joy. It’s this layered framework that transforms a house into an environment that doesn’t just look beautiful but actively supports the people who live within it.” Praino’s approach plays out expressively in this expansive Long Island residence, designed by architect John Himmelsbach. Responding to the open floor plan, an abundance of natural light, and ever-present vistas, she drew on a palette of natural materials to provide “calm in a world of speed, connection in a culture of distraction, and longevity in a time of constant change.” “It’s less about ‘using stone’ or ‘using wood’ and more about orchestrating how each layer—texture, temperature, reflectivity—interacts with our senses,” says Praino. “Together, they create a physiological response that can lower stress, promote focus, or encourage restoration. For example, we used a veined natural stone wall in […]View
Mountain MagicWritten by Deborah L. Martin Photography by Rafael Gamo Architecture is at its best when it works in concert with the landscape. Ridge House, designed by Brooklyn-based architecture firm Worrell Yeung, fulfills that mission. The home, located about 100 miles north of Manhattan in Columbia County, sits atop a wooded knoll, with views of the Catskill Mountains in the west, and the Taconic Range in the east. Set within an 88-acre ridgeline property, the project consists of two separate buildings—a main house and an outbuilding, affectionately called the barn, plus a pool—which are formally similar but materially distinguished. The main house’s simple, 128-foot-long gabled structure is threaded within the landscape, emerging from the woods into a clearing that looks out to the mountains. There is no traditional front door. Rather, one enters via a pass-through space at the center of the structure. On one side, the social wing of the house frames vistas to the Catskills and Taconics, the other direction offers a secluded bedroom wing that tucks back into the forest. Inside, the main space consolidates the kitchen, dining area, and living room into a single lofted room. The gable peaks at 20 feet, creating an airy interior. At one end, a custom concrete island anchors the kitchen, while on the opposite side of the space is a concrete fireplace. Thirty foot expanses of glass highlight the main attraction— unimpeded views of the mountains. “When I saw this site, with its remarkable views to not one but two mountain […]View
Rooted in PlaceWritten by Carl J Dellatore Photography by Lauren Andersen/Sen Creative Set into a hillside in Windsor, California, overlooking rolling vineyards and a neighboring pond, this freshly renovated home reflects the story of a well-traveled family finally putting down roots–for themselves and future generations. Designer Chelsea Miller of Good Ave Design Studio was tapped to oversee the design and construction. Her clients—a tech executive with New Guinean heritage and her sustainability-focused husband— had lived across continents, from Paris to Indonesia and beyond. The challenge? Melding their life stories into the wine country’s vernacular without falling into the ubiquitous “modern farmhouse” trap. “When people tell me they want a modern farmhouse, I push to explore further,” Miller explains. “That design concept has become California design’s most overused phrase—a catch-all that has lost meaning through relentless repetition.” In this case, her digging revealed two distinct aesthetic appetites that needed reconciliation: her love of streamlined surfaces and his rustic sensibilities. As a starting point, Miller revealed the couple’s interests with built-in bookshelves in the dining room that have become personal territory. Cookbooks populate her side, and in contrast, his gardening volumes claim the opposite end. Structurally, the house’s three wings converge at a central point—where a kitchen with an expansive island serves as a natural hub. Expanding the volume, Miller lifted cramped eight-foot ceilings and added dormers to flood the kitchen with California light. Perhaps most telling is what the designer and family chose to leave out. The living room has no television, creating […]View
East End IdyllWritten by Danine Alati Photography by Manolo Yllera A house in East Hampton should look like it belongs there. New York–based designer Andrew Torrey knew this instinctively when he undertook what was billed as a “renovation”—in truth, it was a complete rebuild save for a single wall—for a nine-time repeat client and close friend. The result is a masterfully conceived two-phase, two-building compound, comprising a main house and guesthouse purchased on the neighboring property, that reflects its East End setting with authenticity while gracefully avoiding cliché. “This family has multiple homes, so they wanted this one to really feel like they were in the Hamptons,” Torrey offers. “They love really chunky furniture and moldings, shiplap, and shingled houses. They really wanted it to feel very Hamptons so that was the design direction.” “This family has multiple homes, so they wanted this one to really feel like they were in the Hamptons.” —Andrew Torrey But the clients also wanted to accentuate their vast collections of personal photographs and extensive sculptural glass from artists in Europe, so Torrey opted for a very crisp white backdrop. “They wanted the envelope of the home to be romantic and give a great backdrop to their collections of photography and glass,” Torrey says. What really makes a design statement is the strong pops of color. “The wife is very passionate about color,” the designer says of his client. “She taught me almost everything I know about using color in design and being bold.” However, even with […]View