Architects Portsmouth New Hampshire
See our blog for new projects, announcements, and all things TMS Architects.Elements of the Ultimate Vacation Home
If you could build your dream vacation home, which fun features would you add? That’s a question that has been on our mind ever since we shared this Family Playhouse under construction, which will eventually include a half basketball court and 9-hole mini golf course! When designing a vacation home — especially one in a rural area — many families are finding creative ways to keep the fun in-house. So what would we put in our ultimate vacation home? Read on for a little inspiration…
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Create Synergy with Your Outdoor Spaces & Landscape Designs
Great landscape designs all have one aspect in common — balance. And the wonderful thing about balance is that it doesn’t have to be elaborate to be effective. Simply adding a few structures for your kids to enjoy or creating a small garden room can resurrect a bland landscape. Below are some key tips to help create more harmony in your outdoor spaces.
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Warm, Inviting Porches & Verandas Embrace the Summer Season
Although porches haven’t been as common as they once were in new home construction, they are making a comeback in a big way. Originally designed for space to relax, enjoy a cool breeze, and possibly socialize with neighbors, porches are also being appreciated as extensions of our living spaces and adding architectural interest. If your home currently has a porch or veranda and you are not making use of the space, or if you are considering building a porch, there are several things that will help you maximize this space.
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Courtyards Bring the Outdoors In with Architectural & Natural Elements
What kind of image do you conjure up when you think of a courtyard? Many people think only of the grandiose types that are found at mansions or public venues, resplendent with large fountains and lush gardens. In fact, courtyards are an under-utilized architectural detail that can change the whole look and feel of your home. Indoor & outdoor courtyards offer natural light and a sense of outdoor space regardless of where your home is situated.
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Create Airy Spaces with Beautiful Breezeways
Have you considered including a breezeway as a component of your landscaping? They offer great architectural interest as they connect portions of your home, offer protection from the elements, and they can help direct cooling breezes to your outdoor space. While designing a breezeway is best left to professional architects, the following information can provide you with some inspiration.
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Lighting the Way: Outdoor Spaces Exude Beauty with Lighting
Follow the light — it’s an idea humans have clung to since our humble beginnings. Light can make or break a space. Without the right kind of light, a space can be bland, uninviting, and even scary. But, with truly inspired and thoughtful lighting, a space can exude warmth and beauty. Lighting outdoor spaces can be tricky, because light direction and shadows greatly alter our perception. However, we think with our simple three step plan, you’ll become a pro at outdoor lighting:
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Active, Bold Colors for Energized Outdoor Spaces
Since the beginning of time, colors have evoked certain emotions in human beings. We’re drawn to ideas and motifs that make us feel something, and colors are no different. Individual colors have distinct connotations — some color combinations can even be off-putting with their cold and uninviting nature. But, whether it’s a soothing space you’re going for or something a little livelier, choosing a coordinating palette of colors will help everything flow together visually.
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Efficiently Use Water as an Aesthetic for Ultimate Appeal
Flowing water isn’t just beautiful — it has many invaluable health benefits, too. Water features purify and humidify the surrounding air, create a calming and serene environment, and encourage us to feel cool and relaxed. Struggling with a bit too much urban noise pollution? No problem! Water features create an audio backdrop that can transport you to a different place and connect you back to nature. So, here are some of our favorite water features to help take your landscape from dry and lackluster to delightfully aqueous:
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Awesome Outdoor Media Rooms Excellent for Entertaining
What could be better than watching your favorite team win on a sublime summer night surrounded by all your friends? We can’t think of anything more enjoyable and convenient than experiencing this pastime from the comfort of your own stunning outdoor media room. With outdoor spaces, the sky is the limit — literally, any outdoor amenity you envision can be available right outside your door.
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Stylish Backyard Appeal with Outdoor Living Spaces
Your backyard should be more than extra lawn and garden to care for; it should be your private oasis from which to escape daily stress or spend quality time with family and friends. Today’s designers are creating backyard and outdoor living spaces that seem like actual extensions to your home. Use some of the following ideas to inspire your stylish backyard.
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Outdoor Fireplaces Add Charm, Elegance, & ROI to Any Yard
Outdoor fireplaces are a definite source of warmth and lend an air of coziness to any landscape that tends to draw people together wherever they are situated. While these reasons may be high on your list for having a fireplace on your wish list, there are also other added benefits such as higher resale value or increased equity in your home and defining your outdoor space.
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Hardy Ground Covers that Excel in Your Garden
Garden ground covers provide many benefits beyond being decorative. Moisture retention, erosion prevention, and weed control are just a few of the more important reasons to ensure you have sufficient cover. Rather than the typical mulch, gravel, or cedar bark that require replacement over time, why not use hardy ground covers that excel in your garden?
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Create a Thriving Organic Landscape with TMS
Strong chemical weed killers, pesticides and fertilizers were once considered the best way to have a picture-perfect landscape. Over time and with further research however, we have learned just how damaging that practice was to our environment. As strong proponents of organic growing, TMS Architects would like to help you with creating an organic landscape.
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Gardening for Fido: Garden Surprises for our Fur-ever Friends
Your dog or cat is likely more than just a pet but like an actual family member to you that you share your home and outdoor space with. Have you considered including any surprises for your fur-ever friend in your landscaping? Not only will it help stop boredom, it can protect the areas that are not conducive to gardening and pets.
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Reclaimed Materials: Fashionable and Environmentally Friendly
Preserving our environment, or “green living” has moved past the stage of being a fad and is now a priority by the majority of society. While many designers and architects focus on the energy systems and environmentally-friendly high insulation values of building, TMS Architects also incorporates reclaimed materials in home design whenever possible to support our commitment to sustainable architecture.
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Ideas to Bring to Life Your Dream Porch this Summer
A porch is an excellent way to extend your living space into the outdoors to create that dream space to entertain, or relax and just enjoy the fresh air. If you treat your porch just like any other room of your home and put together a design plan, you can bring your dream porch to life this summer. TMS Architects will get you started with some summer porch design ideas.
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Invite Birds & Nature in with Beautiful Flowers & Foliage
Some species of birds, bees, and butterflies are becoming less common due to environmental changes and a lack of sustenance. Gardening for nature can help your garden thrive and provide you with countless hours of enjoyment when you attract any or all of these species.
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Peaceful Garden Fountains Evoke Inner Peace & Enhance Surroundings
On a hot summer day when life’s stress is getting to you, there is not much that is as soothing as lying back in a comfortable chair with your eyes closed for a few moments while you listen to the bubbling and light splashing sounds a water feature creates. The sound of water evokes a sense of inner peace and a beautiful fountain greatly enhances your surroundings. Creating a garden fountain might well be one of the best things you can do your for yourself and your outdoor living space.
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Garden Pathways are Great for Sending Visitors on a Nature Walk
The time and effort you put into your garden and landscaping are worth the reward of having beautiful outdoor spaces. When you have a variety of areas or an expansive property, creating garden paths and walkways are great for sending visitors on a nature walk. If crafted properly, the paths and walkways cannot help but attract visitors’ attention and they will save your lawn from trails made due to foot traffic.
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Create the Outdoor Room Your Garden Desires this Summer
Outdoor rooms and gardens are the perfect way to extend your home to the outdoors. Whether you have an existing garden in which you plan to create a living space or you are starting with little to no landscaping, design options abound that will allow you to make the most of your outdoor space for relaxing or entertaining.
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