Architects Portsmouth New Hampshire
See our blog for new projects, announcements, and all things TMS Architects.Save Water in Style with a Xeriscape
A sustainable landscape that does not require heavy maintenance or an overabundance of water does not have to be without beauty or color. Originally started in the Western U.S. in areas that were prone to drought or dryness, xeriscape gardens and landscapes offer an alternative to save water in style.
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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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Shape the Landscape to a Working Rainscape
With so much recent knowledge about rainscaping, the flood of information can often be overwhelming. So, we’ve taken our favorite tips and compiled some of them to help you learn more about shaping your landscape into a functional, working rainscape.
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Practical Ideas for Planting Drought & Native Plants
For your new wildlife retreat or rain garden, you’ll want to seek out drought resistant and native plants. The reason is simple — they’re well adapted to your specific climate, soil type, and pests. Ultimately, these advantages allow such plants to sustain themselves on less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Without any help from humans, these plants will thrive, giving way to an eco-friendly landscape that still looks fantastic. Luckily, most native plants are also drought resistant and can handle poor soil conditions as well.
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Create a Resplendent Outdoor Garden Room with TMS
Having a great yard design is a blessing in itself, but maintaining incentives to spend even more time outdoors can be optimally rewarding. So, why not give yourself something to look forward to when you step outside? Our designers at TMS Architects can help bring structure and beauty to your landscape regardless of your lifestyle. While there are a huge array of possibilities for charming outdoor garden rooms, we’ve taken a few hints from classic garden designs to compile some of our favorite ideas.
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Ravishing Hardscapes that Welcome Greenery & Spring Blooms
Hardscapes aren’t limited by their sharp edges and abrupt angles. Think of them merely as the canvas upon which you can splash greenery and spring blooms to create charming garden looks. While some may have settled for mundane shrubbery and annuals jammed between the driveway and sidewalks, your exterior has the potential to be dynamic and cohesive. Keep the flow in your garden by considering these ideas for utilizing hardscaping to suit your landscape desires.
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Delightful Metal & Wood Gazebos to Highlight Gardens
When you picture a gazebo, you might visualize the grandiose setup of the wedding you recently attended. You might picture whimsical flower arrangements, twinkling candles, and the spirit of romance in the air. However, gazebos can actually serve as wonderful landscape staples — places to picnic with your family, enjoy the breezes on a warm summer day, and cultivate your favorite flowers.
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Brilliant, Vivid Moonlit Gardens for Tepid Summer Nights
With the right plants, you can make your garden come to life even after the sun goes down. While we mostly think of enjoying gardens as a daytime activity, there are a variety of plants and landscape design elements that can be incorporated into gardens to make them just as vivid and awe-inspiring at night as they are in the sparkling sun. Imagine having your very own moonlit garden to enjoy while dining al fresco, hosting an elegant soiree, or simply taking a nighttime stroll.
Here are some of our favorite moonlit garden design ideas.
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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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Appealing Pergolas Add Beauty to Gardens & Landscapes
Don’t be deterred by the name. The concept of the pergola is in reality very straightforward. It’s simply a row of vertical columns constructed to support a trellis or horizontal beams that are situated above. As the temperatures climb, you might be looking for a way to continue to enjoy your landscape without suffering in the stifling heat of Summer. Pergolas are classic, beautiful structures you should consider because of their ability to provide a versatile reprieve.
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Sloped or Grading Landscapes Unite with Visual Appeal
Dealing with sloped landscapes can be difficult, but it’s not impossible to manifest an alluring garden. It’s certainly not easy and requires a lot of effort, but all you really need is time, devotion, and an attentive eye. To overcome the hurdle of a sloped landscape, we must carefully shape and contour the land in order to establish a set framework for the landscape’s design. This process, called grading, is crucial because it places the groundwork for proper water flow and drainage.
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Nifty Kitchen Countertops Using Reclaimed & Repurposed Wood
Nothing quite compares to the rich tones and textures that reclaimed wood can bring to kitchen designs. Naturally beautiful and warm, reclaimed wood countertops can enhance the aesthetics of your kitchen while reducing your impact on the environment. Since no two pieces of wood are alike, you know you are getting a one-of-a-kind countertop with its own unique story. Not to mention, reclaimed and repurposed wood countertops can be just as beautiful as they are durable, functional, and environmentally-friendly.
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First Glimpse of a TMS-Designed Beach House
TMS Architects was asked recently to design a beach house for a family currently living in “All for the Family“, their TMS-designed main home. The owners had their eyes on this spectacular beachfront lot for many years and were able to purchase it when it became available.
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Beautifully Design an Eco-Friendly Bathroom
With the right design, a bathroom can be just as eco-friendly as it is beautiful. It starts with the thoughtful selection of reclaimed, recycled, and green materials and finishes with water-saving features that ensure environmental responsibility. A well-designed, eco-friendly bathroom can evoke peace of mind, not only with its spa-like atmosphere but with its clear environmentally conscious layout.
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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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Keep Cooler & Warmer with Thermal Mass
We are all for designing eco-friendly and sustainable homes. Many homeowners are now looking for eco-friendly features in their homes from the materials they are built with to the way they are built. Whether you are building or remodeling, there are things you can do to make your home more eco-friendly.
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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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Sustainability Spotlight: Constructing Silo & Shipping Container Homes
As the green building industry continues to expand, builders and architects are only getting more creative with sustainable home designs. We’re particularly inspired by the concept of re-purposing structures such as silos and shipping containers into beautiful and efficient eco-friendly homes. These designs take upcycling to the next level.
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