by Charles Hendricks | Aug 29, 2025 | architecture, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design
In the world of architecture, we often compare designing a home to crafting a tailored suit, made to fit, feel, and function exactly for the person who wears it. But there’s another, more unexpected comparison that resonates with designers and tech enthusiasts alike: building a custom mechanical keyboard. Yes, you read that right. Surprisingly, the meticulous and personal process of building a custom keyboard has more in common with architectural design than you might think. Our office manager, Lindsey, knows a thing or two about these custom keyboards and details the comparison below:
- Form Follows Function
Whether it’s a 60% compact keyboard or a sprawling open-plan living room, both begin with a single question: What do you need it to do?
In keyboard building, every choice from layout to key switches and key caps reflects how the user types, games, or programs. Similarly, every home we design starts with understanding how our clients live. Are they entertainers? Remote workers? A growing family? A custom home should facilitate the life they want to live.
In both cases, form follows function and when done well, the results are seamless.
- Every Component Matters
A great custom keyboard isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about how the baseplate, circuit board, switches, keycaps and even stabilizers come together to create a feeling: a sound, the weight, tactile feedback that feels just right.
Likewise, in custom home design, the experience isn’t defined by a single room or element. It’s the interaction of materials, light, layout and flow. Every small detail, door hardware, cabinet depth, window orientation, all contributes to the whole. Quality is in the sum of its parts.
- Choose-Your-Own Aesthetic
The visual personality of a keyboard can range from minimalist to maximalist. A fully matte black aluminum keyboard? Retro beige keycaps? Ceramic keys? RGB light under glow? It’s entirely up to the builder.
Designing a custom home offers the same freedom. Contemporary? Farmhouse? Industrial with a hint of Scandinavian charm? The style is all yours, just with a few more square feet involved.
In both worlds, aesthetic choices are a form of self-expression.
- Theres a Sound, and a Feel
One of the most fun (and just a bit nerdy) aspects of keyboard building is the sound test. People who custom build keyboards obsess over whether their board “thocks” or “clacks,” whether the keystroke is buttery smooth, or crisp and tactile.
Sound in architecture is critical too. From the way the hardwood floors absorb your footsteps, to the acoustics of a vaulted ceiling, the aural experience of a home is subtle, but powerful. The right materials and insulation choices can make a house feel calm or chaotic.
Don’t even get us started on door hinges that “click” just right…
- It’s Personal, and Worth the Wait
A prebuilt keyboard is like a spec home: fast, easy, and decent for general use.
But it isn’t really “yours.”
Custom keyboards (and homes) take longer. They involve choice, trade-offs, and collaboration. There are moments of indecision and sometimes…backorders.
But when it all comes together, you don’t just get a product. You get something that was made just for you, by people who understand the balance between function, beauty, and craft.
To sum it all up, whether you are soldering a circuit board or placing a window to frame a perfect sunset, both disciplines are built on the same foundation: intentional design. As architects, we’re constantly inspired by how people interact with the objects and spaces around them. Even a custom keyboard, small in scale, but rich in detail, reminds us that design is everywhere, and great design always starts with understanding how something should work, feel, and live. And if you ask me, I love a good classic style keyboard that feels nostalgic, but timeless. Larger keys, and a soft, but present clacky sound. Just a small way to make my space intentionally “mine.”
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 25, 2025 | Accessibility, architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design, resources
Three key pillars can take your new home to your dream custom home:
Accessibility: Designing for Life’s Changes
A truly well-designed home anticipates the future. We work to design using universal design principles that make the home easy to use, maintain, and navigate for everyone, regardless of age or physical ability. This isn’t about designing for inabilities; it’s about creating a home that works seamlessly for a person carrying groceries, a child playing, or a family member with a temporary injury. Our team is trained in these principles, including the NAHB Certified Aging in Place Specialist certification, ensuring we can provide the best possible solutions.
Smart Technology for Seamless Living
Modern life is made easier with smart technology, and our custom homes are designed to integrate these luxury systems seamlessly. We can incorporate technology for:
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- Climate Control: Manage heating and cooling with ease to ensure year-round comfort.
- Security: Monitor your home remotely for peace of mind.
- Entertainment: Control your audio and visual systems from a single point.
- Lighting: Create the perfect ambiance for any occasion with automated lighting systems.
These smart features are designed to be user-friendly, giving you effortless control over your environment and helping you manage your home’s systems proactively.
Durable Design for Timeless Aesthetics
Your home should be a reflection of your unique style and a source of comfort for years to come. We achieve this by focusing on durable, time-tested materials that require low maintenance. Our designs also emphasize a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces through large windows and doors, allowing natural light to fill your home and creating a sense of openness. This attention to detail, from the structural elements to the finished trim, ensures that your home will not only be beautiful on day one but will continue to be a cherished space for your family for generations.
By combining timeless design with strategic, forward-thinking features, we design homes that are as durable and adaptable as they are stunning.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 14, 2025 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design, Not used, resources
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself before designing your custom home!
by Audrey | Apr 16, 2025 | Charlottesville, Green Building, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design
Contractor: Herr and Company
The Perfect Car Garage
By Jarod Sankar
Anyone who knows me outside of work knows that aside from design & architecture, I have a passion for cars. As a former car salesman, I have been able to experience some really fun and unique vehicles. Out of the hundreds of cars that I have driven, my all-time favorite is my car – I may be a little bias. Check out my Acura TLX. This was my first brand-new car, and I enjoy every mile with this car. I don’t take living in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains for granted, and most weekends, you can find me up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, driving aimlessly for sometimes hours. I can’t call myself a car guy and not know how to design a good home for my baby – I mean my car. Here are some tips on how to make your garage more than just walls and a door.
Storage
First, any car lover, or organization lover will tell you that good storage in a garage is imperative. Having a place for everything, and everything in its place, makes things so much easier, whether it’s storing copious amounts of detailing supplies such as myself, or keeping all your tools and equipment safe and sound.
You don’t always have to go the pre-built storage systems or open shelving route. Sometimes, it makes the most sense to just install typical cabinets with a wood or metal work top. This can sometimes be cheaper and looks way more custom.
If you aren’t sure yet how to lay out your storage, you can start by planning ahead by doing counter height outlets along the wall to leave space for future storage systems or cabinetry.
Flooring
Secondly, you may consider adding a floor drain to your garage design. Incorporating this has many benefits, and makes washing your car so much easier. This also can be helpful in preventing any water damage from snow or ice that melts off your vehicle onto the floor. Along with the addition of a floor drain, dyed and polished concrete or an epoxy covering can make your garage more attractive and functional.
Lighting
Third, good garage lighting makes all the difference. If you’re a tad bit obsessive like me, you want to see every molecule of dirt that may be left on your vehicle after a hand wash. More importantly, a well-lit garage is safer to maneuver around. Incorporate LED lighting into the ceiling, under cabinet lighting for your work top, and step lighting if applicable.
Garage Doors
No garage is complete without a garage door. No matter what the configuration, garage doors serve a purpose. Garage doors can be installed with or without insulation. Insulated garage doors help keep your garage warm during the winter, which in turn also will have your HVAC system working less hard. For the style of door, try to avoid real wood garage doors. Like all wood, it requires regular maintenance. Instead, look for faux wood finishes, or go with a painted metal option. Along with the door itself, you may consider installing a wall mounted opener rather than a traditional overhead opener. Wall mounted openers are typically much quieter and usually are much more attractive. Lastly, if your design allows for it, it’s always good to incorporate a person-door to access the exterior from your garage. Having to open and close your overhead door can become cumbersome, so for quick access, a regular entry door is much more convenient.
For more ideas on how to design your dream garage, contact us. We would love to give you the perfect home for you and your family’s needs…and a perfect home for your car’s needs!
Click here to learn more about detached garage design solutions
by Audrey | Mar 24, 2025 | Charlottesville, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design
Cover Photo: Elise Trissel | Contractor: Trost Custom Homes
By Jarod Sankar
What really makes a home custom? Whether it’s building from the ground up, or renovating something existing, a custom home is a space crafted for you and your family’s needs. Just like a well-tailored suit, or a shoe that fits just right, having a space that not only meets your aesthetic preferences, but also meets your functional needs, is a wonderful feeling.
One of the most important places in any home is the kitchen. When crafting a custom kitchen, things like storage, seating, appliances, lighting, and flow are what can make or break a functional space. Here are some important questions and considerations you should talk through with your designer, and some helpful ideas on how to make your existing space more functional.
1) What kind of cabinetry do I want?
Cabinetry is one of the biggest components that make up a kitchen. Cabinets come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s important to know the difference. Cabinets are usually broken into three categories, which is off-the-shelf, semi-custom, and fully custom. Budget is usually what dictates which direction to go. Off-the-shelf cabinetry always comes in standard widths, depths, and layouts. You can still make an extremely functional space with these cabinets, but it’s important to talk with your designer about how you use your kitchen and how to maximize your storage. Semi-custom cabinetry has much more wiggle room, as you can adjust the depths, layouts, and features much more easily. With semi-custom cabinetry, it is easier to do things like larger than standard sink widths, appliance garages, built-in trash cans and cutting boards, etc. Full custom cabinetry is just as it sounds and is built by hand to meet exactly what you are looking for. This is the best choice for creating a fully custom kitchen, but it is also the most expensive. Semi-custom and fully custom also offer much more flexibility in terms of design, such as colors, wood species, stains, door styles, hardware, and all other cabinetry accessories. We specify kitchen cabinetry based on what is best suited for the client, and meets functionality, aesthetics, and budget restrictions.
2) What appliances do I need?
There are many more appliances on the market than just the typical refrigerator, stove, and microwave. Are you a minimalist who hates having appliances on the countertop? Are you someone who loves morning coffee but gets tired of refilling the water reservoir on your coffee maker? There are a ton of options for modern-day appliances that can end up making your day so much easier, and having an intuitive and custom kitchen involves thinking through exactly what you need, and what you don’t need. Along with thinking through what specialty appliances you could benefit from, there are also design implications that can be influenced by your lifestyle. For example, drawer microwaves and raised dishwashers could have much more ease of use, and promote aging in place.
3) What kind of lighting does my kitchen need?
Lighting is broken down into 4 segments:
- Task
- General
- Ambient
- Decorative
While there can be crossover between segments, kitchens need all four types of lighting to be the most functional. When designing a custom kitchen, think about how lighting plays a role in what you use your kitchen for. Task lighting includes under cabinet lighting, pendant lighting over your island or sink, and any other type of light that illuminates a specific area for work. General lighting is your room illumination, including recessed cans or flush mounts throughout the space that light up surfaces and walking paths. Ambient lighting can be similar to task lighting, as it highlights a specific area, or adds a general ambient feel to the space. This may be just adding a lamp to the kitchen counter for some warmth or leaving your light above the range on at night as a night light. Decorative lighting can be a specialty or be an aspect of the other three types. While pendants over the island may serve as task lighting, they can also be decorative to play into the aesthetic of the space.
This is just a start to figuring out how to make your custom kitchen truly custom, by best fitting your needs and working with your kitchen activities, not against. By thinking through these questions and answering them honestly, you’ll be able to give your designer great information on how to best design a space tailored to you.
Click here to learn more about countertop options
Click here to learn more about planning a kitchen renovation
Click here to learn more about why you should hire an interior designer
by Audrey | Mar 4, 2025 | Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design
Photo by Brandy Somers Photography
How does a completed selection list prior to construction help the project budget?
By Jarod Sankar
When building a custom home, or renovating an existing space, there are many little details that all need to fit together, just like a puzzle. As most puzzles tend to be, missing even one tiny piece will distract from the entirety of what’s around it and make it look incomplete. No one likes an incomplete puzzle, and even more so, no one likes an incomplete house.
With this in mind, our firm is dedicated to providing you with a complete, thought-through, and well-designed set of drawings. To aid in this process, we provide our clients with a selection spreadsheet. This spreadsheet houses all the interior selections from the ground up. Having these selections prior to construction is a critical aspect in ensuring that a project remains on budget and avoids any unwanted change orders.
We work with some spectacular builders, but none of them are mind-readers. It’s important to remember that your builder won’t be able to accurately price a job without knowing the full scope. Just like you wouldn’t want your builder to start work from unfinished plans, the same is true for unfinished selections. While it may seem like you can pick things out during the construction process, most things need to be thought through beforehand, so that there are no unexpected issues with the selection. Material costs, labor costs, and timeline can all be affected by one specific selection. If any of these things change during construction, you end up responsible for paying for a change order.
To mitigate these potential problems, our goal is to provide your builder with a full detailed list of all the selections that make up your new home or renovation. Knowing what size and material of tile that you’re using, what window casing you desire, what front door you like, and all the other considerations are things that can drastically increase or decrease the overall price that comes from your builder. When a selection choice comes in over budget, it is much easier to adjust and rethink the selection before construction starts, not after.
Putting together a puzzle with missing pieces may be possible, but it doesn’t end up pretty. Let us help you complete the puzzle and work with you throughout the pre-design, design, and construction phases of your project.
