Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Personal space
Where I live: East of Fayetteville
Occupation: Architect and partner at Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects
My favorite space is: my living room
Why? Three years ago, my husband and I bought a house near where I grew up. The house was completed in the 1950s and required quite a bit of work.
The living room felt small and dark before we recuperated the space. The cathedral ceilings now reveal the architecture of the roof, and the new windows allow more natural light. The newly exposed brick in the fireplace creates a nice textural contrast to the finished materials around it.
By knocking down walls, we created a connection between the living area, dining and kitchen. It is now large enough for a work space for my son near one of the large windows, and a sitting area for the “big kids” while we read or watch a movie.
As an architect, it’s important to be inspired by your surroundings. I enjoy relaxing in this space, looking out the windows at the mature trees on our land. Enough natural light enters the space so we rarely need artificial lights on during the day, but it is very filtered through the trees, creating dancing shadows.
If I could make one change to improve this space, I would: While replacing the windows made a large difference for energy savings, I would have liked to rearrange the windows to allow better views.
— Laurie Marshall