About

That’s me, on our own construction site

I did not grow up thinking I wanted to be an architect, but I definitely developed a fascination with houses.  My mother’s hobby was to visit model homes, even when we were on vacation.  This was always a family outing.

I clearly remember the Lego set my parents gave me when I was probably 7 years old.  It was a very basic set to build a mid-century modern ranch house, complete with red framed windows and a few shrubs.  I spent hours re-working the first floor plan so I could have enough bricks to build a second story.  There were just not enough, I could never get beyond the staircase to nowhere.  But I definitely refined my space planning skills in the process.

In 1974 the family went to see the movie, The Towering Inferno.  I loved it and left convinced that I wanted to be an architect when I grew up. I may have been influenced by the fact the architect in the film was played by Paul Newman, but I did add drafting classes to my high school curriculum.  I found I really liked technical drawing, back in the day when we drew by hand.

Like many of my peers, I went to the in-state school my parents strongly recommended I attend.  For me, that was the University of Colorado, in Boulder.  They further suggested I study Business or Engineering.  To my dismay, CU only offered a graduate degree in Architecture.  However, the College of Engineering offered a BS degree in Architectural Engineering.  So I chose engineering.  The program was part of the Civil Engineering department and I ended up with course work heavy in structural engineering.  My plan was to work as an engineer, become  licensed (PE) and return to school to get my masters degree in architecture.  An awesome plan had I not graduated into a recession in 1982.  Very few, if any of us, found a job in the building field.  I had to find something, I was getting married in 2 months.  Bless my mom for her time spent searching the want ads and finding a secretarial position with a group of architects working on a 10,000 square foot custom home remodel and addition.   Did I scoff? yes,  Did I take it?  yes.

I look back at my career and I can’t believe how great my training was.  That first job as a secretary was in a trailer on the building site, next to the contractor’s trailer.  I went very quickly from answering phones, to drafting.  There were daily field trips across the lawn to measure and oversee the construction of details that in many cases were drawn the day before.  I will be forever grateful for the 7 years I spent in New York City at the firm of David Anthony Easton and Eric J. Smith, Architect. There were many new residential projects in the classic style of Georgian Architecture.  Our bible was “The American Vignola” (http://www.classicist.org/publications-and-bookshop/bookshop/classical-america-series-in-art-and-architecture/) a guide to drawing the classic orders of architecture.  We took workshop classes to learn to draw and apply the orders to architecture.  There were also many renovation projects that allowed us to research regional design details so the final project looked like it had been built all at once, many years ago.  I learned to see and appreciate all the pieces involved in creating magnificent homes.  The final project set contained not only the exterior elevations and floor plans, but every interior room was drawn in elevation, every millwork detail (crowns, baseboards, stair step nosings, windows, doors, cabinets,etc..) was drawn and part of the construction set.  My husband’s job took us back to Denver where I worked with several residential architects.  I discovered that I loved the details of interiors and took a job in a kitchen design showroom, where John Flammang taught me how design a space that met the needs of the user.  I remember him telling me that a great kitchen could be built out of orange crates as long as it functioned well for the client.

After 30 years of design, the engineer in me makes me a fan of the architect Louis Sullivan who said “form ever follows function” in his autobiography. I want the flow through a space to make sense.  However, I love the detail of millwork design, the intricacies of tile patterns and the energy of construction.  In 2005 we created Briggs Design Associates, Inc. a residential design company.  In the past 10 years, we have established ourselves as a custom design firm specializing in space planning, lighting design, custom cabinetry and site supervision.  It has been a wonderful journey, I love what I do.  I have been blessed with wonderful clients and their projects.