The Cambridge Blog

We hear a lot of discussion these days concerning the size of our carbon footprint:  You know, the question of how much more than our fair share of the planet’s resources we use just by being here and living the way we do. 

Having lived in a country and culture where More & Bigger have been the universal goals for more than a century, the concept of reducing ones’ carbon footprint seems a reversal of values.  Suddenly we find that - now that we can finally afford a big home, big car, big boat, etc., - the values of our culture have reversed course!  We now find ourselves scorned for owning that same big home, big car, big boat.

Suddenly it is no longer a sign of success to own and operate anything that enlarges our ‘carbon footprint’!  Suddenly Bigger is no longer Better.  In fact, Big isn’t good at all!  Smaller is better.  Smaller is Moral.  Smaller is Kinter, Smarter, More Spiritually in Tune.  Less suddenly is More.  The lesser the better!  Less Stuff.  Less Space.  Fewer ‘Things’. 

At Cambridge Homes, this has been our philosophy always.  Since our founding nearly eighteen years ago, we have designed and built for our Luxury Patio Home clients, nicely appointed, smaller homes on smaller home sites.  Our homebuyers appreciate the sophistication of our patio home designs, the quality of our craftmanship, and the appropriateness of the space we provide.  Please visit one of our Luxury Patio Home communities soon to see for yourself.

Recently a friend sent me a link to the “Life Expectancy Calculator”.  After taking the quiz, I was pleased - and relieved! - to learn that I might actually have another twenty or so years yet to live!  Then I got to thinking how incredibly swiftly the last twenty years sped by.  If the next twenty pass just as swiftly, they’ll be gone in a flash!  It made me realize that I’ve got to get busy making the most of the time I have left!

With the current economic and political uncertainty in our world, it’s easy to put everything on hold and wait for things to get better before getting on with our lives.  It seems easier to just stay put:  To put off building a new home; to delay that trip abroad, to wait until the stock market turns around, or until the war is over, or until….

But if, like me, you’re in your 50’s or 60’s, or even 70’s, you realize that time is passing.  The question is this:  Knowing I have a finite amount of time left to live, HOW do I want to live?

Do I want to play “turtle” and pull in my head, waiting for events to make it safe for me to come out and play?

Or do I want to make the very most of what time I have left?  When I look at it THAT way, it’s a “no-brainer”!

I choose to LIVE and EMBRACE LIFE in the time I have left!  This is my last bite of the apple!

Maybe this means I’ll call the travel agent and take that trip to Australia.  Or maybe it means I’ll sell this old house (that was great when the kids were growing up, but that is fast becoming an albatross!) and build a new Cambridge Homes luxury patio home that has all the bells and whistles I’ve always wanted.

Whatever I’ve been wanting to do, this I know for certain:  NOW is the Time!

To check out the Live Expectancy Calculator, just click below:

http://www.sonnyradio.com/realage3.swf

Recently Cambridge Homes hosted its second annual fund-raiser for the Collin County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.  While last year’s event was held at the Cambridge model home at Chapel Hill in McKinney, this years fundraiser was held at the model home in CAMBRIDGE GATE in Far North Dallas.  This year attendees donated more than $600 to the Habitat for Humanity while enjoying hors d’ oeuvres prepared by Regarrio’s and desserts contributed by Whole Foods.  Event coordinator for Cambridge Homes was Christie Douglass.  In attendance were Cambridge homeowners, area merchants and business people, City dignitaries, representatives of Habitat for Humanity, and, of course, enthusiastic members of the Cambridge Team.

"Members of the Cambridge Staff pinch-hitting as bartenders"

Christie Douglass

At Cambridge Homes, we believe that attractive & comfortable outdoor living spaces contribute greatly to the graciousness of living in our luxury patio homes.  Designing an outdoor living area that “lives” well and creates pleasing views from inside the home can be both challenging and fun.  What one needs is INSPIRATION.

Here’s one of the places where I find mine:

Since the first time I saw it, one of my favorite paintings has been The Open Window by Henri Matisse.

I think often of this painting and believe it has much to teach - especially when planning an outdoor living space.  Among the lessons it has taught me are these:

1. CONTINUITY of COLOR
2. Windows as “PICTURE FRAMES”
3. The Importance of MOTION/MOVEMENT/ANIMATION
4. Soften with VEGETATION

Let me elaborate on each:

One of the things I love most about this painting is the use of similar colors in both the room in which we, the viewers, “stand”, and in the view beyond the window.  This CONTINUITY of COLOR brings the outdoors in and the indoors out, tying the two together in a very pleasing way.

  

Another profound lesson of the painting is the use of the window as a “FRAME” for the view beyond.  When planning your courtyard, think of each window and door as the “FRAME” for your view from inside your home.  The brick wall of your neighbor’s home provides a handsome canvass on which to create the picture.  Consider attaching attractive and unusual items to the wall to create visual interest.

                               

Even though the painting itself is static, one experiences a feeling of MOTION in the view - the sailboats on the water beyond appear to be bobbing on their moorings.  Including motion within the view from your window will contribute as much appeal to your composition as it does to Matisse’s.  There are two especially effective ways to create motion in your courtyard.  One is to attract “wildlife” to your patio.  Monarch Butterflies and Hummingbirds are delightful, animated additions to your courtyard that add movement and interest, as well as excitement and fun.  Brightly colored, flat-topped flowers attract a variety of butterflies, and Hummingbirds as well.

       

Because it engages the senses in multiple ways, another effective way to create MOTION is with moving water.  Visually, the sparkle of the sun’s reflection on the water adds a subtle excitement to the experience, and the sound of moving water is soothing and refreshing.

Even though the prominent view from the Matisse’s window is of water, you’ll notice that VEGETATION, in the form of flower pots on the window sill and vines growing around the window itself, contribute to the attractiveness of the view.  As in the painting, vegetation in our courtyards helps “soften” the outdoor space in much the same way that draperies around a window help soften an indoor space.       

Because the view from  Matisse’s window is high above the ground, no beach is visible.  If the window had been lower, Matisse probably would have included interesting stones and boulders on his beach, since strategically placed rocks and boulders can add a great deal of interest, as evidenced in the photos below.

I hope this little tutorial from a painting by one of the world’s great artists is helpful as you plan and implement your own outdoor living space and the “view” of that space from the windows of your home.  Undoubtedly there are other lessons to be learned from Mattise’s painting, and I’d love to hear what you discover.

For more information about attracting butterflies and birds to your garden, refer to the following websites:

The National Wildlife Federation - www.nwf.org

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in Austin - www.wildflower.org

Cambridge Homes is sponsoring Zane Williams at the McKinney Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 19th at 8:00 pm!

Zane is a Texas musician who lives in McKinney, TX.  Below is a portion of his Bio from his website: http://www.zanewilliamsmusic.com/fr_index.cfm

 “Zane Williams is a great singer, and even better, he is a great songwriter and story-teller.  I LOVE what this guy does.”   —Radney Foster

    “Refreshing, honest, melodic…  Music that just makes you feel good.”  —Big Gus, KHYI 95.3 The Range

    Zane Williams is a man on a mission—-to become one of the great Texas singer-songwriters.   The Abilene, TX native moved to Nashville in 1999 after graduating from Abilene Christian University.  “I’m a late bloomer,” says the 31 year old performer.  “It took me 9 years in Nashville to figure out who I am musically and find my sound.  And sure enough once I found it, it sounded like Texas.”

    The Nashville years were not wasted, however—Zane honed his songwriting and performing skills on the road at over 500 colleges nationwide and claimed top honors from the John Lennon and Nashville Songwriter’s Association song contests, among others.  In 2009, Arista artist Jason Michael Carroll recorded Zane’s song “Hurry Home” for his sophomore album and it is currently rising the country charts as a hit radio single.

    At home now in his wife’s hometown of McKinney, TX, Zane says he has been overwhelmed by the positive response to his music in the Lone Star State.  With famed writer/producer Radney Foster on board to record his new album in the summer of ’09, and an ever-growing fan base coming out to his high-energy live shows, Zane is more optimistic about the future than ever before. “Nashville was good to me, but in Texas I can totally be myself and people get it,” he says.  “The sky’s the limit, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Please come join us for a wonderful evening of great Texas music!  Tickets can be purchased at: http://tickets.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent220.html

See you there!

With record-setting cold and snow visited upon us in North Texas this winter, we’re all looking for the residential equivalent of “comfort food”:  A warm, welcoming, safe place to call home. 

The word COZY comes to mind…. 

“Cozy” can be defined in a number of ways, but I always think first of “scale”:  Human Scale. 

Cozy is impossible to achieve in an over-sized or ill-proportioned space.  No amount of chintz could ever make a European cathedral feel cozy.  Cozy can only be achieved in a space where the ceilings are the right height for the width and breadth of the room.

Another important element of COZY is color.  It’s easier to achieve that cozy feeling with WARM colors than with cool.  Even if your wall colors are cool (gray, blue, green), you can still achieve a feeling of coziness if you accessorize with warm colors and comfortable furniture.  Down-stuffed decorative pillows in warm colors can make a sofa or chair feel cozy and inviting.

Of course, the ultimate in coziness is achieved with the dancing flames of candles and, particularly on a cold winters day, with a fire burning brightly in the fireplace.

At Cambridge Homes, we design our luxury patio homes with the possibility of COZY in mind.  Yes, all of our designs are bright and airy, but they can also feel cozy because of their “scale”.  In most of our designs, the twelve foot ceiling is the smallest of the three dimensions of the room; the width and depth are greater than 12 feet.  For instance, a typical gathering room is 20 feet deep by 18 feet wide by 12 feet high.  Such a gathering room feels bright and airy, but it can also feel warm and cozy. 

The photos below illustrate what I mean:

Luxury Patio Home in Colleyville - The Kensington Gathering Room

Luxury Patio Home in Far North Dallas - The Habersham Gathering Room

Luxury Patio Home in Allen - The Buckingham Study

Luxury Patio Home in Colleyville - The Westminster Study

Luxury Patio Home in Far North Dallas - The Mayfair Gathering Room

Cambridge Homes has been chosen by thier peers as one of the “Best Builders in Dallas 2010″!  This is our sixth consecutive year to win this award!  The list of Best Builders will be published in the May/June 10th Anniversary issue of D’Home Magazine.

Nancy Stuckey, Co-owner of Cambridge Homes, understands what women want and need in a home.  Having been single most of her adult life, Nancy knows first-hand the priorities of women seeking a safe, gracious, easy-to-maintain new home.  Along with her husband, Kent Roberts, Nancy ensures that each easy-maintenance Cambridge Homes design is replete with features that are particularly appealing to discerning women.

Nancy Stuckey, Vice President

Easy Maintenance:

• Front Yards Maintained by HOA - You won’t need a lawnmower!
• Full Yard Sprinkler System assures easy watering of lawn & gardens
• “Right-Sized” Homes Live Large, but Cost Less to Heat, Cool & Maintain
• Exteriors of stone, Brick & Cement Fiberboard with 50 year warranty are easy to maintain

Yea! No more yard work!

Security & Peace of Mind:

• Full Home Security System with each door & window wired for protection
• Attached Garage with Electronic Openers for your personal security
• Ample Exterior Lighting
• Safety Concious Neighbors who look out for each other

Award-Winning Designs:

• Open Plans ideal for Entertaining, yet perfect for Quiet Contemplation
• Exceptionally Spacious Interiors with 12-Foot Ceilings
• No wasted Space:  Large Rooms, Few Hallways
• Award-Winning Portfoilio Plans for You to Customize to “fit” your Lifestyle

Luxury Finishes:

• Exquisite Custom Cabinetry, Granite Countertops, Stainless Steel Appliances
• Lever Door Hardware, Gracious Arched Openings with Rounded Corners
• Extensive Trim & Moldings, Sophisticated Kitchen & Bath Design

Outdoor Living Space:

• Walls of Windows bring the Outdoors In
• Gracious Outdoor Living Area brings the Indoors Out
• Possible Options include Outdoor Fireplaces, Party Pools, Arbors & Decks

Pride of Place:

• Each Cambridge Luxury Patio-Home is nestled in a Distinctive Planed Community; some in multi-phased Master-Planned Neighborhoods; others in Small, Intimate Enclaves
• Because all front yards are maintained by the HOA, the entire Community is always well-kept
• And Cambridge Homes’ Truly Classic Architecture assures beauty & value for years to come

We actually found the inspiration for Mike & Linda’s Kensington right in our own Cambridge Homes Design Studio.  My colleagues Paige Bryant & Sharron Winn were eager to showcase a spectacular granite from our collection.  Called “Red Dragon”, the color was - well - “out there”.  Courage is what we needed to say “yes” to that one!!  LOTS of courage.

Paige was tenacious and insisted we “step out”.  So we did; we built the entire design around that “out there” Red Dragon granite.  Although the granite appears only on the Gigantic Island in the Kitchen, the same color is reflected boldly on the walls of Mike’s Study, and subtly in the fabrics throughout the public areas of the home.

Paige & Sharron selected the Red Dragon Granite, The "Inspiration" for the new Kensington Model Home in Colleyville.

The proverbial "buck stops here" with Steve who is ably, and with constant good humor, managing the entire project of creating the new Colleyville Model Home