News + Inspiration
Year-Round Outdoor Living Spaces
What draws a lot of people to live in Western North Carolina are the beautiful mountain views at every turn. When designing a home in the mountains, creating a strong connection to the outdoors is a must. Whether it's a patio, a deck or a screened-in porch, these outdoor spaces extend the interior living spaces to the outside for year-round enjoyment. Below are six inviting outdoor living spaces.
Cooking Up Good Design: 6 Inspiring Kitchens
A kitchen needs to be not only a practical space for the family, but also a comfortable place to congregate. Here are six examples of our kitchen designs that are both functional and beautiful.
A Bach in the Mountains
We have fallen in love with the “bach” - and so have our clients! While living in New Zealand, our clients discovered the bach (pronounced “batch”), a traditional and modest beachside home tucked among the cliffs. The name is thought to derive from “bachelor pad” or perhaps from the Welsh word for “small.”
Flights of Fancy: 6 Staircase Ideas
A staircase is a practical part of many homes and buildings - you need them to go up and back down. Because of their utilitarian nature and specific parameters about slope ratios and height requirements, stairs are often overlooked as an opportunity to get creative.
Through the Years: Preservation Projects
2020 marks thirty-five years for our firm. Since our founding, we have worked on hundreds of projects of all kinds throughout the Southern Appalachian region. In honor of the anniversary, we are reviewing the evolution of our projects since opening our doors in 1985. Today we take a glimpse at a handful of our historic preservation projects in downtown Asheville. You can see the previous 35th Anniversary posts here: Hospitality & Education Commercial Residences 1 Residences 2
Through the Years: Residential Projects 2
2020 marks thirty-five years for our firm and we have decades of past work that won’t fit on our website. This summer we are digging through our archives and looking back at the evolution of our work since opening our doors in 1985. This is the second installment of our past residential projects. You can see the first installment here. Check back soon for the next installment.
Through the Years: Residential Projects 1
2020 marks thirty-five years for our firm and we have decades of past work that won’t fit on our website. So, this summer, we are digging through our archives and looking back at the evolution of our work since opening our doors in 1985. Today we take a glimpse at some of our past residential projects. Check back soon for even more of our project archives.
27 Biltmore Patio Life
Part of our commitment to adaptive reuse is to re-imagine old buildings and to breathe new life into neglected spaces. The owner of 27 Biltmore Avenue contacted Samsel Architects to help convert their building, which used to house Hannah Flanagan’s Irish Pub, into a restaurant, several retail and office spaces, and private apartments. The street-level tenant, Manicomio Pizza, asked us to develop the outdoor patio into a space for their patrons to enjoy al fresco dining. The owner wanted to “make it a place where people can bring their kids and pets or just come and chat with friends over
35th Anniversary: Hospitality Projects Through the Years
2020 marks thirty-five years for our firm. Since our founding, we have worked on hundreds of projects of many types throughout the Southern Appalachian region. This summer, we are reviewing the evolution of our projects since opening our doors in 1985. Today we take a glimpse at a handful of our hospitality and educational projects, from the EcoDorm - the US’s first LEED Platinum certified dormitory building, to a luxe resort in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
