Lifestyle

“We’re really not interested in trendy materials or forms,” says Jakeb Novak, Partner at Specht Novak. “Timeless” is the word the practice returns to, not as a vague aesthetic promise, but as a discipline. The aim is to design homes that can be revisited in 30 or 40 years without feeling fixed to a momentary fashion.

The Ranch Mine did not begin with a polished manifesto. It began with a bathroom. In 2010, Cavin Costello and his wife Claire bought a small house in Arizona during the Great Recession. It was cheaper than renting, so they renovated it themselves. When a local newspaper featured their bathroom in a story about affordable remodels, they suddenly started receiving calls. First for bathrooms, then kitchens, then additions, then full houses.

What homeowners can learn from McClean Design’s approach to natural light. In a McClean Design home, light is not an afterthought. It is one of the first architectural materials. Before finishes are chosen and long before wellness amenities are layered into a brief, the practice is thinking about orientation, openings, courtyards, views, transparency, and the way sunlight will move through the house.