|
It was one year ago this month when Lisa Botticelli and Ray Pohl boldly left their jobs at Design Associates to start their own architectural firm on Nantucket. After a successful year, Botticelli and Pohl are about to burst the seams of their small office in the Albert G. Brock Company building on Main Street. One of the unique aspects of this architectural firm is that the partners are married. How do they manage to work and live together harmoniously? "We decided that the only way it could work is to have a lot of separation at the office," said Ray. "We don't talk a lot during the day...we're both totally immersed in our own separate projects." We both can't generate the same design product or parti, but we do show each other our designs and share opinions on details," he said. An artistic flair Ray and Lisa first met a the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where they both received degrees in architecture. In April of 1989 the couple were married and two years later they moved to Nantucket. "RISD has a more creative, non-technical approach to teaching architecture," said Lisa. "They encouraged us to take courses outside our discipline," said Lisa. As a result, both architects have artistic leanings, especially Ray, who has created Joseph Cornell inspired shadow boxes and currently draws still lifes and figurative works. Ray has exhibited at The (x) Gallery, the Little Gallery, and the Main Street Gallery on Nantucket. Since moving to the island in 1991, Ray and Lisa have worked on restoration projects, additions, and new buildings. They design homes for on and off island sites, including Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard, and Virginia Beach. "For us right now it's all new construction," said Ray. "It comes in waves...we did a lot of renovation jobs when we were a Design Associates." A beach bungalow One of Ray and Lisa's current projects is an old-fashioned cottage on a breathtakingly beautiful site in Miacomet. "We're going back to an old Nantucket style," said Ray. "It's just a simple unheated cottage with exposed studs. The owners can walk out the door and go surf casting." "It's a refreshing change for us to design a simple cottage," said Lisa. "It's also been a real challenge," said Ray. "We have to accommodate switch plates and hide pipes, things you wouldn't have found in an old cottage." Among the distinctive features of the structure is the rough sawn wood used for interior exposed studs and rafters. Ray prefers the rough milled wood, because it is more substantial, has greater texture, and is imprecisely cut, giving it more character. The wood being used on the walls is southern pine and the floors will be covered with old wide boards of pumpkin pine. "Bruce Killen, the contractor for the cottage, is the supplier on the island for rarer, older salvaged woods," said Lisa. According to Lisa, Killen was anxious to build this cottage, despite his busy schedule, because of the intricate craftsmanship involved. The cottage has ornamental shingles fashioned into simple patterns on the facade and roof, decorative cut rafter tails, and flared shingles along the bottom edge. The decorative shingles are reminiscent of cottages in 'Sconset or home in town like the one on West York Land. Lisa a Ray are thrilled that the owners wanted to build this small cottage (1,200 square feet) on more than five acres of property. "The cottage is sitting in the middle of acres of grass...the owners are not maxing out the property, which is the tendency these days on the island," said Lisa. Asked if they are developing their own style, Lisa and Ray explained that there are certain details, such as trims or exposed rafters, and certain spatial elements, such as the courtyard, that they like to repeat in their designs. "We're developing a style," said Ray. "But each time it is transformed by the client. "Our philosophy is that the clients will dictate the taste of the project," he said. "Of course we have our own tastes and we try to interject our own style and make suggestions." Ray and Lisa encourage their clients to get involved in the design process. "The real fun of this job are the different personalities we deal with," said Ray. "It's a challenge," said Lisa. Restoring home Ray and Lisa's own home is a Bungalow style house built in the 1930s. Its distinctive features are exposed rafter tails and wide projecting eves. Since they moved in, in June of 1993, they've gradually been restoring the house. Minor changes will be made on the exterior, and the interior will be reconverted to a one family home. They're clearly having a great time working on the house, which has become a creative outlet. "Things we could never get away with in other people's homes we can use in our house," said Ray. "We can integrate different artistic methods." For instance, Ray and Lisa are experimenting using gold leaf on the floor, and have designed red shutters for the facade, with cut-out rooster shapes and grape cluster "tie backs." (Ray was embarrassed to admit that they chose the rooster design because their favorite wine is a chianti with a rooster on the label.) Some of the design elements of their own home have influenced Ray and Lisa's designs for clients. For instance, the exposed rafter tails of their Bungalow style home can be seen in the Miacomet cottage. |