CHECA Architects

09/19/2024

A must see documentary film! I finally saw it and it is showing on Netflix until Sept 21....
What a strong message of hope as well as a heavy wake up call!
Please watch and share. We can all support Regenerative Agriculture and help bring awareness to this very real crisis of what we have done to Gaia's skin.

“Kiss the Ground” is a new film how about how regenerating the world’s soils has the potential to rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies.Narrated by Woody Harrelson, “Kiss the Ground” premieres on Netflix on September 22.

07/30/2023

05/06/2022

Two Soulful Homes we were fortunate to co-create with our Clients and gifted collaborators are featured in a new DREAM HOMES book hitting the shelves this season!

We are delighted and honored to be a part of this important and beautiful compilation of inspired work! Click here: https://lnkd.in/gbmSx4w9 to see a digital brochure of our pages in the book.

As part of our co-creative design process, we pay particular attention to our Clients’ Dreams and aspirations on all levels: personal, family, community and planet.

As our wonderful Client from the “Urban home” featured here so adroitly expressed:
“We wanted to create a home where we could dream”!!

Where are your dreams taking you these days? A Zen Home?....a meditation room?....or perhaps a carriage house for an art or writing Studio? ….. Might a Design Consultation help move those dreams along? We always love to hear from you and learn about what is important to you and your Loved ones!

Happy May, and thank you for being part of our Community!

05/05/2022

What a great honor and way to kick off this season!

With so much gratitude for all our amazing clients who place their trust in us, because without you, we never would be where we are! And for all our talented collaborators - we could never do it without you!

Wishing you all a wonderful Spring, a time for new beginnings and new perspectives.

We can see you sitting on a porch…or a patch of Earth somewhere imagining a brighter future! Enjoy!!

Photo credits: Kenneth M Wyner Photography

05/02/2022

What a great honor and way to kick off this season!

With so much gratitude for all our amazing clients who place their trust in us, because without you, we never would be where we are! And for all our talented collaborators - we could never do it without you!

Wishing you all a wonderful Spring, a time for new beginnings and new perspectives.

We can see you sitting on a porch…or a patch of Earth somewhere imagining a brighter future! Enjoy!!

Photo credits: Kenneth M Wyner Photography

A full service firm creating exquisitely crafted, modern, ecologically sensitive, light-filled spaces and homes that lift the human spirit.

06/28/2021

Our fun and successful Mount Pleasant whole-house project was featured on Houzz! We are so grateful to Becky Harris who wrote the piece after asking great questions and patiently listening to the myriad of creative design solutions that we used to create this "happy home where the living is easy!". The cost-effective end product was possible because we collaborated with the excellent design-build team of Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters, Inc. They made the complex process seamless! And of course we are so grateful to our dear clients and their awesome (and resourceful) kids.....And one more: it definitely helps to have the beautiful photography from our famous friend: Ken Wyner!
Enjoy!

An architect found on Houzz by a couple’s young daughter transforms their townhouse into a contemporary family home

06/28/2021

"Coexistence of humanity and the environment" Yes please! My biggest prayer these days is that we make radical moves to accelerate this commitment!
What conscious (even small) decision can you make today to help this fragile relationship?
I had a consult with a potential client wanting to expand and renovate a commercial building for an art gallery. A perfect candidate for Solar panels for PV - only after making the building envelope super tight, of course!
I was inspired to read this story and happy that the NY Times is treating Climate Change with the news-worthy role it needs!

Increasingly, architects and builders are thinking about how their creations affect the health of the planet. Kunle Adeyemi has built his career around that question.

05/21/2021

A good call on an important sector of our economy! We all need to roll up our sleeves to co-create a Healthy future for our Planet! This writer says it brilliantly!

Every company in every sector needs to play a role in the low-carbon transition if the goals of the Paris Agreement are to be achieved. The transition to net zero requires vast amounts of capital to be directed at decarbonising the economy and building resilience; as such, the financial sector must....

04/05/2021

We are proud to announce that our work was featured on the front cover of the Washington Post Real Estate Section last month! This was definitely one of those happy stories where we were retained by smart, heart-centered clients to accomplish a challenging task! We love design challenges but we realized this would take more funds than they imagined. In order to save on time and money, we suggested enlisting the partnership of a talented Design- Build Team. Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters Inc. were wonderful to collaborate with in every way. Trust and good will can go a long way when everyone is on the same page and this was a great example of a successful collaboration!
From our firm, we want to thank Michael Vallese, AIA, LEED AP, who is now managing his own practice as an architect, but at the time helped with the concept plans, and most importantly, Frederick Johnson, a talented interior architectural designer whose contribution was a huge part of so many interior details coming together. These projects do take a village, and we like to include artists and craftspeople as much as we can. Marcus, from Treincarnations got credited on the Post story and the video, for that beautiful island top, but our long-time millworker friend, Joe Chasnoff also built the mahogany headboard in the master bedroom that was key for making that small space work and delight! Our friends at Code Lumens helped with lighting design and our talented Interior Designer friend Missy Englert helped with finishing touches and artwork.

And of course, we want to credit our gifted photographer Ken Wyner who always comes through making us shine!
The video below was shot and produced by Scott Sowers who skillfully figured a way to get Karen's beautiful testimonial on tape after the party had already started. And he wrote the Post story to boot. Full circle.
Frederick and Lorena loved working with Karen and Rett and their three children. We are following their stories as they grow and keep dreams evolving!

Please take a look at the video below to get a sense of how this dream team celebrated what the client coined " We were wanting... not so much a dream home as a home where we could Dream!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T8oFw1vImM&t=20s

https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/how-a-comic-book-collection-helped-build-a-home-renovation/2021/03/03/66122f82-7ad2-11eb-a976-c028a4215c78_story.html

Client interview and celebration at Mt Pleasant Townhouse Renovation

11/03/2020

On this important day, let's remember Greta's call:

'You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,' climate activist Greta Thunberg has told world leaders at the 2019 UN climate action summ...

11/03/2020

Sharing a message that speaks to me deeply: