Meet the Architect: Wale Falade

Wale Falade, Architect

Wale Falade, Architect

From where do you draw your inspiration?
Everyone and everything around me. Sometimes, the greatest ideas can come from the simplest conversations.

What should every home include?
A TV—it’s the 21st century fireplace.

What design element do you think people should use more?
You’ll be surprised how simple alignments make design look deliberate and ordered.

What colors or materials are you loving right now?
I love wood but I am looking for an opportunity to do something in adobe or rammed earth.

What's one of your favorite design memories?
This may sound weird but building a paper scale model of a house between ages 8-9 and then setting it on fire. Maybe I was trying to convey something existential about design? Who knows!

Besides that, I recently enjoyed working with a client on a shorefront house in New Jersey. It was a mutually engaging design process.

Shop the Look: Updated Classic Bathroom

A clean and modern bathroom remodel by NewStudio Architecture blends with the home's early 20th century aesthetic.

Recently completed, this Minneapolis basement remodel by NewStudio includes a new full bathroom with sauna. Special care was taken in making the space feel comfortable and clean—key for a basement—while also presenting a quality of detail and materials consistent with the home’s early 20th century craftsmanship.

Shown in the photo above, the new bathroom vanity features a marble hex tile floor, tile wainscot, and beadboard walls. The sink is an updated take on the classic console, while matte black hardware throughout adds a modern touch to the space. A frosted glass window insert above the sink disguises the glass block behind while also providing access for cleaning.

Finishes

Hardware & Fixtures

Lastly, the cedar sauna, glimpsed to the right in the photo, is custom by Superior Sauna of Ashland Wisconsin. The glass wall is held in place by CR Laurence clamps in Matte Black.

Client Perspective: Reflections on a Whole House Remodel

NewStudio clients Ben and Lindsey enjoy spending time in their remodeled kitchen because it is centrally located.

We recently caught up with our clients Ben and Lindsey, to find out how they’re enjoying their remodeled lakefront home. We also asked them about their experience taking on a large remodel, and they offered some advice for anyone looking to do the same.

What were you hoping to accomplish with your remodel?
When we moved in, the floors were covered in white carpet and the house felt very formal. We wanted to transform the look and feel of the house, so it aligned more with our social and active lifestyles. We also wanted to keep the exterior unchanged to keep the feel of a cabin in the woods.  

What did you find were the benefits to hiring an architect and interior designer to help you complete this project?
Allowing the professionals to do what they do best helped our vision become a reality without forcing us to make all the small decisions. The interior design team simplified the process for us. They have great vision, and an amazing eye for detail. The fixtures, colors and materials they picked fit perfectly in our space. 

The Lego Room is tucked away behind a bookshelf door.

What advice would you give to someone looking to do a residential remodel of their own?
Find someone who understands you and your needs. We built a great working relationship with Sean, and his team, over the course of the project. In that time, they developed an understanding of what happens during an average day at our house and what it’s like when the boys come home from school and need a quiet space to study, or when we’re hosting guests for dinner, or when fifteen of our friends arrive for a weekend of sailboat racing. Sean developed a plan that works both for our cozy family activities and our large social gatherings. For Sean and his team, it’s not just about moving walls and rearranging the layout, but rather understanding our priorities and our lifestyle. Our best advice is to find someone who is willing to spend time doing that. 

What is your favorite detail that was added in the remodel?
Sorry, we can’t agree on this one! Ben likes the unique wood wall that runs throughout the house, and the different countertop materials in the kitchen. Lindsey enjoys being able to see the lake from almost anywhere in the house. You can stand at the sink and wash dishes with a majestic view of the lake.

Did you find that the addition of a Lego® room and wine cellar have made you want to buy more Legos and wine?
Recently, we’ve been buying more whiskey and Scotches since the wine cellar has become more of a man cave! I suppose it’s been rebranded as a ‘secret multi-use space.’ We have also really enjoyed having a home for the Legos. Before the remodel, we frequently had to warn our guests to watch their step, but now all the Legos are contained in their own secret space, far away from the shoeless feet of our adult friends. 

Where is your favorite place to spend time with family and friends?
The kitchen, because you are always in the middle of the action. 

What part of the house the house brings you the most joy?
Each of us has our own favorite place in the house. For Ben, it is the extended deck. For Lindsey, it is the screen porch. For the boys, it is the secret Lego® room. And for all of us, it changes often—we have lots of favorite places!

A custom spiral staircase leads to a hidden wine cellar.

Quick Tip: Do I need new tile?

Even though this 1930s pink tile is cracked, it is away from any water sources and can safely be left as is.

Don’t have the budget, time, or skill set to retile your bathroom? Good news, you may not need to! While tile can start to wear or look dated after a handful of years, the tile itself is generally resilient. Here are some things to consider when deciding what action needs to be taken.

What material is the tile?

  • Porcelain or ceramic

  • Natural stone – marble, travertine, quartz, granite, etc.

  • Glass, metal, or high sheen materials

Regrout

Porcelain or ceramic can be easily refreshed with a new grout joint. This is an easy DIY task with a little elbow grease. The existing grout (chipped, cracked, missing, etc.) can be chiseled out and replaced while keeping the field tile intact.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are not porous, so a sealer is not necessary for the tile. Grout will always need a sealer applied. Be sure to refer to the instructions on your grout packaging.

Reseal

Resealing is an option for natural stone and grout. Natural stone is porous, therefore prone to stains. Sediment can seep into the pores if the tile is improperly sealed or is due for a reseal.

If the tile is already stained, products such as liquid stain removers or a paste-like poultice that can help to extract stains out of installed tile.

To prevent future staining, all-natural stone tile and countertops should be sealed upon installation and then resealed every 5-10 years. Always consult the directions on your bottle of sealer. Sealer is applied by putting it on the tile, letting it soak into the pores, then wiping away any excess. It is important to understand that you cannot ‘over seal’ tile leading to damage, just that over sealing leads to a waste in the sealer. When the pores are saturated with the sealer, no additional sealer will ‘fit’…. And neither will the coffee you spill on the floor. 

Recolor

You can replace grout surrounding glass tile, but glass tile is more fragile so the likeliness of chipping the tile is higher. This could be an opportunity to recolor the grout. Grout paints, or similar, are available to rejuvenate the look of your grout. Many times, they also act as a sealer. Recoloring products can be used with porcelain and ceramic tiles as well. Natural stone should be more carefully considered as some colors may stain the tile.

This cracked tile is located along a shower wall where moisture might seep through. Because of the potential for mold to form behind the tile, or damage to occur to the underlayment, this tile should be replaced.

What if my tile is damaged?

Cracked or chipped tile should be examined on a case by case basis. If the edge of the tile is chipped, it may be easy to add grout into the gap, making the grout line a little wider.

 If the tile is cracked and installed in a wet area (shower or bath surround), consider replacing it if possible. Cracked tile can allow moisture to seep through, creating patches of mold behind the tile or damaging the underlayment.

If the cracked or chipped tile is in a dry area, it may be okay to let it be until all tile is replaced.

Maintenance and Prevention

While tile is durable, care should be taken when cleaning it. Acidic cleaners should be avoided for polished natural stone, as this strips the polish.

Product We Love: Polycarbonate

Interior view of Terrain Cafe at Devon Yard.

On a recent project, NewStudio was asked to provide a greenhouse feel to a restaurant space—something light, warm, and airy. Typically, greenhouse roofs use a material called polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is essentially a very strong plastic material that can be easily manipulated into varying shapes, colors, and transparencies. Aside from greenhouse roofs, polycarbonate has many applications including eyeglass lenses, bottles, and car bumpers. Fun fact, polycarbonate was originally created by the aerospace industry, and was used for astronauts' visors.

Aerial view of Devon Yard lifestyle center.

One of the challenges of designing a restaurant space that feels like a greenhouse, is that a restaurant has very different energy requirements. The majority of a building’s heat energy is lost through the roof, so if you are designing a space where the roof is virtually one large window, imagine how much heat will escape.

Exterior view of Terrain Cafe at Devon Yard.

With energy management in mind, we researched polycarbonate roof systems—assemblies with both energy-effective polycarbonate panels and appropriate framing. We discovered a product by CPI Daylighting called Quadwall®, which is a two-panel skylight system. Think of it as a double-glazed window you might find in your home but made of plastic. The product enabled us to achieve a high level of building energy performance while providing glare-free, diffused natural daylight to anyone inside the space.