Editor's Memo, Spring 2012: Spotlight on Architects

We recently moved into new offices in Rye. Yes, our new space is lovely and downtown Rye is charming, but, for me, the best part of moving is, I get to explore new sections of the county. It’s what I love to do. Many mornings, as I drive down North Street, I make unplanned detours through neighborhoods in Rye (sometimes I make “a wrong” turn—on purpose—and drive into Port Chester to check it out, too). Driving aimlessly, I eyeball the houses: dark Gothics, charming Colonials, simple Capes, grand mansions. And, boy, do I want to see what is behind those shingles, bricks, and stones.

We often celebrate the designs inside of homes, but what about the house itself, the structure? Indeed, the walls, the hallways, the stairwells, etc.?

Ergo, our cover story. Executive Editor Nancy Claus went looking for our county’s most talented “master builders.” She asked (and asked again) interior designers, realtors, home design professors, and architects themselves to name names. She received hundreds of recommendations, but the names of the 14 men and women we feature in this issue came up again and again—or came with such enthusiastic endorsements that we knew we had to consider them.

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Freelancer Dana White wrote the story. “Talking with all these amazing professionals not only made me wish I could put an addition on my home, it gave me a new understanding for the complexity and artistry of their work,” she said. “While visiting Ira Grandberg’s offices in Mount Kisco, I saw all these elaborate scale models he meticulously makes of each project. Architects have to be equal parts artists, business people, and therapists. Now whenever I pass a cookie-cutter development, I know how beautifully it could have been done.”

Of course, it is their work that sold us. The irony is, their work is often overlooked. “Several of the architects told me that it was the first time a publication had ever called them about their work,” Dana said. Really? Odds are good they will be getting many more calls after this issue makes it onto newsstands.

As we went to press, we learned that Westchester Home was nominated for an award of excellence by the City and Regional Magazine Association. We are honored, of course, particularly because it is our peers—editors, art directors, and journalists—who selected us. Nice!

Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 25!

Our Best of Westchester Elimination Ballot is open through March 6!

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