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Pro Spotlight: 3 Ways to Find a More Heartfelt Home Design
A Portland-area designer shares the ideas, feelings and inspirations that will best guide your home design
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Who: Mark Stewart of Mark Stewart Home Design
Where: Sherwood, Oregon
In his own words: “I’ve done countless design projects. To this day, I find the blank piece of paper both terrifying and fulfilling. I’ll work at it until I have something I’m truly excited to show the customer.”
Discovering the right home design — one singular vision that both suits your needs and fills your heart — can feel as intimidating as staring at a blank page. That’s where Mark Stewart, the owner and lead designer of Mark Stewart Home Design, comes in. “I will use all of my energy to suss out exactly what my clients really want,” he says. Read on for Stewart’s guidelines for finding the home design that truly speaks to you.
Where: Sherwood, Oregon
In his own words: “I’ve done countless design projects. To this day, I find the blank piece of paper both terrifying and fulfilling. I’ll work at it until I have something I’m truly excited to show the customer.”
Discovering the right home design — one singular vision that both suits your needs and fills your heart — can feel as intimidating as staring at a blank page. That’s where Mark Stewart, the owner and lead designer of Mark Stewart Home Design, comes in. “I will use all of my energy to suss out exactly what my clients really want,” he says. Read on for Stewart’s guidelines for finding the home design that truly speaks to you.
Building on his skills and strengths. Stewart has always designed houses — even if, when he was 8 years old, the homes were primarily tiny, elaborate underground mansions. “Then I took architectural drafting classes in high school and knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he says. After studying architecture at the University of Oregon and Portland State University, Stewart began working for builders and other architectural design teams. In 1988, he launched his own custom home design business to capitalize on his design strengths, market awareness and affinity for art.
Intentional energy for transcendent design. For Stewart, his career aspirations and design work are grounded in thoughtful intention. “I’ve always been curious about what life is really about,” he says. “All of my work starts from this spiritual base of wanting to work productively towards something.” This thinking informs Stewart’s design approach. “You become what you meditate on,” he says. “If you spend your energy transcending limits, your design work will follow. As a result, I tend to bring a particular style to a place it hasn’t been before, which then creates a whole new feeling.”
Is it time to find the home design that ignites your inspiration? Stewart shares his advice below.
Is it time to find the home design that ignites your inspiration? Stewart shares his advice below.
1. Choose One Item or Idea You Love
No matter the eventual footprint of your ideal home, your design vision should start with something small. “I tell my clients to find one thing that embodies what they love and what they want their house to feel like. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quilt, vase, sofa or picture,” Stewart says. “It’s then my job to make the whole place elicit the same response as that inspiration.”
Stewart has designed a series of lodge-style homes that take inspiration from the natural rolling hills and valleys of central Oregon. Rustic gables and large-scale trims meet modern day with open great rooms and expanses of natural light.
See more of this lodge-style home
No matter the eventual footprint of your ideal home, your design vision should start with something small. “I tell my clients to find one thing that embodies what they love and what they want their house to feel like. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quilt, vase, sofa or picture,” Stewart says. “It’s then my job to make the whole place elicit the same response as that inspiration.”
Stewart has designed a series of lodge-style homes that take inspiration from the natural rolling hills and valleys of central Oregon. Rustic gables and large-scale trims meet modern day with open great rooms and expanses of natural light.
See more of this lodge-style home
2. Wait for a Wave of Emotion
Whether Stewart has delivered a custom design or his clients have selected a stock home plan, the goal is always a visceral, emotional reaction. “I had a husband and wife who purchased a lot on the top of a mountain but weren’t sure what they wanted it to feel or look like, apart from taking advantage of the views,” Stewart says. “We did a preliminary design in the Prairie roof style and showed them our renderings. They burst into tears. It felt like home to them. That’s my favorite.”
Dramatic roof lines spark strong reactions if you love the look of a modern home. Stewart’s ultramodern home designs use sharp geometry, including L-shaped layouts with plenty of room to stretch out, alongside warm materials for a feel that’s both energetic and comfortable.
See more of this modern home design
Whether Stewart has delivered a custom design or his clients have selected a stock home plan, the goal is always a visceral, emotional reaction. “I had a husband and wife who purchased a lot on the top of a mountain but weren’t sure what they wanted it to feel or look like, apart from taking advantage of the views,” Stewart says. “We did a preliminary design in the Prairie roof style and showed them our renderings. They burst into tears. It felt like home to them. That’s my favorite.”
Dramatic roof lines spark strong reactions if you love the look of a modern home. Stewart’s ultramodern home designs use sharp geometry, including L-shaped layouts with plenty of room to stretch out, alongside warm materials for a feel that’s both energetic and comfortable.
See more of this modern home design
3. Find Beauty in Practicality
For Stewart, creating designs his clients will love starts from a simple premise. “Whatever I tend to respond to personally, whatever I respond to with feeling when I see it out in the world, that’s something I want to bring into my projects,” he says. Stewart has always loved the rustic architecture of barns. “My second home is this style and literally has wood car decking on the floor. The more you hurt it, the cooler it looks.”
With his barn-style designs, Stewart is looking to offer that same unfussy feeling that comes from melding the beautiful and the practical. These home plans are for homeowners who appreciate the rustic and comfortable but still want a sense of spacious luxury.
See more barn house plans
More: For more information on Mark Stewart and examples of his work, visit Mark Stewart Home Design’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
For Stewart, creating designs his clients will love starts from a simple premise. “Whatever I tend to respond to personally, whatever I respond to with feeling when I see it out in the world, that’s something I want to bring into my projects,” he says. Stewart has always loved the rustic architecture of barns. “My second home is this style and literally has wood car decking on the floor. The more you hurt it, the cooler it looks.”
With his barn-style designs, Stewart is looking to offer that same unfussy feeling that comes from melding the beautiful and the practical. These home plans are for homeowners who appreciate the rustic and comfortable but still want a sense of spacious luxury.
See more barn house plans
More: For more information on Mark Stewart and examples of his work, visit Mark Stewart Home Design’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Mark Stewart Home Design has provided the finest in custom home design and modern house plans to the new... Read More
Review by Bruce W.:
Mark Stewart Home Design exceeded my expectations with their exceptional work on my dream house. Their expertise and attention to detail left me thrilled and fully satisfied. Throughout the entire pro...More