From photos and floor plans, I could write about what makes Rafe's project special. I could describe colors and light, fixtures and finishes. However, when I visited this house and sat in the living room with Rafe, I was less inclined to ask him about the design process or the trim details than I was to be quiet - to experience the house rather than deconstruct it. The building disappeared, and ease and joy settled in.
I could easily spend my time in this house, not because of the floor plan or the trim, but because it just feels right. Great design, too is a special transmission, outside the blueprints, with no dependence on fixtures and materials. It's no surprise that the designers themselves often can't explain what makes their work great.

Brian Potolilo, Design Editor
Fine Home Building Summer 2016 Editors Note