MoTiS

Fooling around with watercolors while the power is out at our place.

Moving through the pandemic (and completed near the end of that era), Ella’s Apartments was another big milestone for MoTiS - and our second big partnership with Potter Lawson. Originally the long time home of the colorful and exuberant Ella’s Deli - a long time Madison institution - the property had sat vacant and unused for several years before the original owners decided to sell the property to a developer they knew and trusted. The resulting project created new affordable housing along with commercial spaces for several local businesses and organizations such as Mentoring Positives. The new building including unusual features like a back yard garden, a screened-in porch for the residents and a massive 4 story high colorful mural located over the spot where the original Ella’s Carousel used to be. The mural, by Will Rebholz, is inspired by the people and history of the neighborhood.

Somehow the Beaux Arts street lamps in front of Harry Weese’s River Cottages are actually pretty freaking perfect.

Sketching stuff while waiting around at NeoCon.

Annual trip to Chicago to hear people talk about design, go look at buildings and spaces and think about how all that can benefit our work back in Madison. Design doesn’t exist in a vacuum or in just one place - and the internet can be a poor substitute for connecting to people and places. Getting out in the world is one of the most important things a designer can do for themselves and their work.

In 2020-2021, in the midst of the pandemic we were still marching on and completing a few projects in the office. This one exemplified the kind of project that had come to define a lot of the work coming out of the office - quirky little projects that gave us the chance to create unique experiences for our clients. In this case we were commissioned to design a small house (800sf) in the Mosaic Ridge neighborhood near Allied Drive. A neighborhood full of quite nice, modest little bungalows that were designed to be affordable and easy to build. We took the same palette of materials that these bungalows were using and recombined them into a creative, stand-alone one bedroom cottage with a detached garage. It was a chance to show of our philosophy of “doing more with the same.”

Located in Lake Edge Shopping Mall on Madison’s East side (essentially next to Monona) the Muskellounge and Sporting Club was the third collaboration with Chad Vogel and Sean Pharr. Inspired by the namesake fish and classic traditions of up north cabin life, the Muskie has become a neighborhood staple. The standout feature of the design are the fins over the bar seating - inspired by the hull framing of boats, as well as the organic contours of the waves - each fin is a unique shape, but together they create a continuous flow from the front of the bar to the rear. Cozy wood paneling and slightly kitschy but homey stone walls give it the lived in feel of a cabin on a lake.

Amongst all the busy commercial projects, we found time to do a project for ourselves. In my time as a residential architect I’d done a huge number of custom kitchens - from projects at Bob Stern’s office to helping my friends with their new kitchens, but this was the first time that we were able to do one for ourselves (that was bigger than 6’ long). Designed in 2018, built in 2019 and finished just before we all got to spend a year or so staying at home in our bubbles - this kitchen was a blend of personal flair mixed with elements that would help it blend in with our 1913 craftsman house.

Another project located in the Monroe Street Building we partnered with Potter Lawson on - Garth’s Brew Bar was a fun neighborhood bar. Garth was a huge fan of American beers and it was his dream to open a bar where he could share his passion. Like all good projects, it was defined by a personal drive to realize a dream. Garth’s opened just before the pandemic hit us in 2020 - but he pulled through and continues to be a cherished neighborhood meeting spot.

Established in the late ‘90’s - Monroe Street Arts Center has become an institution on Madison’s near west side. Starting in 2017 (and stretching all the way into 2020) MSAC began the process of moving from their first home near the intersection of Monroe and Commonwealth to the new building we had just finished with Potter Lawson further up Monroe St. near Spooner and Grant St. its new location gave it expanded facilities for art classes - with a variety of classroom sizes and finishes. It also gave it better rooms for music instruction (better soundproofing!) and more of them so more kids could get this kind of education that is getting harder and harder to find. Combined with the work of other local artists and interior designers when it came to furniture and wall decorations - the new MSAC is a bright and cheery place built for kids, and built to last for generations to come.