services.
Planning and Design
The general public often overlooks good design but almost always appreciates it – knowingly or not. We don't often think about the elements of a building that make it good, or excellent. To us, sometimes, it's comparing it to another building.
Interior Architecture
So, what is interior architecture? There’s some debate around the distinction between the terms architecture, interior architecture, interior design, and interior decoration. This is because of the blurred lines between the responsibilities of each profession – where does the interior design of a space end and architecture begin, and vice versa?
The Drawing Process
Some people visualize things better than others. I am one of the lucky ones, not to boast, who looks upon a blank sheet of paper and sees both planning and design solutions for each design task. At that point, I begin to draw in a clear and concise way.
I am a designer who specializes in the creation of beautiful residential projects that vary in complexity, size, budget, and style. I am not an architect. It’s important to note that, just as I am not an architect, that not all architects are designers; in fact, few of them are. Architecture, like engineering, is a learned profession, design, let's say 'excellent design' is an inherent gift – indeed, one that is nurtured and improved over time through extensive observation and reflection. Still, only the underlying fundamentals of design can be learned in school, not design itself.
Design is a field of concern, response, and inquiry as often as decision and consequence. It’s convenient to group design into three simple categories. However, the distinctions are in no way absolute, nor are they always so conveniently described: product design (things), environment design (places), and communication design (messages).
Good design is the result of creative molding ideas spawned through one’s intellect and imagination. It’s fueled through the process of conscious and subconscious insight, and therefore defining “what is good design” and “what is not good design” is a subjective matter between many parties, including those involved with the project itself.
Just who is, and who is not, a good designer is often little more than a self-proclamation determination or the direct result of often inaccurate and boastful marketing materials. However, now and then, one will come across someone with a real gift for design.
The truth is that a “good designer” is not randomly good at design; they are “consistently good” at it. This is how one ultimately defines a person as a one-hit-wonder or someone genuinely gifted. They're out there, find them, surround yourself with them, and you will be driven mad by their eccentricities, but you will learn to appreciate everything they touch as designers – these are the very people who make the world a better place for all of us to live within.
Testimonial
“It is our pleasure to recommend Don Whittaker, a.k.a. The Design Guy, to anyone in need of architectural services. We have occupied the home he designed for us now for two years, and we can honestly describe it as a dream come true. It is everything we expected and more. Don designed our previous home, and if we were ever to undertake a third, he would be the one we would hope to commission to design it. His homes are functional and stunning! His design skills, attention to detail, and the pride he takes in his work are obvious. Behind the scenes, his business practices are efficient, and ethics are at his very core.”
Joe and Michelle Razore
team
The Design Guy
“How lucky am I to have (had) something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Alexander - April 3, 2013 - November 4, 2020)
Donald Whittaker
Chief Creative Officer / Pooper Scooper
Don is a seasoned architectural designer with over forty years of experience designing buildings. He has owned and managed a 15 person architectural firm, and, as a result of the headaches that doing so gave him, he is now a sole practitioner, works out of his home, with his two dogs, and loves it.
Alexander
(April 3, 2013 - November 4, 2020)
Managing Partner
Alex was an eight-year-old Fawn Great Dane. He was, without question, a very special dog, perhaps even the greatest dog to ever walk the planet. Sadly, he is no longer with us. He will be dearly missed.
Axel
Junior Intern
Axel is a one-year-old Great Dane Mantel. He is a puppy through and through, and like all puppies, he is the destroyer of all things accessible, and his range is quite remarkable. He is also precious and lovable, that is, when he wants to.
