In Halifax, Nova Scotia, two architects designed a turquoise house with an office and connected apartment that’s surprisingly referential to its context.
In 2019, Sara L’Esperance and Michael Putman’s nearly 10 years in London were coming to an end. With plans to grow their family, and feeling nostalgic for their nature-filled childhoods in Canada, they accepted an offer for Michael to teach at a university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, relocating to the small but lively maritime city on Canada’s Atlantic coast.
Sara L’Esperance and Michael Putman, cofounders of the architecture firm SUPERBLK Studio, designed a flexible forever home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with three distinct programs: a rentable town house, an office for their architecture studio, and their family home.
After a few years in a rental, where they had their daughter, the couple, who founded the architecture firm SUPRBLK Studio in 2018, were ready to create a more permanent home, one that ideally was flexible enough to support them for decades to come. The result is two buildings with three distinct programs: the structure along the street contains a 680-square-foot town house the family rents out and uses to host guests, but also has an office and bedrooms that make up part of the main home; these spaces connect with the structure at the rear via a landscaped courtyard, which has a kitchen and living and dining rooms. Between the front and rear structures, the family’s space amounts to 2,485 square feet.
A yellow door marks the entrance to the family’s home, while one to the town house blends with the turquoise facade.
The city’s gridded streets are lined with colorful timber homes dating to the late 1800s. An influx of residents post-Covid created a flood of new buildings that, to Sara and Michael’s eyes, desaturate the historic vernacular. "You’re starting to see a loss of color, more gray and beige and things that are trying not to stand out," says Michael. "They’re just trying to disappear." With a turquoise, yellow, and silver facade, the house they designed certainly does not disappear, yet its bold moves aren’t just for fun—they are also rooted in Halifax’s traditional architecture.
In their architectural practice as in their home, Sara and Michael are interested in creating spaces within spaces. The kitchen, for example, has a plywood volume that’s pulled in from the walls, creating an object within the gable space.
Signature pieces and leftover materials from the late founder’s namesake furniture company cohabitated with him, his wife, and their three children in the same building where the line was manufactured.
Welcome to From the Archive, a look back at stories from Dwell’s past. This story previously appeared in the December 2001 issue.
The Heltzers of Ravenswood, Chicago,have the kind of unconventional lifestyle that might belong to the characters in a John Irving novel. However, instead of residing in a ramshackle hotel or a boarding school, they live in a furniture factory.
Actually, the three-story brick building was built in the 19th century to house a candy factory, with a small orchard next door to supply homegrown cherry flavor. It is one of a string of industrial buildings, all past their prime, stretched out along a railroad line that used to carry freight but is now mostly used by commuter trains. Michael Heltzer, 40, a furniture designer and manufacturer, purchased the building from the Chicago Historical Society in 1987. When he moved in, the former orchard was a vacant lot cluttered with empty Thunderbird and MD 20/20 bottles. He camped out on the third floor and began, in a modest way, to manufacture steel, concrete, and glass tables and chairs downstairs.
Today, the Heltzer factory takes up 13,000 square feet of the building, including a basement metal shop, a first-floor wood shop, and an office that occupies half of the second floor. Finished pieces are stored in a warehouse several blocks away, and are sold through a string of showrooms, most notably one in the Chicago Merchandise Mart.
The factory building also houses a floor and a half of living space (3,400 square feet) for the Heltzers and their three children, George, Rose, and Henry, who range in age from two to seven. While urbanites across America move into lofts that are often carved out of facsimiles of industrial buildings, the Heltzers live in a real factory that is still very much a factory.
Michael Heltzer started out his professional life as a lawyer at a white-shoe New York firm, Milbank Tweed. But Heltzer, whose wardrobe favors T-shirts, worn jeans, and dust-coated clogs, was not at home on Wall Street. "I knew I was in trouble when I started picking up stuff on the street and making things at night," he recalls. Eventually, he left New York behind, moved back to his native Chicago, and started taking classes at the Chicago Art Institute, while continuing to practice law.
"A teacher from the Art Institute gave me keys to his factory," Michael continues. He spent all his spare time learning how to use vintage, prewar machine tools. "I was welding, forming, bending."
Heltzer’s first product was a glass-and-stainless-steel cafe table on a concrete pedestal. Using contacts he’d made through family and friends, he sold it directly to architects and restaurant owners. "I got 6o orders the first month," Michael says. "Then I quit the law."
Today, the Heltzer line consists of over 150 products, everything from teak-covered coat hooks (they use up the scrap wood left over from larger pieces of furniture) to wall units, all linked by a shiny, stainless-steel aesthetic.
When he moved into the old factory and began the long process of restoring it, Heltzer was single. In 1991, his girlfriend, Elizabeth, a social worker, moved in and in 1993 they were married. "When I moved in, it was Michael and two people working with him downstairs," says Elizabeth, 37. "Upstairs, it was a bedroom and an open loft space."
As soon as Michael and Elizabeth started having children, they began carving rooms out of the raw space. "Henry was born in January of ’94. We needed the space to be different, so we turned a walk-in closet off the bedroom into his room. As the business started growing, more things came upstairs."
The empty loft gradually filled up with the ever growing Heltzer line of furniture.
"This was the showroom," Elizabeth says. And she remembers the old days, when potential clients would call and say they were on their way over. She and Michael would frantically clean up the mess made by a family that was growing almost as fast as the product line.
"When Rose was born, it pushed us out of the back of the building, and we moved to the front. Then the back space was for the kids." The room in the front, which was the primary bedroom, is now dominated by a sleeper sofa and a VCR. Elizabeth calls it the "late-night movie room." Hanging over the sofa is an old black-and-white scene showing some big piece of industrial equipment at work. It looks like one of Lewis Hine’s photos of heroic factory workers, but Michael says he found it in a dumpster. Today, the parental bedroom is, once again, toward the rear of the building.
The floor immediately downstairs was rented out to tenants, and when they moved out, bedrooms for the two older kids were framed and painted down there. Then George was born and a third bedroom was added.
The style of the Heltzer furniture sets the overall tone for the living space: Room dividers and stair rails are made from woven strips of mahogany that are used in the furniture line. The bathroom is tiled with hand cut pieces of aqua slate left over from the renovation of the Chicago showroom. The prototypes for the teak hooks hang on the bathroom wall. The dining table and chairs are signature Heltzer pieces in steel, glass, and wood. One of the latest products, a glass birdbath on a concrete pedestal, is out in the garden.
Downstairs, the small, brightly painted children’s rooms surround a communal playroom that is outfitted in pure Heltzer. Stainless-steel panels were custom designed for the children so they could hang up their art projects with magnets. They have their own "work" area, where small chairs surround stainless-steel tables mounted on wheels. Michael also made a series of wooden hutches for their toys and art supplies.
On a summer afternoon, the youngest, George, can be found sprawled, bottle in mouth, on a beanbag chair in front of a Sesame Street video while his older brother and sister are at day camp. Unofficially, the play area extends into the office immediately next door, where Rose often hides under the desk of the marketing manager.
From the Agent: "Welcome to a custom Northwest lodge-style retreat designed by renowned Monterey architect Roger Larson. Featuring cedar beams, soaring ceilings, and walls of glass, this timber-framed home offers seamless indoor/outdoor living. Two en suite bedrooms include their own lounge spaces and lofts, ideal for guests or multigenerational living. It’s set in a wildlife sanctuary with trails, zip lines, and a firepit just outside, plus direct access to Port Ludlow’s trail system. Minutes from the beach, marina, golf course, Inn, and Beach Club with indoor/outdoor pools, the home is a perfect base camp for all of your Olympic Peninsula adventures."
Photo by Perfect Balance Photography
French doors open the living area to a large deck.
Photo by Perfect Balance Photography
The flooring in the common areas is made from slate.
The residence, which has a granitelike texture, hovers above a gulley.
Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.
From the Architect:"91.0 is a house on a forested waterfront lot in the Gulf Island archipelago of the Canadian Pacific Northwest. The house is a suspended bridge between two naturally occurring rocky ridges, spanning over a sunken fern gully. The experience of entry begins as a path through the forest, with a discreet entrance into the house volume set into the earth. From there, as the visitor traverses the length of the house, the experience changes dramatically to that of being suspended high within the tree canopy and ends with arrival on solid ground again, but this time on the west-facing beach, with the strong presence of the pacific ocean.
"The plan is organized in two bands of program, with the intention of allowing the house to expand and contract depending on the number of inhabitants. The main wing is designed for the owners (a couple): kitchen, living room, utility spaces, and suspended bedroom. A second wing, which can be opened or closed selectively for family or guests, provides two additional bedrooms and a bunk room. The house is clad in heavy cedar blocks that received an aggressive sandblasted finish, accentuating the grain of the wood and giving it an almost geological quality. It is anticipated that over the next 100 years, rising sea levels due to climate change will flood the fern gully, giving the project an entirely different reading and character."
I’ve been trying to spend less time scrolling on my phone and more time doing literally anything else with my hands. Lately, that’s meant taking on small DIY projects and playing board games.
The problem is that most board games look like they’re designed for children: bubbly fonts, cartoon characters, and loud colors. The games that are made for adults are often weirdly raunchy or look like those lucite chess sets you’d see in a museum gift shop. Who buys those?
This plight sent me searching for games that I’d actually want to play, not tuck away in a drawer or closet. Here’s what I found.
New stuff
My absolute favorite find was Snakes of Wrath, a two-player game by Weast Coast Games. The goal is simple: use the domino-size pieces to grow your snake and stab your opponent along the way. It’s just challenging enough and when the game really gets going, super competitive players (i.e. my partner) might even yell.
Snakes of Wrath is an abstract tile-laying game with a simple ruleset and a wealth of strategy and tactics. Two players battle for dominance as a tangled tiled ouroboros grows into a handsome art piece on your table. Games last around 15-20 minutes, as players compete to build, heal, stab, and steal their way to the top. Lay your tiles strategically, incapacitate your opponent, and close all ends of your snakes to emerge victorious. Two-sided tiles mean the tides can change at any moment with a sinister steal or a well-laid trap. Be the first player to reach 13 points and win.
The game’s packaging caught my eye as I was searching online for two-player games. (There are NOT enough two-player games out there!) The snake illustrations have a really cool tattoo-like style to them and the box fits right in with the rest of my books and knickknacks. Weast Coast has two other games, both card games, and they’re just as unique as Snakes of Wrath. All three manage to feel retro and modern at the same time. Striking that balance without the design feeling dated is tough to pull off. Plus the games are actually fun!
Spruced up classics
We’re a big Uno household, so when I saw the "retro edition" at a store I picked it up immediately and have since renamed it Uno for Creative Directors. We have, somehow, five different Uno games, but this is the only one that lives out in the open. The rest, especially one we refer to as Evil Uno because it’s a double-sided deck, are too loud to blend in with our decor.
UNO Retro combines the classic game of matching colors and numbers with special "throwback" style packaging and UNO cards!
And then there’s this Eames deck, which I came across recently. I don’t actually own a standard deck of cards, so this one is definitely on my list. I love the slight twist on the traditional design, but wish they’d done something more interesting with the King, Queen, and Jack.
Designed by Art of Play in close collaboration with the Eames Office. A tribute to the timeless sensibilities of Charles & Ray Eames.
While looking around for twists on classic games, I stumbled upon a new (to me) corner of the board game world: designer board games. Gucci is, or was, killing it in this category. I’ve never played backgammon but this set is incredible, and so is this poker set which looks to be from the same era. These are obviously not casual purchases. They’re well outside my price range but if you’ve got a couple thousand to spend, these games are great options!
The '50s and '60s archives reveal a selection of intricately designed pieces from the world of sports and leisure. Inspired by these items' playful spirit and curated details, this NEW briefcase backgammon game set is presented in Geometric G print canvas and black Demetra trims, handle and key chain. Demetra is an eco-friendly material developed by Gucci's own technicians and artisans which uses the same tanning processes but with animal-free raw materials primarily from sustainable, renewable, and bio-based sources. This game includes chips, 5 dice and a dice shaker. Designed by Alessandro Michele and Made in Italy in 2022
Go back in time
My search for games also led me backwards to vintage games from the 1950s and ’60s. I learned you can easily replace childhood favorites—like Trouble and Clue—with their vintage counterparts. Look at the typography on this Sorry! game from the ’50s!
A true mid-century classic from Parker Brothers’ Toronto studio, this 1950s "Sorry!" edition pairs sleek modernist graphics with bright primary playing pieces and a textured navy box. Complete with its original cards, rule sheet, and bold typography, it’s a nostalgic collectible or ready-to-play piece of family history.
Some of the search results, however, were emotionally confusing. Seeing the Monopoly board I played with in the late ’90s labeled as "vintage" made me feel something I’m not quite ready to unpack.
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From the Agent:"Fold House, designed by women-led firm Artifact Collaborative, is a striking new-construction residence set in the Berkeley Hills. The home’s name is derived from its central design motif: the dynamic articulation of planes that create interlocking volumes. West-facing windows and doors capture 180-degree views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Sculptural in form, the home features floating two-story staircases and a dramatic creased roofline with a clerestory that fills the interiors with natural light. This all-electric home is built for modern living, featuring solar with battery, high-efficiency heat pumps, EV charging, seismic-resistant foundations, and fire-hardened construction with standing-seam metal roofing and a full sprinkler system. The four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath layout includes two bedroom suites, separate living and family rooms, and a dedicated office. Located on a quiet street above Codornices Park, moments from North Berkeley’s Gourmet Gulch, Fold House offers architectural distinction, sustainability, and extraordinary Bay views."
Clerestory windows set beneath the home’s lifted roofline bring natural light into the center of the plan.
Photo by Peter Lyons
The house was designed by Artifact Collaborative cofounders Bridgett Shank and Megan Carter.
The owners mixed and matched to strike a balance with curving counters and mirrors.
Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.
From the Architect:"This is the latest project by Diana Żurek and Gutek Girek from Furora Studio. It was created for a lovely couple with two young children, who dreamed of a vibrant, pattern-filled home. To make it possible, the original layout was completely redesigned—making room for a spacious kitchen and a living area with large glazing leading to a small study. From the entry, one is drawn in by the sunny tones of oak, interwoven with colorful accents on walls, side tables, and chairs. The whole is ‘sprinkled’ with small tiles dancing in different rhythms—from square monochrome slabs to irregular stick mosaics and tangerine metro tiles combined with timeless classics.
"The strict geometry of rectangular divisions is softened throughout the apartment by gentle arches, visible in the built-in furniture and wall finishes. The interior composition is strikingly diverse—from airy neutral whites, through light and dark woods, to bold, expressive burls—all enriched with waves, arches, and dots. The apartment features three bathrooms. While they subtly correspond with each other, each speaks its own visual language. The variety of tiles, their arrangements, and the presence of natural stone bring a light yet refined character. In the primary bedroom, the bathroom opens into the room through round glass blocks. The bedroom itself is built around soft rounded lines and bold patterns. A sunny-toned wardrobe balances the interior, adding a flowing sense of coziness, while the wavy headboard invites relaxation. In the children’s rooms, accents of color jump playfully across walls and furniture—more scattered, mischievous, and full of energy—giving the youngest inhabitants room for imagination and fun. The entire project is a symphony of colors, patterns, and rhythms, composed with a touch of freedom and playfulness, making the interior pulse with energy and life."
![<b>[CAPTION HERE INTRO’ING THE PROJECT]</b>](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6818593201364905984/7415178622541307904-medium/lessbgreatercaption-here-introing-the-projectlessbgreater.jpg)
