Impressive Houses.

We recently had the pleasure of spending time with the three architects that make up Ike Kligerman Barkley and it should come as no surprise that their personalities reflect the same characteristics that make up their award winning designs-Stylish, gracious, refined and full of captivating charm.

IKBA offers both architectural and interior design services in an established, diverse, design-oriented practice with an emphasis on residential architecture. The firm has earned numerous professional and design awards, including the New York Chapter AIA Honor Award and they've been featured among Architectural Digest's "AD100 Designers and Architects" the past five publications.

They've just released their first book entitled Houses and it features twenty-one projects that represent the remarkable breadth of the practice. A cottage in Michigan reveals a comprehensive investigation of craft traditions, while a Hawaiian beach retreat explores the vernacular Polynesian long-house. A sleek Manhattan loft evokes the industrial history of its neighborhood, while an oceanfront villa recalls Carlo Scarpa’s interweaving of past and present. Unusual, even unlikely combinations — an English-influenced Shingle Style house the firm terms “Shinglish,” a Virginia horse farm that draws equally on classical formality and easy rusticity — embody the firm’s sophisticated balance between historic model and modern refinement.

We attended their book signing party last week at Archivia that was so packed with their faithful fans that the crowd was literally spilling out into the street-a true testament to this talented trio. This is one handsome tome full of sharp imagery and impressive floor plans that's equal parts aspirational and inspirational. Available where fine books are sold-we highly recommend picking up a copy for your own design collection. (JB...you still need to sign our copy-BF)