As it very often happens, at the point in life when you decide that you want to achieve a certain goal, it hits you that you have actually no clue from where to start. That is exactly how it happened to me as the question about our own family house came into focus. We wanted not only to have a house, but a place we would be able to call home.
It was not a question about finances, but the confusing part was choosing the best way to fulfill this dream about our own house – should we buy an old house and restore it or should we build from zero? What would be the best choice? These questions did not allow me to close my eyes as I went to sleep. I was so eager to create my dream house.
I was even thinking about building the house with my own hands – maybe that is a romantic idea as my grandfather had done that. However, neither I have the necessary skills, nor the time for that. As I believe the concept of the building is the cornerstone of a harmonious design, I wanted to find a service that could provide me with that. I wanted something personal and the module houses certainly would not have given me that.
And that is when I came upon the idea of cooperating with a professional architect. As I went through different reviews, I found out about G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja. This firm offered a full service: not only an architect to work on the outer facades of the house, but also on the interior and landscape design. Everything in one office – a full team of architects to create a house of dreams.
That seemed like an inviting and appealing offer. And as I made sure in real-life cooperation, I had surely not made a mistake by trusting my project to the professionals of this architectural firm. Further I will tell you about how it went, my experience and lessons learned. If you are thinking about building your own house – this certainly is the right article for you and I hope it inspires you to move forward with your own project.
The meaning of a good architectural firm
Not only the architect’s office provides a well-considered design from the outside, but it also includes the work of an interior designer as well as the work of a landscape architect. So that the house would seem appealing to the eye, the design should not be fragmented, every detail should compliment the other and there should be no sudden interruptions in the concept.
This is what I learnt as I started my cooperation with G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja. And as our project went ahead, I found out much more about what good architecture is. Even though previously I thought its main function is to simply create a beautiful and safe building, I learnt that it is not only about how it looks – the functional solutions are as fundamental as the design.
It means that a good architect will take into consideration the comfort of the persons living in the house – as everyday life is very practical and there is no use of a home that is made of crystals but you cannot touch anything or jump around – even if your hobby is jump rope. A good architect has to be able to take into consideration the habits of every family member so that the house was suitable for their activities.
Architectural firm that cares
For example, my spouse does yoga almost every day. That is her lifestyle. And for her it is important to have space for this activity. I am a book nerd – I have always wanted my own personal library, a place where I can sit silently, read and think. My son loves different kinds of sports – he is still just a kid, but he needs a yard where he can be able to play football and basketball.
As G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja took into consideration the wishes of all of us, a real dream house could be designed. Even though the idea of a personal library seemed unrealistic, the architect found a way to incorporate this room in our house. And the bedroom is spacious enough for my spouse to be able to perform wide movements – besides, while doing yoga, she can see the beautiful view from our balcony. And my son has a basketball hoop and enough space to play football – from our windows we can watch him score goals.
The task of an architect is to use every square meter thoughtfully. For every situation there has to be an appropriate room or space. We have a separate area for cooking and a separate one for family meals. As we have a small kid, the designer took into consideration that he would surely be willing to participate in the cooking process. Therefore, there had to be taken certain measurements so that he was able to reach the counter, for example.
The dining room is basically combined with the kitchen, but there is enough space between the both so that those felt like two distinct rooms. It is important for us to teach our son to be able to differentiate one activity from another: there is time for playing, time for learning, time for cooking, time for eating. And nothing can be done altogether – each activity has time and place.
The kitchen is for the innovative and fun cooking process. However, when it comes to eating, everyone comes to the table – no snacking around in the kitchen or the living room. Around the table we share not only the food, but our time and tell each other stories and how our day went. This area was one of the most important aspects in our home and interior designers created it as warm and cozy as possible.
G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja is not only a whole of professional architects and designers, during the process of designing, the architect has to be able to be a psychologist and a good listener as well. From our part as customers, we simply had to be open and share our hearts – what is our taste, what are our hobbies, what music we like to listen to, who are our favorite artists, etc.
From all these questions and answers the architect has to be able to make a conclusion – sharing our interests and telling about our personalities is what helps the architect to come up with the best architectural solution and later present us the possible project. Then comes the next part of the discussion. However, sitting, talking and sharing – that is the first step to coming closer to the project.
G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja – my best choice
As this blog is a platform where I share my best experiences and tell about services that can make a difference, I had to include the story about building my house as well as it is one of the most important and beautiful events that a family can experience together. Building a new house is like starting a new life, that is a completely new chapter. It marks you forever and it will forever remain as a symbol of our family.
Therefore it was so important for me to invite professionals to develop a project. I wanted a family house of quality that would stay for the next generations. G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja surely was the right choice. First I got acquainted with their work and other projects – I wanted to make sure that our taste coincides. As I loved their projects and wanted my house to be similar in the style, I decided to go for it.
Their projects can be viewed also on their youtube channel (of which I only found out after we had started our cooperation). G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja has posted its projects here. However, other projects can be viewed also on their homepage. Even though I think that 3D visualization on Youtube gives even a better look at their offered projects, therefore I suggest you start with that to gain an understanding of their handwriting.
Also, there can be found many other positive reviews about G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja. For me it is always important to check what has been the experience of others as I consider that to be a guarantee that the specific provider of the service is reliable. And this article is a positive backfeed from myself as well – I can happily add my review to the database of other success stories.
What do I mean by success? Well, that means that I am happy with the overall result. The house is beautiful, we can live there comfortably. Besides, it is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it is also functional – a place we can relax, play and work. As I think it often happens when you hire an architect, the end result is far more better than you expected at the beginning. I can say that the job is well done as I would surely never want to change my house for another one – it is my corner of personal paradise.
Landscape design as a bonus
As we started working on a project, all I could think about was the house – the rooms, the interior design, the external facades. It actually never crossed my mind to think about how our garden would look or how it would possibly match to the look of the house. All I cared about was that my son had enough space to chase the ball – and that was all the idea I had about our yard.
However, G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja pointed out that it is much more about simply setting a basketball hoop or mowing the grass for the football field. Their task is also to take into consideration how the house itself will fit within the landscape. As we live by a lake, this is what the architects wanted to use and make the house a part of this idyllic view.
Therefore our balconies all are with a look on the lake – not only that is a beautiful view, but we can watch beautiful sunsets from them and have dinner together outside on warm summer nights. Now we also have our own boat – that surely looks romantic. And the landscape designer has taken care that we have our private beach and water lilies that decorate the lake and make it even more beautiful.
In our yard we have beautiful benches, a place to eat together outside in summer, a place to grill and make a bonfire. We also have a separate house for the sauna – it is a small house next to the lake. From there we can jump from the board into the water and get refreshed after whipping with birch brooms.To make the birch brooms we can use the birches that grow around the house with sauna.
Also, landscape design means that our garden is like a work of art, like a beautiful painting. We have wonderful flower beds, vegetable beds and a berry bush garden. There is a chill spot with hammocks in the middle of the birch grove. And we also have a hot tub – on the winter evenings it is the best addition to the sauna.
To sum up, landscape design takes care of the territory – so that it was put in order and was appealing to the eye. That gives our country house the finish look and it certainly seems as a picture from the cover of a magazine.
G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja makes dreams come true
Many reality shows are based on the idea of fulfilling the deepest dreams and desires of a person. And many shows are therefore about restoring or building houses – that is certainly an important aspect of the life of any human being. That is the basic need. However, we all know that simply a shelter is not enough. Not only do we need to feel protected, we also want our home to look aesthetically as we yearn for beauty.
For me it is important to have an orderly environment around. I am certainly an aesthete. And even if there is chaos – there must be certain order and harmony in that as well. What I learnt during this process of creating a house project together with G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja is that a home is one of the greatest blessings a person can have – and by making our own home a beautiful and safe place, I am sure we have not only made our own lives better, but also added a worth to the world.
By working with the architects, you will see how everything comes together step by step. It all starts with a conversation. Even if you do not know precisely what is the end result you want to achieve, you will work it out with a professional architect. And if you have a plan in your head already, I can guarantee that the architect will offer you many more options and improvements to widen your vision and make the plan even better.
I can highly recommend G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja – that is an office of professional, warm-hearted and dedicated architects. Not only they fit into the budget and find ways to lower the costs, but also fit into the given time-frame. So you can count both on a precise amount of expenditure as well on the time you can move into your new home.
G. Viksna architectural firm can be contacted through email info@gvbirojs.lv – if you are a foreigner, English surely will not be a problem for them. The office is located in two beautiful Latvian cities – one is in Liepaja, Diku street 11 (phone number: +37163624067); the other one is in the capital Riga, Nometnu street 46A (phone number: +37167817121).
If you may have any further questions or you want to start a cooperation to build your own dream house, feel free to contact G. Viksna architectural firm from Liepaja or Riga – depending on what is closer to you. Creating a project is an amazing experience and finding an experienced architectural firm is the first step towards getting closer to this project.
And after your dream house has been built, why not share a commentary on my blog and tell your success story?