Definining your style

DEFININING

YOUR STYLE.

Timeless design can only start with a sketch as Jesse Sahlani always says. However, the term timeless doesn’t apply to any one single design style. Sketching allows Jesse to freely explore and develop unique proportions, a prerequisite of timeless design that you can only be lucky to achieve if you start with computer generated design. By sketching, Jesse is able to offer a timeless “nod” to the historic origins of the design style in question while capturing his distinctly authentic and original signature.

Regardless of the style, a timeless home to Jesse Sahlani is a home that you can’t tell when it was designed and built when you drive by it. The pillars of timeless design include unique proportions, harnessing lots of natural light through the use of sun studies, and working around the unique grading and topographic features of the lot at hand to create a cohesively luxurious environment. To do this Jesse not only designs every custom home our firm is responsible for, but he also designs the interiors, and landscape designs.

By having control of these three categories of design, Jesse is able to create unique indoor outdoor connections that displays the timeless stamp of his work no matter where you stand on the grounds. Your style may be defined, or you may want to give Jesse full creative control through the design development process. Either way, we will take the time to meet with you and review a range of inspiration photos, as well as learn about your lifestyle. By learning about you, we are able to mould the home to support your lifestyle and functional requirements.

Our design portfolio is one based around a diverse and eclectic range of styles. Each of which has been designed to a timeless standard by lead designer Jesse Sahlani.

TUDOR
DESIGN

Tudor Architecture is a design style that, irrespective of the exterior materials used, radiates warmth and sophistication. Originally, Tudor homes were primarily made of stone, and common characteristics included a mixture of decorative spires and chimney details, curvilinear gables, and “E” or “H” shaped footprints. Our favorite example of this was Athelhampton House, built between 1493 and 1550. While the Tudor design style became synonymous with the white plaster and exposed timber frame style homes (known as half-timbering), stone and masonry was considered the foundations of a good home among the wealthy during this period. Half-timber homes were considered a housing solution for the lower classes, and because of their low cost construction many of these half-timber homes don’t exist today. Nonetheless, this stylistic characteristic became well-known after capturing the taste of the English population for several decades. Because of the vast range of stylistic characteristics associated with this design style throughout the centuries, Jesse takes great interest in this design style and has become fond of designing both traditional and contemporary renditions. With such a rich history, and centuries of design details to explore, we are excited to see what he designs next.

ENGLISH
COUNTRY

English Country houses, interchangeably known as English Manors, were just that for the gentry who largely ruled England until the Reform Act of 1832. While the term “English Country House” could refer to a range of Tudor, Georgian, or thatched roof Dutch inspired barn houses, what is consistent is that these were grand residences that offered a sense of sprawling connection to their natural surroundings. There are of course several examples of these homes that were designed to dominate the landscape such as Longleat House or Montacute House. However, there were more subtle and modest examples, Ascott House being one of Jesse’s favorite examples of this design style because of its rustically rambling style designed by George Devery to intentionally seem as if it had been eclectically expanded over the centuries. Often, these country homes changed hands several times over the centuries as different families rose to and fell from power. The result is that these homes often feature an eclectic mixture of architectural styles that appealed to different owners based on what was “in” during that time. A great example of this is Brympton d’Evercy, a home that was largely designed at the whims of different owners architectural tastes over the centuries. However, what kept it together stylistically was the use of the same Ham Hill Stone from Somerset England. This range of architectural details and features that this eclectically elegant design style has become associated with is exciting to explore for Jesse when seeing through his custom home designs.

FRENCH
CHATEAU

French Chateau Architecture is a favorite of Jesse’s when designing custom homes because of the dramatic steep and swooping rooflines, the use of symmetry and grand proportions, and the opportunity to use ornament in the form of detailed stone work. This wealth of unique architecturally sophisticated detail and luxurious proportion is one that other styles, such as Georgian architecture just can't offer. Jesse has successfully seen through the creation and implementation of timeless French Chateau style homes in both traditional and contemporary form. And while historic characteristics and accuracy matter immensely to Jesse, exploration of a wide range of inspirations have lead Jesse to develop a gravitation towards the use of art-deco details that offer a unique flair that runs through his work in this stylistic category. An example of this is stepped window trims and smooth faced limestone panels. Some of Jesse’s favorite examples of structures that embody the character of this design style include specific wings of the Palace of Versailles, as well as the Supreme Court Building in Ottawa, and the Oiron Chateau in France.

TUDOR
REVIVAL

With the sentiment that the environment you are trying to create should always be the starting point of making aesthetic decisions, our process prioritizes the use of sun studies, and sketching of different perspective views to add clarity to proposed design intent. To achieve this we get to know you well and pay close attention to lifestyle related details that help us intuitively mould the home to support. Of course, the high quality visualization process we are known for is a large part in providing a realistic experience to our clients alongside Jesse’s initial sketches. In the words of Jesse Sahlani, detailed design compels detailed construction, and this is the sole responsibility of anyone providing you with architectural design services.

CONTEMPORARY
FARMHOUSE

Contemporary Farmhouse design is a staple in the North American architectural design landscape. The original roots of this design style began in San Jose California, home of the california casual style characterized olive trees and rustic modern interior details. This unique design style gained popularity throughout the 2010’s cementing itself in both interior and exterior design categories. Jesse designed his Kleinburg Cathedral home in this design style, creating a suavely rustic yet refined and cozy compound. Everything from the steep peaked roofs to the opportunity for characteristically accurate large windows with specific mullion designs, this design style speaks to a traditional home design style that has truly shifted to accommodate contemporary lifestyle needs.

NATURAL
MODERN

Natural Modern Architecture speaks to the “Prairie” influence of the early 1900’s in America, paired with the ideals of Frank Lloyd Wright that each home should look as if it had naturally grown from the plot. Horizontal lines, large windows, low-slope roofs, wide overhangs, and restraint in the use of detail characterize this custom home design style. In our eyes, the term natural modern’s definition is two fold, the first of which is that homes of this nature are meant to be designed around the natural features, blending with the topography of a given lot. The second is that the massing of this design style is meant to “ground” its grand presence in both single and two storey formats through the use of wide proportions. It is a “softer” rendition of modern design, without losing the opportunity to create a simplistic, organic, yet elegant home that doesn’t over power its natural surroundings.

MODERN

Modern Design is Jesse’s first love, and truthfully, where Sensus Design Studio started. The simplicity that modern design can offer is intriguing, especially when the same simplicity of materials and form can create such impactful proportions. When Jesse designs a modern home, he focuses on the creation of proportions that speak to the outspoken roots of this design style in its form and massing. The result is that the structure feels highly architectural in nature upon approach, as you can’t help but to be struck by the proportions that almost instantly feel “out of the ordinary” in the best way possible. However, while this design style is meant to be stark in comparison to its natural surroundings, Jesse is always intent on creating a connection to its surroundings through the use of similar materials, and the extension of exterior materials to the interior spaces, like stone chimneys or wood stained soffits that turn into an interior great room ceiling detail. The modern experience in our eyes is one that should be centered around minimalist design, maximalist proportions, and a fine balance of achieving a sleek, seamless, and inviting interior environment.

BEHIND THE DESIGNS: A BLOG

An in depth look at the approach, travel experiences and inspiration that serve as pillars of reference
for Jesse and John-Luke Sahlani, the principles of Sensus Design Studio.