Running Sensus Design Studio has offered Jesse and me an endless well of creativity, largely through the unique projects that present creative opportunities most would dream of and that we continue to be grateful for every day. This cadence of design opportunities has put our firm in a position where we have the pleasure of meeting unique individuals with unique stylistic desires who understand Jesse to be the right man for the job to bring these diverse ideas to life. As a result, every day we can walk into our studio with excitement to develop our ideas, shaping our artistic outlook through a range of creative influences and ideas, including the design of our carefully curated surroundings within our studio, our reference library, a range of print and products that offer inspiration in different forms, and our dedicated team’s unique refining ideas and input.

Throughout our journey, Jesse and I have also admired the work of firms across the globe that we have come across through our travels, prominent publications, or even through social media. What we found is that every firm had its own style that they identified with and designed within this category of architectural style(s). While some do one thing and do it well, most end up losing the “soul” of the original style they became known for; we consider this to be the worst-case scenario for our firm as it is often a result of the lead architect who initially carved the unique path for the firm has stepped back. This understanding led to us questioning why no one has been more explorative. And why do some firms “plateau” in their creative journeys? Is it a lack of understanding of different styles? Is it a lack of interest in expanding their design repertoire? Is it complacency? While the answer is more complex than we can capture in this article, we wanted to document our experience in this category as our stylistic exploration desires continue to grow and change as time passes, our experience grows, and new opportunities present themselves.

To start, I believe it's prudent to understand our experience of being drawn to different styles, as we often feel that our passion for design exploration creates a feeling of our stylistic desires bursting at the seams of our professional lives. It is both a good and overwhelming feeling that fuels our passion for exploring new design styles and putting these ideas on paper to create experiential environments. Another important aspect of this exploration continues to be our travels, exposing us to both historic and new architectural design styles and design details that we wouldn’t otherwise have a reference for within the Ontario custom home design market. This aspect of being exposed to a different “pond” of design styles that have been shaped in their own way by historic policies, local topography and natural features, and historical events is an ever-exciting opportunity for us both to explore.