LGBTLife

My Story

Happy National Coming Out Day! To celebrate, I wanted to post what I hope is the first of many queer stories in architecture. I wanted to talk about my story. Except I’m not sure I have a story. Whenever I participate in a panel discussion around equity and diversity, I…
Clint Thomson
October 11, 2020
LGBTLife

The Queer Stories Project

Sunday is National Coming Out Day, and while I have been out in the profession since the start of my career, my face still isn’t the one you expect to see when you attend a panel discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most attendees are probably wondering what’s with the…
Clint Thomson
October 9, 2020
Food for thoughtLife

Boo!

October is here! And that means the Gay High Holy Day of Halloween is just around the corner. Although considering decorations started going up around here last month, Halloween may already be in full swing. We discovered not long after moving to our neighborhood that trick-or-treating wasn’t an event. Most…
Clint Thomson
October 2, 2020
architectureLife

Color – or Lack Thereof

Every fall, Sherwin Williams announces their color of the year for the coming year. And in a year that’s seen a global pandemic, protests and rioting, and the death of a beloved Supreme Court justice, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw their selection. Urbane Bronze. Or…
Clint Thomson
September 25, 2020
architecturebusiness

What Lies Beneath

I always tell clients to be ready for a surprise any time they’re doing a renovation. You never know what the previous owners have done during their own renovations. Or the people before them. But always expect something. Entire windows left inside walls. Flooring on top of flooring on top…
Clint Thomson
September 18, 2020
architectureLife

Spaces

My first studio professor, in describing an assignment, said he wanted us to understand how one feels moving through a space. He couldn’t tell us how to build that space, just that we were supposed to create it. Looking back, no wonder I finished my degree elsewhere. However, being an…
Clint Thomson
September 11, 2020
architecturerenovation

Cheap, Cheap

One of the best parts about my job is the privilege of seeing other people’s homes. And seeing some spectacular homes at that. From the time I started architecture school (and even before then), I knew I wouldn’t be designing high rises or hospitals. Work for me was always going…
Clint Thomson
August 28, 2020
businessLife

And I’m Spent!

One thing about work that hasn’t changed during the pandemic – finishing up the day and thinking about just melting into the sofa. Or into a martini. And today was one of those days. In the past that feeling usually came with a deadline. You’re pushing yourself and others to…
Clint Thomson
August 21, 2020
Food for thoughtLife

Staycation – All I Ever Wanted?

If nothing else, I hope this pandemic has been a learning experience for all of us. Learning how we handle stress. Or how to cook (or realizing that we already knew). Or how early is too early to start having wine. And this month has been no different for me,…
Clint Thomson
August 17, 2020
architectureFood for thought

Squirrel on a Hot Tin Roof

I am a fan of standing seam metal roofs. And for no other reason than aesthetics. When we renovated our house, that was one item I was more than willing to splurge on. Considering the decade in which the house was built and the exterior finish materials and colors, metal…
Clint Thomson
August 7, 2020
Spotted Dog Architecture