Life has changed. Your home has not.
The answer isn't changing the wall's color.
The answer is changing the walls...
From initial conversations through concept drawings and contractor partnerships, choose to renovate, expand, and dream your new house plan with Bloomington-Normal's design-first firm of imaginative architects whose devotion to detail reaches onward & upward toward completion.
Your plans
need floor plans.
Start with Scharnett, and explore every angle.
Your home should enhance your lifestyle, not hinder it. A host of different changes in life can make your home less functional than it used to be. Sometimes the answer is to move, but sometimes a few significant redesigns can make the place you once loved...the place you still love.
Identify which of these changes you’re currently facing, and then explore the Portfolio Gallery. Filter previous Scharnett architectural projects by these topics to see how imaginative design and devotion to detail has helped other families reach toward peace and completion.
The phrase Age in Place has grown in popularity as people seek to stay in their home as they age, rather than moving to an assisted living or retirement community. Or alternatively, you may need a home that can accommodate your aging parents, should the time come when it's best for them to move in. But homes aren't generally built with this in mind. Your home likely doesn't include features such as lower countertops, wider doorways for wheelchairs and walkers, and appropriately placed handrails for stability. Yet there are beautiful, design-oriented ways to address these needs that are barely discernible to the naked eye. Start that conversation with Scharnett Architects.
Bedrooms weren’t built to be classrooms. Living rooms weren’t built to be offices. Curtains weren't meant to be backdrops for video calls. And yet, this is the new reality many are trying to navigate. Sometimes you're all in the same space with headsets, straining the Wi-Fi, streaming video, working and learning simultaneously. You want to be together, but you need privacy. You need silence but don’t want to be isolated. As more of your life happens at home, your home space needs to be reimagined. Start that conversation with Scharnett Architects.
It’s not just about sharing rooms. If you need more seats at the dinner table, that could mean changing the kitchen and dining room. If you need more spaces for learning, that could mean moving some walls. If you need areas for indoor and outdoor play, that could mean rethinking doors, windows, and landscaping. If you need another vehicle, that could mean expanding your garage. In a growing family, you want to keep everyone connected... while still retaining personal time and space. Start these conversations with Scharnett Architects.
The kids moved out, and now the next chapter begins. You’re volunteering, you’re entertaining, you’re starting a new business. Spaces in your home were once great as bedrooms or toy rooms, but now, give yourself permission to reimagine those areas for what's next. Start that conversation with Scharnett Architects.
Has the garage become a giant overflow closet for your stuff instead of a shelter for your vehicles? Do you need a third bay? Or do you need somewhere else to put all the stuff? And maybe it’s time to finally create a separate workshop instead of almost banging the table saw every time you open the car door. Start that conversation with Scharnett Architects.
Illinois is the land of four seasons. Perhaps where you moved from, being outside year-round was something your family never had to think about. But as the weather changes, you’re realizing that your indoor space isn’t quite set up for month's worth of early darkness and winter activities. Start that conversation with Scharnett Architects, and explore every angle.
Being outdoors may be just as important as being indoors. Imaginatively designed and detailed outdoor spaces enhance the life of your family and the experiences of your guests and friends. Landscaping is more than planting flowers and selecting the tree that turns fire red in the Fall. With your goals in mind, Scharnett Architects excel at residential landscape design, down to every detail, with consideration for all four seasons.
Architects consider structures, sunlight, greenery, foliage, pathways, gathering areas, and everything in between. That comprehensive approach optimizes your time outside. For residential landscaping, start with Scharnett and explore every angle.
If you've never worked with an architect on a residential project, here's what to expect at Scharnett.
When you start with Scharnett, your architect becomes the primary partner for your project. Our role is to uncover and understand your goals through initial conversations, then design the plans that accomplish it. Next, we partner with your contractor of choice and send them the necessary documents and details.
As your architect, we'll understand every aspect of your project, from timelines to trim color. So we'll work closely with your builders, contractors, and interior designers throughout the process to ensure the final result matches the design and detail...without cutting corners.