The inspiration behind Jesse’s design process goes far deeper than most typically think, as every activity and interest in his life nourishes his creativity in some way. Being in the office on a day-to-day basis and seeing his ideas form, past references and experiences being admired, thoughts being sorted by rummaging through our reference library, and watching a body of work come to life through a process of immersive focus is amazing to watch.
It is experiences like this that made feel like we were only telling half the story, despite Jesse’s artistic journey having been a very public one to date. So today, we wanted to offer an even more intimate understanding of Jesse as an artist through his personal page @visaviswithjesse .
Our goal is to offer meaningful insight into the artistic process, inspiration, and the rigorous life of exploration that fuels Jesse’s creative process—though to a far more intimate standard than our studio’s page can offer. We will dive into behind the scenes shots of his sketching process, travel experiences, relevant literature, and inspiration that impacted his artistic process in any way, shape, or form. Less serious, more diverse, and most importantly, authentically peeling back the layers of the design mind of Jesse Sahlani.
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I wanted to elaborate on the body of work we shared: the exterior, site plan, and detail sketches for the sprawling home that Jesse designed for an expansive compound in Iowa, under the classic Montana Mountain design style. As a follow-up to this, I wanted to share a process video of him completing his final sketch.
Every layer of his design process builds on the last as he overlays new tracing paper on top of the old one to test different proportions and details. But after all of this, when the proportions are set and the form of the structure speaks to the level of character he is trying to capture, he completes his final iteration and includes the level of exterior texturing and detailing that he desires.
What he did know right off the bat, however, is that the classic Montana mountain style was the right fit, especially since his intention was to set the home up on the highest portion of the elevation on the lot, with a series of auxiliary structures tiering downward to create the feeling of the home sprawling to different corners of the lot. Jesse worked with the grade, creating proportions that feel nestled into the hillside, while using a material palette that feels right at home in its rustic natural setting.
The acreage he had to work with is a heck of a canvas to start off on, featuring a range of topographic conditions, a winding driveway, a river snaking through it serving as the property boundary, and a pond. The plot is also heavily wooded, highly secluded, and features a range of plant species and specimens, creating the opportunity to create a home that truly feels connected to its surroundings.
I want to draw your attention to the unique lot drainage feature Jesse designed to run under the home. To create separation, he raised the kids’ bedroom wing in order to create a “secure” floorplan, and in doing so, he had the opportunity to design a babbling brook that serves to take all collected rainwater from the driveway, front courtyard, and garage motorcourt.
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I am proud to share more about a design language that has quietly taken root across some of our most notable projects, a style conceptualized, developed, and refined by Principal Designer Jesse Sahlani: The North American Cotswold.
He coined this vernacular through an intuitive urge to capture the character he associated with the environments he experienced in the English countryside. His specific inspiration came from the tiny cottages lining the riverside towns of the Cotswolds, and the utilitarian stone farmhouses that can be found as you drive between these towns.
He sought to reimagine these quaint residences in a format that would offer the same grand, sprawling scale as some of his favourite Manors and Country Homes. However, his intention was to develop a set of principles that would make a home of any square footage feel sprawling and rambling within the context of this vernacular. The North American Cotswold design style was born as a result, masking what would typically be towering height and oversized interior spaces in the form of rhythmic gables, winding proportions, and rambling wings that create an immersive environment throughout the grounds.
This package is meant to review the design principles, stylistic cues, and associated characteristics that define the North American Cotswold, a style that has become synonymous with Jesse Sahlani’s catalogue among a sea of stylistically diverse private residences.
#JesseSahlani #homedesign #interiordesign #landscapedesign #furnishings #sketching #proportions #naturallight #timelessdesign #sensusdesignstudio
Given the Cotswold inspiration in Jesse’s work showcased in our last two posts, it felt appropriate to share some of what informed it. Staying with the theme of environment design, which is the real product of Jesse’s multi-disciplinary process, I wanted to share a few photos that resonated with us. Each image features an environment we experienced on our travels through the English countryside that prompted us to capture the moment.
There is something about the combination of lush greenery, rustic stone, slate roofing, and the rich warm taupe of pea gravel driveways in the region. It is a material palette that can be applied in almost any form and still capture the most nostalgic feelings of traditional English warmth. I believe the collection of images here proves that.
Whether it is mature trees, low shrubs, garden walls or hedge walls, or an expansive rustic farmhouse set among a flat, vast field, the charm is felt. The sheer level of creativity that can be applied to the format and application of each of these elements is exactly why English design vernaculars across such a wide range of historical periods offer a designer an endless well of exploration.
It is also true that Jesse has a particular love for this amount of creative variety, as the combinations between the architectural design and landscape design departments alone number in the thousands of possible design moments that can be created. For example, gardens can either consist of structured hedges and topiary, or resemble that of a painting, with flower blossoms strategically placed in the tradition of the legendary Gertrude Jekyll. Paired with formal or more rustic design styles, these elements can serve to reinforce or contrast the desired architectural character.
It is no wonder that one would encounter such a density of beauty when travelling through the English countryside. We hope you enjoy this collection of our favourite environments, selected from among the hundreds of amazing examples we could have included here.
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Jesse designed the Cotswold Beach House for a prestigious lot in the Hamptons as an adaptation of his North American Cotswold vernacular, capturing the effortlessly relaxing and storied environment that so many generations of New Yorkers have sought after when leaving the city behind. His intention was to design the perfect beach house, so secluded and stylistically immersive that it feels like a total escape.
The proportions take advantage of the expansive width of the lot while feeling natural within the coastal setting. The inclusion of cedar shake roofing offers a nod to these surroundings, straying from the classic slate that is a core characteristic of this design style, while tall grasses surround the structure and amenities to contribute to the connection to the local environment.
Upon arrival, the front foyer was designed to be seen through, looking directly out to the water, creating a striking contrast in relation to the rustic stone, lush greenery, and cedar shake roof one interacts with while approaching the front door. In typical Jesse fashion, the garage was disguised as another wing of the home, with the full-height gable flanking the foyer to create a front courtyard while the garage doors are hidden entirely from view on the opposite side of the structure.
Where the front is defined by dense border planting and an inviting motor court, the rear opens up entirely, with the pool deck and harbour appearing as a natural extension of the living room and kitchen, visible from almost every room along the rear of the home.
White oak envelops each space across the floors, cabinetry, and ceiling, while natural travertine adds solidity through key elements including the kitchen hood vent, the island, and the coffee table, resulting in a monochromatic but highly organic palette that keeps stimulation low and allows the views of the water to remain the star of the space.
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We are proud to reveal a sketched body of work that Jesse has been personally excited to share with all of our followers. Set on a cul-de-sac in Surrey, British Columbia, Jesse had to work with an irregularly shaped lot that features a beautiful treeline and farm as a backdrop.
His intention was to design a 7,000 square foot home that did not reveal its size and scale upon first introduction, instead developing the body of work to unfold as you enter and explore the grounds.
This intention was first applied to the floor plan, and in later phases was similarly applied to the front facade. The result is a home that, despite its two-storey proportions, reads as quaint, charming, and modest at first glance. The character Jesse captured here, however, potently represents some of his most nostalgic memories of travelling through the Cotswolds.
Set among a well-developed roof proportion are chimneys and gables positioned at lower heights. In typical Jesse Sahlani fashion, he designed the masonry details of these chimneys as a standout element of the architectural character, to an extent that they serve to visually ground the sheer scale of the structure, drawing the eye lower while the red brick composition contrasts the grandeur of the black slate roof with traditional charm.
By creating a series of visually staggered heights throughout the facade, he is able to reduce the overall perceived height when standing in the front courtyard. Compositionally, the home is especially unique as well, featuring a sprawling footprint and a highly curated structured hedge design plan that we look forward to showcasing in the coming weeks.
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Built right or not at all.
Finishing touches remain on this beautiful home in Caledon we are completing alongside our amazing partners at Day Custom Homes.
This project brought together a full exterior roofing and drainage package built to spec from top to bottom. From the heat welded SBS modified bitumen flat roofing system and tapered insulation package to the custom parapet coping, flashings, Velux skylights, and aluminum square downpipes, every detail was planned for long term performance and clean architectural aesthetics.
It is always a pleasure consistently working alongside long term partners like Day Custom Homes. Strong collaboration, communication, and shared standards make projects like this come together the right way from start to finish.
The rear gable overlooking the pool and gardens of the Tudor Revival Manor is a hidden gem among a series of rambling peaks and gable walls. Jesse designed this prominent feature to characterize the backyard entertainment spaces while creating unique proportions within the interior.
This gable wall was set at a lower height than the surrounding peaks for two reasons. The first was to allow natural light to reach the pool during the morning hours. The second was a response to the grade decline at the rear of the lot, which creates a walkout basement. Standing on the pool deck or in the pool itself, the last thing Jesse wanted was the feeling of staring up at a monolith. The result is a consistent sense of design intention throughout the exterior entertainment spaces, one that feels architecturally significant while establishing a visual indoor-outdoor connection through the symmetry between the great hall above and the pool and lounge spaces below.
Within the home, Jesse used this gable proportion to integrate a barrel ceiling that creates a spectacle of form, proportion, and light. The character of the entire room was shaped by this single feature, speaking to the level of fluidity Jesse is able to achieve when he is in control of every aspect of a home’s design.
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As construction progresses, I wanted to share this body of work with some of our newest followers. Jesse’s central intention for the Mid-Century Meadow home was that the very composition be modern in form, finish, and spirit. The exterior proportions stemming from the footprint, the scale and dimensions of each room, and the specificity of the window compositions were all considered from the outset. Every profile and material within the space was designed to complement this form while creating an environment that feels naturally curated, without losing the comfortable, cozy charm that makes a house a home.
At the front, he took a reserved approach, nestling the home into the unique topography of the lot and creating several mounds of dirt that support this intended effect. The result is proportions that feel sculptural and out of the ordinary in the best possible way, without losing the inviting undertone that comes from the warmth of the material palette.
At the rear, the structure is almost entirely composed of glass, offering a glimpse into the common areas beyond. These glass walls are designed to be operable in several locations, creating the effect of the pool deck being an extension of the living room and kitchen while framing views of the surrounding forest and harnessing the natural light that moves through it.
To achieve an environment of this caliber, Jesse used the unique footprint of the structure to wrap around the rear pool deck, surrounding it with architectural intention on one side and a planting plan that feels natural and effortless on the other. The tree line at the rear of the property further characterizes the space, and the subtle integration of the structure among these natural features creates a connection to the surroundings that feels both complex and settled.
Every home Jesse designs is born from circumstance, including sun paths, wind paths, natural features, and lot grading. By contending with these features rather than working through them, he captures a unique character every time.
#JesseSahlani #customhomedesign #interiordesign #landscapedesign #furnishings
Jesse’s initial sketches of the Montana Mountain Compound in Iowa are a standout body of work in and of themselves amongst his diverse portfolio. I am so fond of them because of the authenticity of the scene they depict, capturing the desired alpine setting perfectly. What I also love is the expansiveness of the structure and the level of detail he approached this sketched body of work with at an impressive scale.
To capture the character of a Montana mountain home, he set the home on the highest portion of the elevation on the lot, with a series of auxiliary structures tiering downward to create the feeling of the home sprawling to different corners of the property. In doing so, his intention was to make the home feel as if it were gently tiering down the hill, feeling nestled into the land, as opposed to towering over you when you are standing by the pond.
With that sentiment in mind, Jesse worked with the sun paths, wind paths, and topography to create proportions that feel nestled into the hillside while using a material palette that feels right at home in its rustic, natural setting. When working with a canvas like this, he had so many options for the form and composition of the home that it made his creative process extremely explorative.
I want to specifically draw your attention to the unique lot drainage feature Jesse designed to run under the home. To create separation within the floor plan, he raised the kids’ bedroom wing to establish a “secure” layout, creating the opportunity to design a babbling brook that runs under this wing. It serves to transfer all collected rainwater from the driveway, front courtyard, and garage motor court to the pond below.
#JesseSahlani #customhomedesign #landscapedesign #interiordesign #furnishings
The rear facade of the Cotswold Beach House that Principal Designer Jesse Sahlani designed for a prestigious oceanfront lot in the Hamptons is his latest adaptation of the North American Cotswold vernacular to a coastal setting. It is in this setting that the influence of the architecture and the connection to the natural surroundings is felt most completely. As promised, we wanted to share a few angles of the rear grounds and pool deck with you this week.
Where the front of the home is defined by dense border planting and a highly inviting motorcourt and front courtyard that feels intentional and secluded as an environment, the rear opens up entirely. Jesse kept the landscaping here deliberately lighter and more naturalistic, allowing the architecture and the harbor beyond it to be the star of the composition.
The cedar shake roofing and stone read warmly against the open sky, and a denser planting scheme would have competed with both. The restraint was intentional, as this is a summer house, and the rear grounds were designed to feel like one while managing maintenance.
The pool deck and harbor appear as an extension of the living room and kitchen, reinforcing the indoor-outdoor connection that Jesse developed through the sprawling composition of the floor plan. The result is that the water feels less like a view and more like a permanent fixture of the space, visible from almost every room along the rear of the home.
The result is a natural environment enhanced by architecture and amenity layouts, relaxed landscaping, and noble materials that feel intentional in their application yet so natural in their setting that it feels as though this summer home has always been there. This is the exact environment that Jesse was after when adapting his vernacular to the storied Hamptons setting.
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The Cotswold Equestrian Compound is the latest rendition of Jesse’s North American Cotswold vernacular, taking the form of a sprawling private residence with a fully functional boarding and training facility on the grounds. This project touched on a variety of interests for Jesse, including his love of horses, the opportunity to blend life and hobbies in a functional yet immersive way, and the chance to create a body of work set among expansive, lush gardens.
In true equestrian style, Jesse adapted the material palette and landscape to reflect the classic utilitarian character of the ranches he romanticizes, though in a far more elevated format. The home is clad with standing seam zinc roofing and reclaimed brick, while white horse fencing surrounds the lawns, arenas, chicken coops, and walkways. Upon arrival, a winding tree-lined driveway immerses guests in the grounds from the onset, with pathways leading to several architecturally significant structures.
The trainers’ quarters, stables, and service roads are layered with structured hedges that define each space, create seclusion, and frame specific viewpoints Jesse wanted guests to experience. His intention was for every nook and corner to be as good a spot as any to enjoy the surrounding nature.
Jesse also designed a full micro-spa built into the hill created by the rear grade drop, set lower than the home to offer unobstructed views of the pond and rolling countryside.
Spanning 2,500 square feet and almost entirely clad in natural travertine.
It features a full circuit of indoor-outdoor hot pools, a salt pool, a cold plunge, a dry sauna, and outdoor relaxation areas, all enveloped by floor-to-ceiling large-format windows and a lighting plan that carries the environment well into the evening.
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