About Doug + Erin
One sunny day in ‘87, we met at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Along with liking each other’s 80’s kind of cuteness, very quickly, we found ourselves collaborating creatively on homework assignments, daily life and even remodeling projects (as allowed!) in our respective rented apartments. We are each other's match: both sharing the mentality of being as creative as possible with a practical-minded approach.
Doug’s background as an illustrator and fine artist, mixed with his love of vehicles of all kinds (basically anything with a motor) led to our first business in NJ, called Dakota Design. Adding Erin’s skills as a graphic designer, we quickly grew to be known for our hand-carved, gold-leafed, dimensional, custom sign designs and more. We had a ball pinstriping cars and motorcycles, doing hand lettering on all sorts of commercial vehicles (plus the occasional airplane!) and making unique, creative custom signs for business’s. Along with any other creative projects that came our way...murals, commercial interiors, "theme" rooms and furniture. You name it, we did it.
In 1998, we moved to Tucson, AZ. Why? Well, we loved the desert, the colors, the feeling (and the fact that Doug’s '54 Ford wouldn't rust out!) We started our sign business again, this time calling it Arizona Originals, because each and every one of our projects was truly original. We loved helping businesses get off to a great start with great-looking, eye-catching signs and vehicle lettering.
We also began to design and build custom homes during this time. Doug’s dad was a builder, so the background was there. We’d had the opportunity to build our own home and found it was a perfect way to combine our practical and creative sides. We needed to work within a budget, but still wanted a home that was interesting, functional and quite frankly...made our hearts happy whenever we entered. Our emphasis was on making the process a pleasure in every way, so keeping on schedule and on budget was a given.
This led to homebuilding in earnest, and we began Van Patten Handcrafted Homes. By turning the (usually) unpleasant process of building a home on its head, we were able to give our customers a truly unique experience. On time, on budget. Always reachable. Always completely accountable. We found our "niche" really was creating spaces that were personal and interesting, while being--most importantly--functional. As always, we continued to do custom projects such as concrete staining, faux painting & murals, cabinetry, custom tile work and creative accents of all kinds.
After starting a family, we decided to quiet life down a little. We moved to Prescott, AZ and lived on a small farm property. Goats, chickens, chores...and a pretty entertaining donkey named Button. Plus a big 'ol barn where we could play with paint and furniture and metal and wood and wire...!
Eventually, we began “flipping houses”. We both know it’s the culmination of all of our creative experiences and we love it. Cute cottage style to mid-century cool to clean and contemporary, we’ve done it all. We’ve admittedly had some where everyone that saw them said, “just tear it down and start over!”…but that’s not really our heart. Houses have so many stories, but sometimes they just get forgotten. Our favorite part is the transformation we see through all of our hard work, and being able to bring them back for a whole new life!
We feel blessed to be able to make our living doing what we love to do. We truly feel life should be lived creatively in every way possible...and that includes making the spaces we spend our time and the things we surround ourselves with as enjoyable as possible. That doesn't have to mean million-dollar budgets. And it doesn't have to mean stressful schedules to make it all happen. There's a place where creativity and reliability meet...and that's where you'll find us.
Thanks for lookin' around!
Doug + Erin Van Patten