We are currently designing a home for a client in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The "radical" new floor plan is based upon our Willowbrook Country House Plan; which we modified by relocating the front entry directly between the public and private zones of the house. We also placed a smartly sized two sided fireplace between the Living and Dining areas. This provides for more intimate space while maintaining visual connections and a predominantly open floor plan. Check out the interior house plan video below.
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Ok - perhaps the concept is not radical; however there is a technique to achieving successful "open yet connected" spaces. Design elements considered included size and location of fireplace, bulkhead and beam locations, built ins and display elements, material connections, window positions, furniture arrangements, etc.
Today at Simply Elegant Home Designs we unveiled an awesome new house plan - The Willowbrook! Check it out and let us know what you think.
Birdseye view of front entry
Front View
Rear View
This house plan would be suitable for the shorelines of lakes, rivers and oceans; but would be equally at home in the country, or on a large wide lot with beautiful views! You can obtain more information on this fresh new country house plan at Simply Elegant Home Designs website by following: The Willowbrook
Simply Elegant Home Designs has some big news coming.
Ron Brenner, President of Simply Elegant says "This is going to be bigger than sliced bread. Bigger than the wheel. Well maybe I am going too far; but at least it will be bigger than the Segway"
Stay tuned; a formal announcement will be made soon.
Simply Elegant Home Designs is announcing a new relationship with Southern Living House Plans. Southern Living will be marketing two plans as seen below.
Ron Brenner, President of Simply Elegant Home Designs had this to say -
" We are so excited about the opportunity to work with Southern Living House Plans. What we are trying to do here at Simply Elegant is to make truly good home design more economically achievable for the general public, and we see this new relationship with Southern Living as a great way to do that. We think our designs are special, and we want to get them out there for as many people to see as possible. The additional exposure we receive through SL will be more valuable than many press releases."
Simply Elegant Home Designs is offering a new house plan called the "Hudson Farmhouse". The Hudson Cottage offers an open main level floor plan with connected spaces that are perfect family gatherings. The master suite and a home office sit "around the corner" from the main floor public spaces. Two additional bedrooms and a shared bath occupy the second floor. At almost 2700 square feet this is the largest plan that Simply Elegant now offers, yet it still retains the modest massing and scale of a traditional farmhouse design. This was achieved through careful 3 dimensional computer modeling and study. The images below depict the design.
Many of today's home designs incorporate open floor planning - with kitchen, dining and living areas all very open to one another. Open planning is great for entertaining and family gatherings because it allows people congretating within these "zones" to remain connected with one another.
One problem with open planning however is that sometimes the combined space becomes too large and begins to lose a sense of intimacy. Also, how about that kitchen clutter? Many clients want to remain "connected" with their guests while in the kitchen, but do not necessarily want all of that kitchen clutter exposed to their guests.
There are a number of ways to combat these issues. I will try to illustrate in the following examples designed by Ron Brenner Architects in Stillwater, MN.
Photo below illustrates dining area and adjacent front foyer. A dropped soffit in the foyer and hallway helps to define the edge of the dining space (ceiling elevation changes are a great way of defining space). Cabinetry placed between the hallway and dining serves as china cabinet and buffet counter. The position of the cabinet also reinforces the edge of the dining area. Windows on two adjacent walls help to define the center of the space, where the dining table is positioned.
Photo below illustrates a dining area and adjacent front entry foyer beyond. The cabinetry is now engaged between walls. This method provides a little more "enclosure" for the dining space. Double thick wall with "bulkhead" opening provides space for ductwork and creates a more dimensional separation from the adjacent kitchen and stair.
Here you can see that double thick wall opening between the dining and kitchen areas. Kitchen island has 3 surface heights. The 42" high eating bar and 48" high display cabinets conceal the primary kitchen work / clutter surfaces behind. The island itself defines the long edge of the kitchen.
In this example a kitchen is separated from the dining room with a full height cabinet. The cabinet has a "hole" in the middle to provide space for a serving counter and to maintain visibility between the spaces. Circulation flows around either side of the cabinet. The cabinet engages at the top with a bulkhead which further helps to define each of the two spaces.
View from kitchen side. Again the raised serving bar helps to conceal kitchen clutter from the adjacent dining space.
It is the 10 year anniversary of "the not so big house". This was the first book in a series published by Residential Architect Sarah Susanka. This series of books touts the virtues and benefits of great design, clearly illustrating with beautiful and thoughtful examples that modest spaces can be as functional and more intimate than large ones.
The book series has been exceedingly popular, and Ms. Susanka has tirelessly promoted it. In the process she has single handily done more to promote the value of an Architect than any efforts I have witnessed over my career by the American Institute of Architects. For this I say - Thank You Sarah Susanka!
Simply Elegant Home Designs is offering a new house plan called the "Hudson Cottage". This home design is their first plan that offers a main floor master suite and the opportunity for one level living. The Hudson Cottage offers an open floor plan with connected spaces that are perfect for cocktail parties, family gatherings or just hanging out with your friends. The images below depict the new design.
The article sites the following housing trends for the 50 and over market:
New house plans are getting a bit smaller - down to about 2300 sf average
People are looking for affordability
Folks are doing a lot of in home entertaining, so open floor plans and kitchens with island seating are important. Didn't I see this on a golden girls episode?
People are seeking smaller house plans that still feel large - quote "more space-efficient design concepts include using less space for hallways, fewer walls to give a more open feel, and more storage under stairways and above kitchen cabinets" Are you kidding me? These are cited as revolutionary concepts?
Seniors are open to smaller lots and higher densities
Clients are making less expensive choices - eschewing granite counters for other alternatives
Well I say it's a great feeling to be in style again! These are exactly the kinds of homes we have been designing for years at Ron Brenner Architects, and exactly the kinds of house plans I offer at Simply Elegant Home Designs.
And I have news. The trends cited are not exclusive to the 50's and over crowd. These are the kinds of homes that our clients have been seeking for quite some time. And most of our clients have been 30 and 40 somethings. They are looking for a smaller yet highly functional and livable floor plan. A house plan that is smarter and nicer. Around here we call that "just plain good design".
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