0967 XHouse3 back porch, now you're livin'

We've gone on about how great a front porch is to a home, modern or otherwise. Well if you think a front porch is great, the only thing better is a back porch. Same deal, same half-way space, half inside / half outside, except the outside part here is your own private realm - your back yard. Whether you screen it in, or leave it open, add comfortable lounge chairs or a dinner table, this will be your favorite place during the outdoor season in your neck of the woods. The XHouse3 has a sweet back porch, thats for sure. Continue reading "0967 XHouse3 back porch, now you're livin'"

0357 Steel Case House reserved on the outside

The Steel Case House doesn't let on much about what is happening on the other side of that front door. On arrival you find a covered front door, a window from the upstairs hall overlooking the parking court. And a whole lot of solid don't you mess with me block wall. Well just on the other side of that front door is a glass box of a house that gives you a great slice of the view from every room. But you've got to work for it first - you have to get past that block wall. Good luck. Continue reading "0357 Steel Case House reserved on the outside"

0965 XHouse2 modern life with a front porch

Front porches are a great thing, whether you like traditional houses or modern houses. Its a shame that many modern houses shed the front porch in some chase of a minimal image. We've no time for such posturing. A front porch is the perfect way to mediate between the public life of the street, and the private realm of your home. Nothing like sitting out on a cool summer night watching your neighborhood go by. Sounds just right with a modern house like the XHouse2 here. Continue reading "0965 XHouse2 modern life with a front porch"

0380 Cube House living room

This is the Cube House living room. What can we tell you about it that you can't already see. Its a story and a half tall, bright with high windows and private from the street, strip windows at the drive way, open to the kitchen and dining room, with an open doorway from entry foyer. Its open, loft-like, offering a wide range of possibilities for how you use and furnish it. Its a blank page waiting for you to write your life on it. Continue reading "0380 Cube House living room"

Indiana XHouse1 now appearing on Google Earth!

A view of the Indiana XHouse1 from Google Earth! It is very interesting to see the context of earlier houses and more recent McMansiony houses juxtaposed against the boxy modern XHouse1.

This is so very much the goal of these house plans, this catalog, this long project to offer modern design to anyone who builds their own house. To see them inserted in everyday neighborhoods, so ultimately the modern house can be everyday for anyone as well. Continue reading "Indiana XHouse1 now appearing on Google Earth!"

0518 U House master bedroom with a view

Usually with a traditional house when you call it a day, and go to turn in you typically would be going upstairs, or down the hall to your bedroom at the more private reaches of the home. But with the U House its a little bit different. This house is designed to enjoy a special view, or take in a great landscape. So instead of going upstairs or down the hall the U House takes you that much closer to that great view or dramatic landscape and puts you at the best spot possible to enjoy it even more. Continue reading "0518 U House master bedroom with a view"

0237 Pretender outside inside

For the Pretender this double height living space really becomes the central unifying feature of the house, the reference point that all the spaces revolve around. Its flooded with daylight and at once brings daylight to the upstairs hall, as well as greats you from the front door. But the single biggest lesson of a home with a central point of reference like this, is that you should also have spaces that are not connected to it. The reason why is that the experience of spaces once removed from a central reference point like this will make the home feel larger and more expansive because there actually is a place where you can get away from the central feature of the house. Continue reading "0237 Pretender outside inside"

1299 XHouse4 here's the whole deal with that detached garage thing

So this XHouse4 is all about the traditional neighborhood development pattern, which generally means a narrow deep lot with a freestanding garage in the rear portion of the lot. So what is with that, and why would you want that when we are all so used to having our garage glued to the house and being able to come right into the house from the garage? The gist of it is that it reflects a different  priority, the suggestion that getting around by car may not be the most important mode of travel. Oh sure, it may be necessary and unavoidable, but not the favorite by any means. And if you've ever had the pleasure of living in a small town where you could walk downtown to a small business district, well then you know what we mean. Once you've shed that garage and put it in its place your front door can once again take center stage in its role as your connection to the street and the world at large. Continue reading "1299 XHouse4 here's the whole deal with that detached garage thing"

0857 L House

Wait a minute - we just had to step back outside after seeing the loft living room of the L House, because we could not believe that we were still in the suburbs. But sure enough, there's a McMansion right next door. I'll be darned, this is a cool house. Ok, back inside, don't forget to wipe your feet... Continue reading "0857 L House"

0738 Palo Alto backyarding like a Pro

If you've been following the recent posts of images of the Palo Alto house, you've come along from the street to the entry courtyard. Well please continue to follow along, and before you know it, here we are then finally in the back yard. The Palo Alto makes a friendly face to your own back yard, more like a front porch to your own private world. Once you've experienced this you really have to wonder, how could a house ever have nothing but a skinny single back door out to your own back yard? I mean where else are you going to have you own square of the great outdoors of your very own? And then to have just one skinny little door to enjoy it from? You need a house that knows how to do backyards like the Palo Alto. Continue reading "0738 Palo Alto backyarding like a Pro"

0367 Porch House morning after

You roll out of bed in the master bedroom of your Porch House and you can already tell its going to be a beautiful day on the lake. Your buddies and their families rolled in late last night because of course the traffic was bad getting out of the city. And then you stayed up way too late around the fire pit, too long after the ladies bailed out. The kids are already down at the water tossing stones and the ladies already have the coffee on - they are the best. So, time for the guys to cook breakfast for the girls this time. It will keep us out of the bathroom for a while and give the ladies a chance to do their thing. Yeah, another bathroom would be convenient, but what the hell - you got to rough it a little. If life in the cabin was as convenient as staying home it wouldn't really make any sense. Continue reading "0367 Porch House morning after"

0970 Lagom House so what's that look like across the street

So I've made a point of telling you how the Lagom House is designed to face the sun and provide the perfect platform for renewable solar energy for you home. But I've only showed you pictures of the house configured for the South side of the street - where the sun would be shining in your backyard. How about across the street on the North side where the sun shines in your front yard? Here you go - the North Side Lagom House! The deep roof overhang provides nice cover for your front porch, and the dormer windows in the bedrooms  have their own overhangs and side baffles to control hot summer sun and to let in warming winter sun. And in the back yard you have a great covered porch as well to enjoy your back yard from. Continue reading "0970 Lagom House so what's that look like across the street"

0862 XHouse1 makes your complicated life feel a little simpler

We all know that life is complicated, but we all have one of those friends who makes everything look simple even though we know its not. Well the XHouse1 is like that friend, but for your life. The outside is a simple modern wedge, big windows where you need them, privacy where you don't. Inside it reveals all its rich complexity in its multi-level terraced open plan. Because, if all of life was really simple it would be pretty boring after a while! Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 makes your complicated life feel a little simpler"

0242 Plat House, people love the Plat House

There, I've said it. People love the Plat House. And what's not to love. Its compact and affordable, yet generous with its space and good living. Conceived as a vacation house, its also proving a favorite for retirement and downsizing. Great views, great daylight, a casual and relaxing plan. No wonder its our most popular design. Continue reading "0242 Plat House, people love the Plat House"

1204 RoHouse for urban in-fill

We've been telling you about how the RoHouse wears many hats and is several kinds of houses in one. Previously we showed you the RoHouse configured as a twin, here it is configured as an urban row home, suitable for new project sites and existing urban in-fill sites. Because the house comes in 4 widths and can be easily adjusted to sizes that fall between those standard widths, this means the house can easily be adapted to existing sites with a predetermined width. So since we're counting thats two configurations we've shown you for the RoHouse - urban in-fill, and twins. Continue reading "1204 RoHouse for urban in-fill"

0385 Tray House - welcome to our home

The Tray House greets you with a living room with a soaring ceiling, a dramatic stair, and a plan that is both open and discrete. The kitchen sits in its own space so its not in your face full time, and the dining area can be repurposed if you wish for another sitting area if formal eating is not your things. But the were not done accommodating you here. The plan includes a generous mud room, so those soccer cleats and golf clubs don't have to take another step into your home. And if some alone time in the cards for you the study is there right off the living room with a door you can close behind you. Continue reading "0385 Tray House - welcome to our home"

1201 XHouse5 step inside for a moment

Please, come on in. I know you've been reading about the XHouse5, looking at the exterior images, so please come in and see how it lives...  The home provides true open plan living, but puts the kitchen in a discrete niche off the living and dining areas, so, you know - you can give it a rest and let your dirty dishes accumulate just a little without their beady little eyes staring out you endlessly, muttering "waaasssshhh usssss, WAAAHHHSHHHH USSSSS". You won't see them, so cut yourself some slack - they'll still be there later. Where was I? Oh yes, so we have an ample living space here, two sitting areas to live in, and the room to expand the everyday meal table to a large holiday table. But beyond living and dining the ground floor also metes out a home office/study and a functional mudroom with a home desk. Continue reading "1201 XHouse5 step inside for a moment"

1192 Lagom House 2 Story - upstairs/downstairs, front porch/back porch

The Lagom House 2 Story is a house with two porches - a front porch and a back porch. A house with a porch is a wonderful thing. There are few things more social during warm weather than to sit on your front porch watching the neighborhood go by, inviting a neighbor to sit for a moment and chat, a wonderful middle ground between the safety of your home and being in the front yard. So the question that comes to mind, for this Architect at least, is why not a back porch? Why not that? Why would we not want a similar graceful bridge to our own private outside world of our own back yard? A place where you can take meals outside, an outdoor living room, and really - the best place ever to watch a summer shower. Continue reading "1192 Lagom House 2 Story - upstairs/downstairs, front porch/back porch"

0967 XHouse3 - dining in

Here the dining room of the XHouse3 has a lot to say about the nature of open-plan living. Most fans of modern homes have open plan layouts on their list of desired features. But like most things in life open plan is not a black & white affair. Open can mean everything is in one space, or open can mean you can see each other when you are in kitchen, dining room, or living room. Sometimes the experience of your home can be much richer if spaces are both well defined, and open, both things at the same time. And that is what you have in the XHouse3. Open living, with spaces that still create and maintain their own identity. Have your cake, and eat it too. Continue reading "0967 XHouse3 - dining in"

0357 Steel Case House - in the living room

This has always been one of my favorite view points of the Steel Case House - in the living room, simultaneously experiencing the double height living room, the more intimate niche off the living room - perfect for a conversation oriented seating area, or a smaller screen AV viewing spot, or a great niche for a home desk. And at the same time getting the long view down the curtain wall of the house to the kitchen and family room at the far end. This image is of the SIPs version of the house, utilizing insulated sandwich panels to offset the large glass areas. Continue reading "0357 Steel Case House - in the living room"

XHouse2 little house living big

Successful open plan living is all about defining distinct places within the open plan for living, dining, and kitchen. The Xhouse2 is the compact house with the huge open living space, but makes it work so well is the kitchen zone on one end of the house, and the dining alcove on the other side, and the way these spaces all flow together with the living area in the middle. Continue reading "XHouse2 little house living big"

0380 Cube House central stair

Here it is - the central stair tower of the Cube House. If you've been reading along here you remember that the Cube House has 2 1/2 stories on four different levels and they are all connected by this winding central stair. The living floor, the bedrooms next, up from there the family room, and then more bedrooms. Thats the whole thing in one sweet winding stair! Continue reading "0380 Cube House central stair"

0518 U House welcome signs

This is what technically is the front of the U House. It presents a monolithic wall to visitors, the only windows high on the wall for privacy. While formidable on first glance, a peak around the corner reveals the side porch entry to the kitchen and a door directly in to the homes mud room. Continue reading "0518 U House welcome signs"

0237 Pretender modern inside too

You may recall the Pretender is the house that camouflages its modern look behind a more traditional front. But rest assured that on the inside the modern starts the minute you close the front door. Directly opposite the foyer is the family room, large and divided into two areas. The first a double high space which could be treated as a formal living area, and the second a cozy area with a fireplace and room for large AV equipment which can be an informal family room. Continue reading "0237 Pretender modern inside too"