0862 XHouse1 home office & studio

We've toured the entire XHouse1 now, but we've skipped past the studio/home office on the entry level just off the entry foyer. Because of the stacked terrace interior this space has a story and a half ceiling. A big window looks out to the front of the house, a small window to the entry niche, and the door to the foyer, a big room for a lot of possibilities. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 home office & studio"

0862 XHouse1 master bedroom

At the top of the winding stair of the XHouse1 lies the master bedroom at the highest level. When you reach this point you have returned to the back of the house and the Master Bedroom has a large window wall looking out over the landscape from there. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 master bedroom"

0862 XHouse1 from the kitchen to the deck

Here from the kitchen of the XHouse1 we can see clear down through the living room out to the deck. The kitchen and the dining area share this terrace in the large lofty living space. On the next level dow in the main living space sharing the double height ceiling with the kitchen, just beyond is a more intimate portion of the living room with a lower ceiling, but a glass wall to the deck beyond. And if we look up to the right we have a glimpse of the hallway outside the bedrooms and the master bedroom sanctuary at the end of the path at the highest level. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 from the kitchen to the deck"

0862 XHouse1 entry foyer

The XHouse1 lets you know as soon as you enter that this is not an ordinary house. The entry foyer has an 8ft ceiling, but just beyond you have a glimpse of the large loft like living space that stretches the full width of the house. The steps from the foyer to the living room are the start of the path that winds its way up through the house finally ending at the master bedroom at the top of the house. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 entry foyer"

XHouse1 living the dream.

Here it is, the living room level of the XHouse1 - a dream like image created by come clever software. But rest assured, the real thing looks even better. So what you have to do is click the link on the right margin for the LamiDesign Plan Catalog, and from there the link for the catalog's home page. Are you still with me? Good, now on the right below the text are a series of links to social media sites - the last one on the right with the red and blue circle will take you to our Flickr albums. In that grid of albums you'll see one for the Indiana XHouse1. Go take a look at the real thing, no less remarkable than these dreamy images from the clever software! Continue reading "XHouse1 living the dream."

0862 XHouse1 terraced living space

We are going to look at the living space of the XHouse1 from 10 different places, because I hope like me you can't get enough of seeing what this terraced living space looks like. This is from the hallway/balcony just before the last set of steps up to the master bedroom. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 terraced living space"

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!"

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"

0862 XHouse1 an overview

Lets look again inside the XHouse1's terraced open plan living space. From this standpoint in the kitchen we look past the dining area into the living room below. Half the living room is in the high two story space, half under an ordinary ceiling height for a more intimate scale sitting area. Right of the living room is the entry foyer and the home office space directly off the foyer. Back in the kitchen on the right we see the steps up to the bedroom level, and the hallway/balcony that runs along the living space. At the end of the hall are the steps up to the master bedroom. At this point the master bedroom is a full story above the living room below, and a story and a half above the entry foyer. If you've been keep score you'd have figured out that this means the home office indeed has a story and a half tall space. A cool space, and just part of the story of the way this house unfolds for you. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 an overview"

0862 XHouse1 wraps a complex interior in a simple exterior

Last week we had a look at the fantastic terraced interior of the XHouse1. What you don't realize is that richly complex interior is wrapped in a simple exterior geometry. The result is a complete surprise as the you walk in and the interior reveals itself to you. The outside presents this simple wedge shaped prism clad in simple materials. Simple punched window openings for the private spaces contrast with wide glass areas and metal clad surfaces that corresponding with the large open spaces of the plan. So even though the exterior swings simple, it tells a story about what you will find inside. And yes, a great example of this house is built - do you want to see it? Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 wraps a complex interior in a simple exterior"

Indiana XHouse1 in the snow

A recently received photo from the Owner shows the XHouse1 resting happily in the wintery scene in Indiana. The Owner is thrilled with the energy performance of the house with 100-150$/month in power for this 2400sqft home. We know much better is possible, but its not bad, half of what my old house consumes. However this performance is admirable for a single wythe wall system - the Owner used the USA New Wall "Good" system and fully insulated the house with stone wool. More evidence that strides in better performance can be made without great effort or cost. See all the pictures of the house in its Flickr album. Continue reading "Indiana XHouse1 in the snow"

0862 XHouse1 terraced loft living space

Here is the fantastic open plan XHouse1 and its terraced living space. You can see the kitchen and dining area on the raised platform in the background, and the living room in the foreground. The entry foyer is to the left, and the balcony hall to the bedrooms just above it. Continue reading "0862 XHouse1 terraced loft living space"

Real Life in the Xhouse1

The home owner sent me a new photo today - a remarkable panoramic view of the multi-level open living space of the XHouse1 he built over this past year in Indiana.

In his note he apologized for the signs of daily life, and not “staging” the image better. But I reassured him that there could be no better testament to the home than evidence of everyday life within it.

I am really not one for the staged pristine kind of magazine like photography that is usually done to promote home design. Smart people are not fooled by careful staging. People who are, I suppose are doomed to chase an idealized image, one that real life rarely cooperates with. I think people that appreciate the kind of design I am promoting through our house catalog see through cosmetics, and are able to imagine their own lives in these homes. For them, and for me, there is nothing more affirming than actually seeing real life in these built houses.

A real photo gives you insight into real life. Its not theater, not a stage set, and I believe that this is what our customers also believe and have chose to persue. At a fundamental level our kind of modern design rejects the theater of historic pastiche and phoney ornament that are typical of status quo traditional based housing designs.

Check out a larger version of the panorama on the house’s Flickr page.

Continue reading "Real Life in the Xhouse1"

XHouse1 First Build - closer to the finish line

Each picture of the XHouse1 we receive looks that much closer to being finished. Each one shows another detail being finished off. Trim, done, cabinetry, installed, furniture, delivered!

Last view with fall leaves still on the trees.

New furniture delivered.

Kitchen countertops installed.

Keep an eye on the Flickr set as the house comes down the final stretch!

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - closer to the finish line"

XHouse1 First Build - more interior progress

The floor was finished up this past week as the maple trim pieces were varnished to match the factory finish on the floor planks.

Here you can see the builder finishing up the trimming of the drywall at the stair risers and treads. And the flat-pack cabinet bodies are now well underway. We'll see the installation of the kitchen cabinets next.

Thanks for following and make sure you look at the Flickr album for this house to see all of the progress photos. Thanks to our customers for sharing their builds! And you, our readers - we look forward to you joining our family of modern homeowners!

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - more interior progress"

XHouse1 First Build - interior the flooring is done

The XHouse1 had maple hardwood flooring installed this week, tipping the scales. It now feels more like a home than a construction site.

Its hard to pin down exactly when a project goes from "construction site" to "unfinished home", but the XHouse1 definitely crossed that line this past week when the maple flooring was installed. Maybe it is the finished floor that really makes that difference. Up until now if you dropped a hammer on the floor, no harm done. If you walked dirt into the house - sorry about that, but nothing damaged. Not so anymore. Now it feels like you are walking around in a house, not a work zone.

I hope you are keeping up with the house in our Flickr album. You can see all the photos that are shared in the ablum, and comment too if you want.

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - interior the flooring is done"

XHouse1 First Build - front steps forming up

Formwork for casting the concrete steps and landing at the front door of the XHouse1 is going together now. Within a few days the concrete should be poured.

Remember you can also follow the progress of the construction of this house in the dedicated Flickr album. Its never possible for us to publish every photo here on the blog. Our thanks go out to our customers for sharing their house builds!

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - front steps forming up"

XHouse1 First Build - there is light!

Light bulbs arrive - LED light bulbs. Yes, its seems its finally arrived, we can outfit our homes with LED light bulbs. They are still more expensive that the CFL equals, but worth it. The use even less power and last even longer.

The house is really starting to come together now, and soon we will turn that corner from looking like a construction site to looking like a home.

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - there is light!"

XHouse1 First Build - HVAC happens

One day its just a shell, the next its a living breathing thing, a home.

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - HVAC happens"

XHouse1 First Build - interior painting has begun

Interior painting has begun inside. This is the first step before other finish activities get under way.

The open living/ dining/ kitchen space is getting a coat of white. Note how bright the space is even without any light fixtures on.

The kitchen cabinets are going to be from Ikea, value stalwart for the modern homeowner!. The Owner has built one up to see what they look like, and this is the result. Pretty sweet - Ikea delivers the modern cred. This is why we see many smart developers using Ikea boxes for the kitchen fitouts.

Continue reading "XHouse1 First Build - interior painting has begun"