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Here I share the projects that I am currently working on, or that have been newly released to the wild...or for permit, but saying I released them to the wild is much more fun.
I mean, who wouldn’t love a dresser island in their closet? You can fold things, lay out your clothes for the next day, display your jewelry, place a small child, set down a breakfast burrito while getting dressed; the list goes on and on.
I appreciate the look of a contemporary home. They typically have clean lines and large masses of shapes. These large shapes give space for the eye to rest rather than darting all over looking at an abundance of details. It’s like rest and relaxation translated into a façade.
Time for another edition of ‘colour changes everything’.
Here are two takes on the same house.
The first one is more of a traditional feel (with a modern twist with the green door).
The second take has more of a coastal feel with the whites and blues and light greys.
Such a different look, right?
I know they say that the kitchen is the heart of the home, but I’d argue that the mudroom is a close runner-up. It can be such a multi-use space and there’s always a flurry of bodies throwing shoes, coats, backpacks, and random craft projects made at school into the cubbies and onto the bench.
This mudroom takes it one step further and adds a door out to the backyard, which allows the mess of dirty shoes to stay out of the main spaces and keeps the house cleaner. Plus, that’s where the coats and shoes hang out anyway, why not make them easy access on the way out rather than having to fetch them to use a door somewhere else?
If your property is able to accommodate a split garage, give it some consideration.
What I mean by ‘split garage’ is that your home technically has two garages. One is typically a two-car garage for your everyday parking, and the second is typically a single-car garage which can house the project car, or be the workshop, or for your golf cart or yard tools.
There are so many uses for a secondary garage that helps keep your main garage clear of clutter!
Check out this example:
The fun thing about developing a front elevation for your home is that colour choices can make all the difference.
These two homes are the exact same, but give off a different feel based on the materials and colours chosen:
One is more traditional, while one gives off that farmhouse feel. Cool, isn’t it?
Every home has zones that cluster similar uses:
Private zone
This is where the bedrooms are, a quiet space to get away.
Public zone
This is where any guests would access, such as your great room, dining room, kitchen, and entry.
Service Zone
This is a zone that encompasses service spaces that only the occupants of the house would access. This would include pantries, mudrooms, and laundry rooms.
The house shown below uses a back service hallway to access a washroom for anyone enjoying the outdoors. The benefit of this is that the flooring will likely be of a material that could take some water, say, for kids running in from the pool, plus any wet bathing suits could be easily dropped off in the laundry room for drying.
The extra benefit of a layout like this is that while you are cooking in the kitchen, you can also be running a load of laundry without having to truck up and down stairs. It’s a multi-tasker’s dream!
Looking for a contemporary home with a three car garage? Look no further!
Wait – does this sound like an infomercial? Because I’m hearing an infomercial voice in my head when I read that sentence.
I digress…
Check out the contemporary influence on this two-storey home:
Low slope roof, mix of materials in a block-type distribution, contemporary style windows. All are factors that go into making a contemporary-style home look fantastic.
Feel free to use this as inspiration for your home build!
Even after all these years, it’s still so exciting to me to see my house plan designs come to life. When you pour your heart and soul into a plan, it’s almost like birthing a baby – something I have no idea about, but I assume it’s similar 😉
Sometimes the colour choices are a surprise to me when I do a drive-by (I will typically envision a particular colour scheme while working on an exterior), but sometimes I’m there along the whole process with a colour rendering to nail down the exterior choices.
You can see that renderings are never exact, but usually very close to what the final product becomes!
Extra proud that this ‘house in the wild’ grew up to be the Fall of 2021 London Dream Home Lottery home!
When you’re getting ready for the day, having your closet next to your bathroom is amazing. You can have a shower and walk right into your closet to pick out what you’re wearing for the day.
There are three ways you can do this:
I’m not sure if my bias is showing, but my preference is the third option. I don’t want to have to wait if someone is using the washroom just to grab a sweater, I’m cold now!
Here is an example of how the common ‘landing’ can be used. You could even put a door on the opening to the landing so you don’t disturb your spouse if they’re still sleeping. Win-win!
