Friday, March 16, 2012

A small cottage plan

Inspired by my small living in Seaside, I found this little cottage to share with you. The rendering even shows it located on the water!While small, it's a cute little house and very little would need to be changed. Efficient built-ins would help with storage naturally. I would get rid of the breakfast nook and enclose the sleeping porch (sorry!) to have a private bath and larger closet in the main bedroom. I think I'd also enclose the kitchen porch for a larger kitchen. What do you think?

15 comments:

No solo Arquitectura said...

Muy buenos croquis, todo está muy ordenado.

Un saludo.

No solo Arquitectura said...

Todo muy ordenado, y buen croquis!!

Parnassus said...

I absolutely love this house. Just looking at it makes me feel serene, but it seems to me more of a vacation or weekend house, which would affect what I want to change.

The temptation to start filling in porches is huge, but that might compromise the irregular shape of the house and also its roof-line, and so it might lose its charm. Still, the outdoor refrigerator is not so appealing. I also like the idea of the breakfast nook, or at least eating space in the kitchen.

I think I could rough it without a private bath, but a half-bath would make the house much more comfortable. Perhaps I would try the sleeping porch for a while, and if I really decided it would go unused, then plan to take over the space.

But wow, the cobblestone chimney, the large windows and also the round attic ones, and the beautiful setting on the lake with the path leading down to the water all make this design a winner.
--Road to Parnassus

Julio Muao said...

Love it Stefan! We just purchased a small(956 sq ft) 1930's log cabin with a lot of charm but with some deferred maintenance and much needed updating. The home also has a uncovered porch which we will eventually cover with screens to enjoy sitting out there during the warm days/nights and imagine our son Daniel will want to use it as a sleep porch when he's a bit older.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Parnassus, - agreed that treatment would be much different. If it were only a weekend house I would probably not change anything (other than the kitchen of course). The porches would be nice and storage wouldn't be as important. I was thinking however that if you did infill the porches - to just do that -infill them with walls without changing the roof.

My Notting Hill said...

Love this. Would it be weired to place the front door off center to the left in the living room so you could pass by the furniture arrangement?

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Julio - I've seen the pictures on facebook -it's a great cabin!

Michelle - I think thats a great idea, actually! In general I hate entry right into a living room but in a small cottage it seems appropriate.

home before dark said...

It's a charmer. And, yes, I would open the kitchen into the living/dining and clear up the the nooks, crannies (ironing board!!!!) I'd turn the second bedroom into a library with comfy sofa for guests and leave the sleeping room as an enclosed porch. It looks like it would have great views.

Anonymous said...

How would you do the seating arrangement in the living/dining room? Abit difficult I think ..

Russ Manley said...

I thought of making the same changes you suggested, while I was reading the post. And maybe fit a stackable washer/dryer in the old breakfast nook, though that woud mean putting a very small table in the LR. It would definitely have to be a vacation home, not a full-time one. Most of us Americans have enough clothes to fill six more of those tiny closets, for one thing . . . plus all the usual toys, tools, and too-good-to-throw-away items we all accumulate.

But as a quiet weekend retreat on a pretty lake somewhere, would do just fine.

Thombeau said...

I would absolutely LOVE to have a house like this! More than enough room for one person, yet palatial compared to the offerings of the "tiny house movement".

Style Court said...

It's idyllic, Stefan. Great choice. I might keep the kitchen porch for breakfast in the morning air and occasional art projects. But I'm currently fixated with Deborah Needleman's porches, so it might just be my mood :)

Anonymous said...

I love this little house and your suggestions for the floor plan. My country house is teeny (in a place where the houses are generally monsters), and I simply love how easy it is to live in. Just what you want when everything else in life is so complicated!

Mrs. H

Some Cozy Night

quintessence said...

So charming!! Not sure if I would open the kitchen or not but I think I agree with Home Before Dark - I would make the 2nd bedroom a little den/study with perhaps a sleeper sofa - always nice to have someplace else to go!

Todd said...

This is so charming and kind of feels like what I'm looking for! I just need to find one of these in upstate New York!