Design Confidently, Live Comfortably
  With all these ideas in mind, Larry designed the house as a long, narrow box to allow each interior room to have more than one external view, for natural light, and for capturing summer breezes. Onto this simple box he added a silolike stair tower and a living room that has two full walls of glass and a curving roof that flares upward to frame the view of a barn and silos on the next ridge.  Inside and outside merge The sunporch has interchangeable glass and screen walls, making the room usable in all seasons. The other form attached to our long, narrow box is a screened-in porch off the kitchen. With screens extending from floor to ceiling on three sides, this room really captures the feeling of being in the garden. At one end of the room is a fireplace that doubles as an indoor grill, allowing us to "cook out" year-round. In the winter, glass panes replace the screens so that the room remains comfortable in the winter as well as in the summer. The first floor also houses the kitchen and dining room, which are at the center but open to the other rooms. Tucked away on the side are Larry's home office and a full bath. Up the stair tower to the second floor are three bedrooms and three baths. At the top of the stair tower is a tiny room that serves as a fourth bedroom, although it is just big enough for a twin bed. It's a great little hideaway to watch storms rolling in across the hills. Leaving the house from the stair tower, there is a grass path that connects the house with the swimming pool. This path was designed as a cool carpet of grass for hot summer days when the stone patio would burn your feet before you got back to the house. NEXT: Choosing Finishes and Furnishings BACK: Beginning the Design Process |
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