The simple, clean exterior welcomes you to the Holyoke Ranch-style home plan. This single level house plan is designed to fit neatly on a corner lot. A long foyer greets you with three options. To your left are double doors that open into the den that could also be purposed as a guest room, library or home office. To the right a hallway leads you to the secondary bedrooms, a walk-through utility room and guest bathroom. Straight ahead from the foyer a cased opening brings you to the partially open great room. The living room features a corner fireplace that can also be enjoyed from the dining room. The U-shaped kitchen provides plenty of work space along with the center island which provides a boundary between the kitchen and dining room. The owners' suite has its own private hallway off the living room and amenities include a generoulsy sized walk-in closet and private bathroom.
Stone based columns frame the welcoming covered porch of the Hyacinth house plan. A pleasant blend of shingles, horizontal siding and stone blend together to create the ranch-style exterior. The heart of the home is a great room with corner fireplace. To the left, a hall that leads to three additional bedrooms and a guest bathroom with dual vanity. Passing through a cased opening in the dining room is a short hall is a pass-through utility room along with a generous sized walk-in pantry. The owners' suite that has it's own patio access along with a well appointed bathroom that features a large walk-in closet, dual vanity, private toilet, and walk-in shower.
Duplexes have gotten a bad rap. They show up in neighborhoods with the same look, same floor plans and no room for imagination. They are often thought of as utilitarian dwellings that allow developers to squeeze more homes onto a lot. Duplexes, in other words, are practical and simple.
But it’s time to think differently and look at multi-family housing with new eyes.
Duplexes are going upscale, blending the best of single-family living with the convenience and affordability of simpler living. Large modern kitchens, vaulted ceilings and elegant gathering spaces blend with minimal shared walls and private entrances in these two duplex floor plans from Associated Designs Inc. based in Eugene, Ore.
“Duplexes can be more than just practical living,” said Rick McAlexander, CEO of Associated Designs. “With amped-up square footage and upscale features and finishes, multi-family living is pretty much the best of both worlds. It’s the next level of sought-after living spaces.”
Vaulted Gathering Space
When you see this floor plan, you can put all your predetermined notions of multi-family living to bed. The Vancouver (60-031) is an attractive Craftsman-style duplex designed for construction on land with a slight upslope to the rear. The result is a split-level layout that puts the garage at ground level, a large vaulted gathering space and owners’ suite a half-flight up, and secondary bedrooms another half-flight up.
While the two interior floor plans are mirror images of each other, that’s where the similarity ends because this is not your typical duplex. Minute changes in the layout, the finishes and the interior make each unit special.
A gabled entry porch welcomes you into a vaulted living room connected to the dining room for a truly awesome gathering space lit with natural light from large Craftsman windows. Entertaining will be no hardship in this ample great room! A handy mini bathroom is just off the entryway and a utility room with extra storage space is just off the owners’ suite. The G-shaped large kitchen opens up into the dining room with a cozy breakfast eating bar.
“From the kitchen, you can keep tabs on activities in the spacious vaulted great room or day dream as you look outside to a comfy porch,” said McAlexander. “This might be one of my favorite duplex designs if only because of it’s unique layout.”
The owners’ suite is a true masterpiece, complete with vaulted ceilings and a walk-in closet. A dual vanity, linen closet and large shower highlight the master bathroom. The second level has two large bedrooms with a full bathroom in between. And at 1,871 square feet including a one-car garage for each unit, it’s multi-family living with an unusually beautiful flair.
Simply Different
The Vernon (60-019) is also not your typical, mirror-image duplex. Privacy is the key in these two 1,600-square-foot units. The unit’s entrances even face in different directions, so for all intents and purposes, each home is a very separate dwelling with only one shared wall. The second floor doesn’t share a wall at all.
“Not everything has to be the same,” said McAlexander. “In fact, with this duplex home design, both the inside and out are just a little different. They may have the same high-class materials, but the layout and the finishing touches are uniquely their own.”
For instance, the large kitchen in Unit A showcases an ample central work island and a deep storage closet to the right of the hidden laundry room. The kitchen in Unit B, on the other hand, opens to the dining room and has an ample peninsula-top that doubles as a buffet for festive gatherings. Modern appliances and fixtures coupled with ample room make the kitchen its own gathering space.
But this duplex also has room for entertaining. The dining and living rooms in each unit flow together to make one large great room filled with ample natural light. In Unit B, the dining room opens to the partially covered patio via sliding doors, while in Unit A, a door from both the dining room and the garage open onto a private patio.
Each unit has two bedrooms and a spacious owners’ suite on the second floor, but again that’s where the similarity ends. The owners’ suite in Unit B has its own vanity area and a large walk-in closet but the rest of the bathroom is shared. In Unit A, the owners’ suite has its own bathroom entirely with a linen closet and a large wall closet.
Sometimes you need to think outside the box to really see the possibilities. With these two unique duplex home designs, multi-family housing has gone to the next level of upscale living.
Have your eyes been opened yet?
As seen on Newswire
This cottage style garage plan can park up to two cars. The garage doors are 10' wide and 8' tall. A half bath in the garage and has both interior and exterior access.
This Cape Cod home's wrap around covered porch, understated entrance and charming stone accents makes the New Haven house plan a great vacation retreat or year round residence. The main level is full of windows and fills with natural light and allows one to appeciate any stunning lake, mountain, river or city view your lot may have. On the right side is one of the suites with a walk-in closet and full bathroom. The second floor has a bedroom loft that is open to the great room below and has a walk-in closet and full bathroom. The unfinished walk-out basement is ready to create whatever else would make this home the perfect retreat be it a recreation room, hobby space or an extra bedroom.
Historically, kitchens haven’t always been luxurious, open places with breakfast bars and double islands. And they certainly weren’t rooms where people wanted to gather. They were dark and simple, often utilitarian in style – an afterthought to the home plan. They were filled with noises, messes and smells. But the modern kitchen is an indispensable component to contemporary life. Instead of welcoming guests into the living room, the kitchen is the place we chat with friends over a couple drinks or conduct business or play games with family.
“The kitchen of today serves as the hub for nearly every aspect of family life,” said Rick McAlexander, CEO of Associated Designs Inc., based in Eugene, Ore. “Homeowners want large kitchen plans with plenty of space for baking, cooking and hosting. It’s what makes them so fun to design really.”
In many cases, the kitchen is an extension of the great room. It’s filled with light, color and all the amenities. From walk-in pantries, expansive breakfast bars and unique layouts, these three home designs put kitchens in the spotlight.
A Bright & Open Gathering Space
If entertaining is your thing, then the Barnhart (30-946) home design has a kitchen that’s meant to be enjoyed. Complete with a plenty of storage space and a walk-in pantry, this kitchen’s white cabinetry is accented by the dark countertops and stainless steel appliances for an eye-catching space.
But it’s the location of the kitchen that truly matters in this 3,815-square-foot home design. The kitchen opens up into the great room, but it also connects with the vaulted patio. A wall of windows then brightens the entire house with natural light. Both areas have wood-burning fireplaces that serve as inviting focal points, plus the kitchen has a curved edge eating bar that doubles as a buffet.
“Depending on the weather and time of year, people can congregate in the kitchen and vaulted great room, the vaulted patio, or all three,” said McAlexander. “It’s bright, cheerful and inviting… you’d be hard-pressed to not want to show off the kitchen.”
Linked Together
Expansive gathering spaces, inside and out, create a perfect environment for families to hang out and entertain in the Petaluma (31-011) home design. And the kitchen is no exception. The goal of this 4,680-square-foot, lodge-style home design is to make the kitchen part of the main space, like a spoke on a wheel.
“This kitchen is central to the home’s gathering space,” said McAlexander. “But it’s part of an interconnected series of beautiful rooms. When all is said and done, the main rooms connect to each other in a sort of circle.”
The vaulted great room and dining area, for example, are linked to the spacious kitchen, which is also linked to the vaulted media room. A large covered patio that extends halfway around one side of the house connects the great room to the dining room and back around again.
Meanwhile, the kitchen itself boasts a large island that can double as a buffet or breakfast bar – or just an extra cook space – with a walk-in pantry nearby.
Vaulted Luxury
Bold stone accents, graceful wood beams and smooth stucco blend seamlessly together along the front of the Delfino (31-062). Inspired by a Tuscan villa, the 3,919-square-foot home offers the latest in luxury living with plenty of space and attention to detail. Like the other two homes listed above, the Delfino boasts an open-style great room at the center of the house. But almost every room in the house has a vaulted ceiling, including the kitchen.
“Vaulted ceilings give rooms a light and airy feeling,” said McAlexander. “So in this house, you feel like there’s more freedom to move around, more space to mingle and relax. And all the natural light adds to the beauty.”
The vaulted foyer welcomes you into a vaulted great room, which flows into a vaulted dining area, which is open to the vaulted kitchen, which is linked to the vaulted piano room. It’s the perfect setup for those who love to entertain or host a piano recital. The kitchen’s large, curved island can be used as a buffet or bar for a fun, casual vibe in the midst of all the luxurious gathering spaces.
When you next invite your friends over or host a social event or have a family game night, where will you be gathering? We’re betting you’ll be in the kitchen, cozying up along the breakfast bar and nibbling on some crudités and hors d'oeuvres. Because the kitchen is no longer an afterthought; it’s bright, open and where the party begins.