First Floor

Virtual tours

Our priority for the floor plan was for it to handle well large-crowd entertaining (a wedding or two perhaps) as well as everyday living. For entertaining, the rooms needed to be spacious, have a good flow, and connect well with the rear yard. For everyday living, we wanted a great kitchen and a den geared for comfort and privacy.

The layout we came to was the tried and true center-hall design, except we made sure there were no dead-end rooms on the first floor to maximize flow. We also made sure the eating areas were open-ended  so we could string several tables together to seat 20+ at family events. We indulged quite a bit with the millwork and the finishing materials but kept the colors and the architectural details understated for an enduring appeal. Judge for yourself when visiting. I'm sure you'll come away delighted.  Here's a description of the first floor spaces (as a realtor may write it ;).

Stepping inside the front door, one enters a two-story foyer with a stone floor and six feet high wainscoting. High overhead is a hand made chandelier, graceful and well proportioned, foreshadowing the rest of the house. To the left is a spacious living room with windows on three sides to fill the room with natural light. To the right is the formal dining room with wainscoted walls ready to showcase a fine dining set. Visible from the foyer are views of the guest house and the shaded garden framed by the eight French doors lining the house's rear wall.

Walking toward the garden views past the foyer, the guest enters a spacious family room and kitchen. The family room has the second fireplace and plenty of room for kid's play. The kitchen is open to the family room. The stainless steel appliances compliment and contrast the maple cabinetry for a modern yet warm effect. The gas range is Thermadore's 15000 btu grade for gourmet cooking control. The accompanying Thermadore vent is rated 1000 CFM (typical vent is 150 CFM) with an outdoor motor for strong venting without the loud noise. The kitchen cabinetry includes a large island and a built-in desk and bookcase. The desk is convenient for handling household paperwork and for kids to surf the internet under supervision. The kitchen counters and desk are topped by thick granite slabs. The kitchen backsplash is a colorful mosaic to beautifully punctuate the kitchen.

A subtle aspect of the first floor is a lack of dead-end rooms. During parties, guests freely roam from room to room to enjoy the entire first floor .The rooms relate to one another as well as to the whole, for a rhythm of space conducive to large-scale entertaining, yet also good for everyday living. My afterwork routine is to play chase games with the kids in laps through the rooms to get both  them and me a workout.

Warm to the senses are the colors and textures of the quality materials and the design details used throughout. The floors are covered in hardwood and stone. The window and door trims have a Greek Revival design. The carpenters hated us because each window/door required 3 times more trim pieces than typical. We had to pay   more (than we wanted) but the extra craftsmanship is a joy to look at. 

You might also notice a  lack of curtains for the first floor. Wall placements were fine tuned to allow enough privacy in the kitchen and the family room to leave the front and rear windows  uncovered. Depending on the mood, you can go to the front of the house to enjoy the bright southern light, Lovers Lane's urban atmosphere, and the church steeple across the street. Or you can go to the rear to relax and look out to views of a shaded garden and the guest house.

Second Floor

Kids Play Room, Bedrooms, Bath (has marble flooring/counter too)

Master Suite (notice how the guest house blocks out rear neighbors for privacy)

Walk up the light filled oak stair, one reaches the second floor which has the bedrooms and a large play room. The two kid bedrooms share a bath with dual vanity and rich travertine marble. The spacious playroom is the most popular space. The playroom is where everyone can relax, play, and not worry much about keeping the place tidy since it is out of visitor view. On the opposite side of the kids bedrooms is the master suite with a large sitting room and/or office. The master suite has two French doors overlooking the guest house and garden. Outside the French doors is a custom designed iron railing ready for hanging potted plants.  With the guest house's second floor blocking out the rear neighbors, the master suite is wonderfully private, allowing us to leave the French doors uncovered to enjoy the tree tops and a view of the guest house. The master closet is spacious and is placed at the front of the house to buffer the street noise. The master bath is also spacious and tiled in rich travertine marble. A skylight fills the master bath with light without sacrificing privacy.

Third Floor

The unfinished third floor is preplumbed for a full bath and preframed for a bedroom the size of a 2-car garage. With this space well separated and insulated from the rest of the house, it can also be a media room. The best thing about third floor is the view from its windows. Being so high up, you can see a lot more of the neighborhood. (We pretty much maxed out on the square footage University Park allows for attic spaces. But there are still lots more usable head room for further expansion if you go through a variance request process with the city.) 

Guest House

The downstairs room of the guest house is currently being used as our fourth bedroom to accomodate overnight guests. It's a cozy space with nice views of the trees and gardens. The bathroom is tiled with a light green slate for a luxurious effect. This room can also be a great home based business or a pool cabana.

The upstairs space is currenly unfinished and is being used as storage. You can finish the 660sqft space as two more rooms or one large room. Our plan was to have it as one large room and to replace the cupola's vent grills with windows so it will glow like lighthouse at night.