small house plans Archives - Arrow Hill Cottage

FRONT ENTRYWAY DESIGN IDEAS

A front entrance for guests is a great feature to add to any home. It doesn’t need to be a large space, but having it laid out well is important. Today I am sharing the front entryway design ideas I have for Arrow Hill Cottage.

Although our home will have an attached garage, and our family is most likely to enter and leave in that direction, I wanted to make sure to include a straightforward front entrance – where we expect visitors to enter. I’m not sure about you, but our garage has a tendency to become cluttered and dirty far faster than any other space we own – and we don’t want our visitors to experience our day to day.

ENTERING FROM OUTSIDE

As you can see in this image, the front door will have a prominent position. Although the house is not symmetrical, your eye is drawn to the small gable above the door.

In case you noticed… yes, I am still #teamplanter, and it remains as part of the design, at least for now. If you have no idea what I’m talking about – go ahead and visit THIS POST to learn all about the debate.

The large stone pillars and double columns frame the view. I’m sure there will be some sort of feature light fixture here also, but I haven’t made any decisions on that yet. And yes, I am dreaming of a light blue bead-board ceiling for the porch. Love.

I have chosen a solid wood door. Because there will be windows directly next to and above it (transom), I felt that including a smaller pane of glass within the door itself would complicate the arrangement. The windows should provide plenty of natural light (this wall will be south-west facing)

INSIDE THE ENTRYWAY

Stepping through the door, you are welcomed with a space approximately 6 feet deep by 12 feet wide. The room is partitioned from the dining room by a pair of built-in cabinets and columns.

We will likely have our builder or cabinet maker create these cabinets and columns, but This Old House wrote a fantastic post about how you can make this a DIY project. I purposely chose to offset the built-in slightly from the alcove since the wall finish and the cabinet finish will be different. This will help eliminate a clumsy transition from cabinet to wall. The baseboard trim will help to tie everything together.

As I mentioned in this post, we have found that with fewer closets we are less likely to hold onto items we don’t need. This entry is indeed the perfect opportunity to live that theory. Because most of our family’s shoes, coats and bags will be coming in through the back entry / mudroom, we won’t need much for storage near the front entry. Instead of using the recessed space as a closet, I am opting to leave the alcove open and instead will incorporate a bench with simple hooks and a shelf above.

This alcove also lends itself to the inclusion of a feature wall. At the moment, I am thinking that beautiful rustic barn wood would serve as the perfect surprise. The feature wall will serve as a backdrop for a family photo gallery.

This post, from the blog Ivory Lane , has given me a ton of inspiration for the entryway gallery. I love the simple nature of the metallic frames, white picture mats, and black and white images.

ACCESSORIES + DETAILS

On top of the small shelf above the coat hooks, I envision some cute artwork that represents our family. These number squares are amazing.

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I also love sentimental signs and would love to work something like this into the entryway space.

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Opposite the bench area is where I envision our piano being placed. We own a low grade piano that is natural wood and wood grain veneer at the moment. I would love to paint it a soft gray color and decorate it with special accessories – such as the vintage green cottage window that I recently purchased at an antique store. I know there is some debate about painting pianos, but they make it look so easy on Pinterest, and I am really intrigued by the results.

Nobody in our family is a concert pianist, but we do enjoy having a piano to tinker around on. In this location it is available, but set aside so that it isn’t in the way of other daily activities.

For the center of the room I would like to find a special light fixture. I am thinking something with a metallic finish, probably a hanging pendant.

Perhaps something from this collection would work well.

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The floor will require some sort of durable rug that will mostly protect the wood floors. I love the idea of a black and white patterned rug.

This website seems to have a wonderful selection of rugs to choose from.

ADDITIONAL ENTRYWAY VIEWS

And now for a few more views of the entryway. First, a view from above – one that nobody will ever experience in real life. It shows the overall space well.

A view from the kitchen (standing near the stove) looking toward the entry. You can see the kitchen design in this post. The space between is the dining room, of which I am still working on designing. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to include some sort of antique hutch on the long wall.

Another room that is still a blank slate is the living room. Besides knowing that I want to include a large sectional sofa for our large family, there are still a lot of decisions to be made here. This is a view of the entryway as seen from the living room. Again, that large open space will eventually house our dining table.

I am really loving how the main level is laid out. The flow seems like it will work well for our family. In this image you can see the stairs leading to the bedrooms (up) and the family room (down). That blank spot at the landing is where the largest window of the house will be positioned. I’m excited to see the design of the stairs come together.

Maybe I will work on that next!

UPDATE: Our floorplans changed quite a bit since this was originally posted. You can see our revised design HERE.

PIN THESE ENTRYWAY DESIGN IDEAS

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SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: THE KITCHEN

With all of the posts lately regarding food, I have been dreaming of a bright beautiful kitchen to cook in! So today I sat down and sketched out some ideas. They are by no means refined, but hopefully they can help you all visualize what we are planning.

First, a quick floor plan. As discussed in THIS post, the kitchen is located in a very convenient spot on the main level. It has direct access to the dining room and is just a short walk from the mudroom which will connect to an attached garage. It also is within view from the front entry – which means I will need to be extra diligent about making sure it stays clean! And in order to keep it clean and organized, the layout and function of the kitchen itself will need to be spot on.

Here is what we have so far

From the front entry you would be looking into the kitchen from the bottom of this floor plan sketch, and would see the three large windows above the sink as a focal point. That sink is something that we are all SUPER excited about – a cast iron original farmhouse sink that was taken out of the farmhouse we are currently living in years and years ago, salvaged from the woods by us, and stored in Craig’s parents shed. It is a ‘one basin’ design with a built in dish drain, and refinished it will look SO great!

The three main stations (oven, fridge, and sink) are arranged in a triangular fashion – a technique referred to as the ‘work triangle’. I can imagine that corner of the island that falls within the triangle will be a great drop zone to bridge the gap between the three zones. I am playing around with the idea of using a microwave drawer on that end of the island as well, but haven’t fully decided on that.

Near the fridge I am planning an entire row of pantry cabinets, with the upper cabinets stretching all the way to the counter. I want to keep the look really clean, and was thinking that the large doors could be telescoping (slide in and out of the way) to reveal a spot for a coffee machine and toaster.

On the other main wall will be the range/oven station. Again, I am playing around with the idea of bringing the cabinets straight down tot he counter to keep things clean. The left cabinet I can imagine housing spices and cooking oils, and the right cabinet might be the perfect spot for the dishes to be stored.

In the middle of all the action will sit the crowning jewel of the kitchen, the island. It may have a different finish than the rest of the cabinets and perhaps a butcher block island. I haven’t thought through all of the details yet, but I do know that at 3’0″ wide x 7’0″ long it will be large enough for all five kids to sit at!

Just for fun, I made another sketch of the kitchen – kind of looking at it from above. I think it shows the layout pretty well.

If you want a better idea of what types of colors and finishes (and organization tips) we are considering utilizing in our kitchen, go check out the Pinterest board HERE!

COTTAGE ROOM DESCRIPTIONS {UPPER LEVEL}

As promised, I’m back today to describe the upper level rooms. If you missed part 1 of the series, the main level, you can find it HERE.

Generally speaking, the second level is made up of only 3 main spaces + a hall to connect them: the boys room, the girls room, and the kid bathroom. We debated having a second level at all, but in the end decided that we would rather have a smaller house footprint, which will allow us to use and enjoy more of the land, than to have all rooms on one level with a larger footprint. That meant we were going to be building a muli-level house.

Below is the layout of the upper level. Use it as a guide while you read through the descriptions, and take a look at our Pinterest boards (which are linked at the end of each room description). They show some inspiration images I have found for each space. * As mentioned before, these floor plans are currently not showing any real detail – will be working on adding detail for future posts.

{STAIRS/HALL} Because the upper level is going to be fairly small, we wanted to provide a bit of ‘unexpected’ space. Therefore, the hallway will be fairly large and will feature a small nook for a desk or a chair. The hall will serve as access to each of the rooms, circulation space really, but we want to make sure it also feels like a place where a person or two can stay a while. The stair landing will provide a ton of natural light with a large window facing west. Depending on space, we may try to incorporate some bookcases and/or a window bench there as well. (PINTEREST)

{BATHROOM} We went through SO many different ideas for the upstairs bathroom situation. Two smaller bathrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, accessed only through the bedrooms to make them more private. A Jack and Jill scenario where they can share through doors entering each of the bedrooms. No bathroom upstairs. Ultimately, we decided that because we have children of both gender, we wanted the bathroom to be accessed by a single door for privacy purposes and accessed through the hall space so that it was available to everyone (including people visiting when the main level bathroom is occupied). This room will have some varied ceiling heights due to the slope of the roof-line, but generally speaking no portion of the room should have head height less than 5′. The shower will tuck in under the portion of the roof that provides cover for the main level living room (there is no second level above that room). Looks wise we want the bathroom to be classy, yet kid friendly for now. Those kids are eventually going to be grown ups who visit with their own families, and we want to make sure that the bathroom is accommodating for all types of scenarios. (PINTEREST)

{GIRLS BEDROOM} This is a room that I have had in my mind for years and years, long before {M} ever joined our family. I had a vision of two matching beds flanking a single window, with a night stand in between. I’m not sure that exact furniture arrangement will be what we go with – but the room is set up in such a way that it is a possibility. The decor will be light, bright and airy – with a vaulted ceiling – and there will be two closets under the roof eaves (with sloping ceilings as well) – one on each side of the room. We may turn one of them into a little hideaway space for the girls to play in. (PINTEREST)

{BOYS BEDROOM} We also debated back and forth about this room. A LOT. We were initially thinking that we would have 3 bedrooms on this level, with the smallest going to the oldest child living at home; But carving space for 3 bedrooms meant that each bedroom was really quite small, and maybe not as functional as we would like. Taking some cues from {D}’s small bedroom that he occupies right now at the farmhouse, we realized that a small space for sleeping is actually quite cozy and serves as a nice private getaway. He loves it. Therefore, we decided that we would have one large bedroom for all three of the boys, with a shared common space to include the closet, dressers, books, toys, chairs for reading, music, etc – and three smaller sleeping nooks that surround it. They are not labeled on the image above, because we have not yet decided who will get which nook. I’m really looking forward to designing these little sleeping spaces, and I know each boy is excited to make it his own. Oh, and did i mention that this room will have vaulted ceilings as well and there is potential for a small loft/ fort space for the shared part of the bedroom? Yeah. (PINTEREST)

There you have it – the basic Upper Level floor plan. I’ll be back next week to describe the final layout of the home, the lower level!

In the meantime, check out ALL of Arrow Hill Cottage’s Pins!

COTTAGE ROOM DESCRIPTIONS {MAIN LEVEL}

It seems that this blog has been taking on a bit of a mixture – some family, some DIY, and probably not enough of the future cottage! I thought it would be helpful to explain a little more about each level of the cottage and how the rooms are positioned + why we decided to have certain features (such as a pool!). My fantastic IT team (aka: Craig, my husband) is working on getting me some software that will allow real-time video recording while I design with my computer programs. That’s going to be really fun to work with in the future, but it isn’t quite ready yet – so for now I will give you the text + graphics version.

I’m going to start out the series today with the Main Level of the cottage (*Keep in mind that for now these are shown as just basic spaces without detail/colors added… in fact, no windows are being shown yet either. The details will come, I promise!) Use the image below as a guide as you read through the descriptions, and take a look at our Pinterest boards (which are linked at the end of each room description). They show some inspiration images I have found for each space.

{FRONT PORCH} (This is likely to be one of my favorite spaces). My vision for the porch is complete serenity – a place to sit and read, listen to nature. I also want it to have a fun vibe – with pops of color. It will be the main point of entry for guests, and probably at times for our family as well. (PINTEREST)

{ENTRY} Entering through the front door, to the left is a space for a small bench and some coat hooks overhead. I’m thinking of incorporating some special artwork, maybe some family photos. I would love for this space to be a glimpse of the life of our family. The piano will probably also be in this space, along the other wall. (PINTEREST)

{DINING ROOM} I am dreaming of some partial height walls between the Entry and Dining spaces, perhaps built in cabinets for books or special collections. Our table will need to be large, obviously, maybe a rectangular farmhouse style? I definitely want to find a cute antique hutch to place along the wall. Filling it with amazing glassware would make me SO happy! (PINTEREST)

{LIVING ROOM} As mentioned in this post, the living room will be the place of gathering in our home. It will be given the most detail attention for sure. There will be vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, and TONS of windows. The windows facing the backyard/ wooded area will be accented by a lovely window bench, something I have been dreaming of for years. The window bench will be made of two slip covered twin sized mattresses (maybe tufted?!) and will serve as extra sleeping space for guests (and also probably naps for us! yay naps!) (PINTEREST)

{KITCHEN} Open to the dining room and right around the corner from the mudroom, the Kitchen is in a prime location. Right now I envision it as an all white/ mostly white space, with maybe a colored tile back splash. It will have a large center island – eeeee!!! – and a entire wall of pantry cabinets. I have been finding all sorts of fun storage ideas on (PINTEREST)

{GARAGE} This will be the very first attached garage that our family has ever experienced. I personally have seen so many examples where the garage overtakes the look of the house, and when planning began I was thinking that the cottage would surely have a detached garage. However, soon after bringing {K} home, we realized that it made the most sense for her sake that the garage have direct access to the home. And so, with a little more designing, I was able to come up with a solution that kept the garage somewhat ‘hidden’ from view – though it will cause more expense for a longer driveway. Worth it I think! (PINTEREST)

{MUDROOM} Since our marriage 15 years ago, Craig and I have lived in three different houses and not one of them has had a proper mudroom. This space is more important than ever now that we have a large family. As described in this post, I dream of a well organized space with lots of storage and functionality. (PINTEREST)

{MAIN BATHROOM} I am probably way more excited about the location of this bathroom than I should be. The thought that we will be able to just walk in from outdoors and use the bathroom or wash our hands without having to track through the entire house just makes me giddy! It will be a 3 piece (toilet, sink(s), shower) bathroom and will also serve as the bathroom for the main floor bedroom. (PINTEREST)

{MAIN BEDROOM} We hesitate to call this the ‘master’ bedroom because that label evokes the idea of a very large space with an attached walk in closet and bathroom. It will be our bedroom, but won’t have all the bells and whistles that are considered the standard these days. We decided to make this room a little smaller so that more square footage could be devoted to the common living spaces (kitchen, dining, living room). Despite it’s small size though, it will still have plenty of style. See our inspiration for this space by clicking on the link! (PINTEREST)

That’s it! 7 rooms + the garage and front porch. Simple! I’ll be back next week to describe the second level!

In the meantime, check out ALL of Arrow Hill Cottage’s Pins!