The Right Size House

The Philadelphia Magazine presented their 11th annual Design Home this fall, designed by McIntyre Capron & Associates, built by Bentley Homes. At 6,000 square feet, not quite as stately as in recent years, it still featured generous living space, much of it on the lower level. If you refer to my article in The Hunt Magazine, “A Dynamic Lower Level: Add Space Without An Addition” (Read more: The Hunt Magazine – Life in the Brandywine Valley http://thehuntmagazine.com/#ixzz29NQCGYwE ), this method of capturing living space is becoming a popular alternative to building a bigger house. There were two features that I found of particular interest. First, the size of the living room on the first floor, in comparison to the size of the other spaces, is more of a small sitting room. It effectively serves it’s purpose as a more formal place to receive guests without bringing them into the family living spaces. The other feature was the open stair down to the lower level, rather than a door and stairwell. It makes going “downstairs” as natural as going “upstairs” to the bedrooms, rather than going to the “basement”. You can see more at www.phillymag.com/design-home-2012. P.S. The lower level has a “family fitness” (yoga) room!

The Right Size House

Small formal living room off entry foyerFitness Room on Lower Level

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This post was written by Camille Gracie