CREATIVE USE OF SPACE AND LOTS OF AMENITIES MAKE THE SMALLER HOUSE A STYLISH, COMFORTABLE HOME
BY HARVEY MARKS
Some people are beginning to look for smaller and smarter homes, but not because they're downsizing. Rather, it's part of a growing interest in houses that are more than the sum of their square footage, with rooms and amenities designed to bring pleasure and comfort to their owners.
Probably the most important expression of this trend can be found in The Not So Big House by architect Sarah Susanka. "After designing homes for 15 years, I have come to an inevitable conclusion," Susanka writes in the introduction to her book. "We are all searching for home, but we are trying to find it by building more rooms and more space. Instead of thinking about the quality of the spaces we live in, we tend to focus on quantity. But a house is so much more than its size and volume, neither of which has anything to do with comfort."
The heart of any modern house is likely to be its kitchen. It's where people really live and where visitors tend to congregate. With that priority in mind, your smart kitchen is likely to be centrally located and open. Such a kitchen can help give your home a focus while allowing family members engaged in food preparation to participate in the social life going on around them.
Because it will be visible from other parts of the house, an open kitchen should blend in with other architectural elements. To help achieve that goal, consider installing custom cabinetry, using the same fine woods found elsewhere in your home. You also might want to utilize the tile, hardwood or other flooring materials employed in the rooms adjacent to the kitchen. Finally, given the room's importance and visibility, high-end appliances can be a very good investment.
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RESOURCES
CALIFORNIA CLOSETS CO. INC.
5120 Woodway Drive, Suite 215, 713.785.0111
www.calclosets.com
CLOSET & STORAGE CONCEPTS
9009 Pinehill Lane, Suite 208, 713.996.0731
www.closetandstorageconcepts.com
THE CLOSET FACTORY
2530 Old Louetta Loop 128, 281.355.7676
DALTILE
2808 Richmond Ave., Suite A, 713.533.9305
ELEGANT ADDITIONS INC.
2426 Bartlett, Suite 3, 713.522.0088
HOLLYWOOD BUILDERS HARDWARE
5700 Griggs Road, 713.644.8301
THE HOME DEPOT
Multiple locations, www.homedepot.com
INNOVATIVE SKYLIGHTS
5829 W. Sam Houston Parkway North, 713.466.1551
KUHL-LINSCOMB
2424 W. Alabama St., 713.526.6000
www.kuhl-linscomb.com
MORRISON SUPPLY
6867 Wynwood, 713.861.2343
THE NOT SO BIG HOUSE
Sarah Susanka, The Taunton Press Inc.
SPACE MAN HOME OFFICE
3556 West T.C. Jester, 713.688.8808
www.spacemanager.com
STORAGE OVERHEAD SYSTEMS
9427 Sinfonia Drive, 713.454.7084, 888.5.GARAGE
VELUX AMERICAN INC.
Multiple dealers, installers, www.veluxusa.com
WESTHEIMER PLUMBING & HARDWARE
2443 Westheimer Road, 713.956.0090
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