House Plans

Living in a welcoming home in a lovely setting is the American dream. Maybe you have country farm house plans of your own after seeing television shows featuring old-time family life. The rich history of prairie style homes makes them a modern delight.Updated prairie homes were originally built in the early 1900s by world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed prairie houses to blend into the flatter prairie landscape. The houses got their name after 1901 when Wright’s plan entitled “A Home in a Prairie Town” in Ladies Home Journal.The original prairie houses were made of plaster with wood trim. Some prairie style houses were sided with horizontal batten and board. Now prairie style homes use concrete block. They can be square, T-shaped, Y-shaped, L-shaped or shaped like a pinwheel.Prairie house plans typically include certain features. A prairie style home is recognized by its low-pitched roof, horizontal lines, overhanging eaves, central chimney, clerestory windows and an open floor plan. Wright designed prairie homes because he felt the rooms in Victorian houses were confining and boxed-in. Leaded glass panels often divide the rooms for a more open, spacious feeling.Many consider the Frederic C. Robie House the finest example of the Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style. The Frederic C. Robie House was built in Chicago in 1909. The Frank W. Thomas House in Oak Park, Illinois is considered to be Wright’s first prairie house and was also one of he first times he used stucco.Prairie style houses actually used Japanese architecture. Flowing interior areas and long, banded windows create geometric shapes and patterns. The low-lying design is meant to integrate right into the surrounding landscapes. Wright believed homes should exist in harmony with nature. Prairie house floor plans are designed so they won’t intrude on the landscapes around them.Prairie houses were the first American architecture style that was seriously considered in Europe. This attractive house design remains popular throughout the United States. Unbelievably, Wright never even attended architecture school. Wright’s down-to-earth beginnings were working on his uncle’s farm during his childhood.Wright enjoyed a 70-year career and ultimately designed 1,141 buildings of all kinds. Of all these designs, 532 were completed and 409 are standing today. Wright realized how noticeable his work was and stated, “The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.”Other architects designed variations of the prairie style house. The American foursquare style is also known as a Prairie Box. In 1936, Wright designed a simplified version of prairie style houses called Usonian. A modern prairie style house is a luxurious oasis tucked away in lush landscapes.

The best interior design ideas for beach house plans revolve around colors, shapes, textures, and the accessories of the beach and sea. Bright, sunny colors, rough, sand-like textures, and interesting found objects can help to bring the outdoors inside, and all are essential elements in beach house interior design. Another important consideration is practicality, since furnishings and textiles both need to be sufficiently sturdy to stand up to wet bodies and salt air, in addition to being attractive and convenient. Beach house design colors reflect the sand, sea, sky, and sunlight found at the sea shore. Bright, sunny yellows and whites help to bring outdoor light inside. Blues ranging from deep navy through vibrant azure mirror the changing hues of the sea. Ecru, taupe, and shades of beige help complement these colors, and are reminiscent of sand. The overall effect of beach house design is airy and light, to create a relaxing oasis away from the cramped life of the city.The use of texture in beach bungalow house plans is a great way to add interest. Beach homes are traditionally more casual than their counterparts in the city, and rough, textured fabrics such as tweed or even treated burlap can help to attain this insouciance. Pebbles and stones can be used in the garden, the bath, and as pathways around the house to add agreeable textures to a beach house. And, of course, no beach house is complete without some seashells. Some creative uses for these omnipresent (and always interesting) castoffs of the sea are under a glass top of a coffee table, set in countertops in the bathroom and kitchen, and used for pathways around the house. Driftwood can be made into furniture, hung on the wall, or embodied in the basic architectural structure of the house.The furniture in a house on the beach must be sturdy, yet stylish. Fancy drawing room furniture doesn’t fit in with a small house plan by the sea. Furniture must play dual roles, such as a sofa which becomes a trundle bed when overnight guests show up or a coffee table which allows for storage beneath it. Essential beach home elements include a large kitchen – dining room area which is big enough to comfortably seat the family and some guests. The dining table should be sturdy enough so that lobsters, crabs, walleye and other bounty taken from the sea can be eaten without damaging the table, or feeling uncomfortable. A large, wooden plank style table with benches or simple chairs is ideal. The living room – family room furniture must be sturdy and also create a relaxing retreat for the family after spending the day outdoors. Putting slipcovers on upholstered furniture is a great way to keep the chairs and sofa looking new (in spite of continual wear), and you can switch them easily for a quick and inexpensive change of decor.