The Little House

The Little House is a unique challenge to an architect--if only because a Little House often (but not always) has a little budget and possibly a small lot to build upon, while the prospective owner has big ideas and expectations.  After all, they would not have called us if this were not so!  Fortunately, we appreciate the challenge of designing livable Little Houses--houses that live big but are economical to build and/or efficient in use of space.

One of our favorite Little Houses is actually built in the center of a very large wooded lot.  With two bedrooms and a galley kitchen, it has great views from its large windows and is surrounded by a spacious deck.  It is an artist's house, and the deck leads to a small rustic studio where the artist can create her beautiful pottery just steps away from her main house. Everything in the house is skillfully edited, including the displays of paintings and pottery, so the rooms seem quite spacious.

We believe that bringing the outdoors inside with big windows is one way to make a Little House seem bigger--natural light has a way of illuminating walls with an ever-changing quality of shimmer and shadow that adds interest and beauty to interiors.  Beautiful landscaping, even on a small lot, gives the Little House a setting that provides charm and privacy and something to look at besides the driveway and street. Outdoor living space--patios for  for cooking outdoors, flower beds for gardening, and porches or patios for relaxing on nice days can make a Little House live larger.

A few years ago we had the opportunity to design a prototype "low-income" Little House that could be built economically, but would have everything a family  of four or more might need or want in a home.  Square footage would have to be limited to keep costs down.  The plan was basically a "great room" with kitchen  on one end and bedrooms and bath along one side.  The carport had built-in storage on the end.  The plan was nicer and had more amenities than most apartments we ever lived in!

The most luxurious Little House we have ever designed is elegant country house set on a small bluff in the middle of a rugged Oklahoma pasture.  It is solid stone and when the wind blows, it does not move, not even a tiny creak is heard--it is stone solid!  The front entry to this country cabin is very practical--leading to a mud room/laundry, then a pantry, then a great room for living/dining that includes a state-of-the-art galley-type kitchen/bar with top of the line appliances, including an under-cabinet wine refrigerator.  The house has one bedroom and bathroom and four gas fireplaces.  Two are outdoors, one at the front entry, and a big fire pit on the back patio. Inside are fireplaces in the sitting area of the main room and one in the small library just off the back patio.  All the lighting, furniture, artwork, bedding, and even the kitchen accouterments are carefully chosen, simple, but luxuriously beautiful--a testament to good taste.  There is a bunk-house close by for guests, and a large multi-vehicle garage/storage barn, all in matching stone, and with the Little House they form a courtyard enclosure that gives a sense of security to the remote setting.