Thanks for Space to Entertain: Part 2

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that sneaks up on me every year. Every year I tell myself that I am not going to get caught by surprise. That I’m going to have the turkey bought and the dressing ready to go. I keep telling myself this and now its only two weeks away and I haven’t gotten anything ready. I don’t have the turkey bought. I don’t know what kinds of pies I’m going to bake. Should I do candied sweet potatoes or mashed white potatoes? Should I brine the turkey this year or should I just roast him without brining?

What? Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?! Crap. Maybe next year.

Thanks for Space to Entertain

In these house plans the food is going to have to play second fiddle to the beauty of the dining rooms, great rooms and outdoor living spaces.

Huntington Cove (NDG 1468)

This house plan has some massive curb appeal. The white stucco style exterior contrasts beautifully with the dark exposed timbers. As you step up to the home, you find yourself on the covered porch. This porch combines three beautiful elements and gives you a taste of what is inside the home.

The porch gives you the rustic timber beams that extend through the rest of the home, a vaulted ceiling that mimics some of the other rooms of the home, and stonework accents that pulls the rest of the rustic elements together.

Stepping inside the home, you find yourself in the foyer. This space has a very high ceiling that gives you a feeling of openness and light. To the left of the foyer is the dining room. This dining room is large enough to host a king size banquet and features exposed timber beams along the sloped ceiling as well as a large picture window that faces the front of the home.

The foyer and the dining room are both part of an open floor plan that also includes the great room and the kitchen. So literally as soon as you walk into the home, you are in that open floor plan and you have nothing but beautiful views in the rest of the home.

The great room gives you that vaulted ceiling and timber beams that is represented in the front of the home on the covered porch. It also gives you sliding doors that lead you out onto the grilling porch. The grilling porch is a perfect outdoor living space that is great for entertaining and hosting summer parties.

The sliding glass doors flank a large stonework fireplace in the great room. This gives the great room a great focus point and makes it stand out from the kitchen, dining room and foyer.

The kitchen is separated from the great room by the kitchen island. This island gives you bar seating for six as well as counterspace and space for a sink and dishwasher. This is the perfect place for the sink because it lets you keep an eye on the great room while you are prepping dinner and cleaning up afterwards.

The rest of the kitchen gives you a plenty of counterspace for prepping your meals as well as a large range. The kitchen also gives you space for both a refrigerator and a freezer and features a large pantry.

On the right side of the home you will find bedrooms 2 and 3. Bedroom 2 is on the front of the house. It has a large window that faces out under the covered porch. It also has the large of the 2 walk-in closet.

Bedroom 3 has two windows that face the rear of the home and has the smaller of the two walk-in closets. Both of these bedrooms share the hallway bathroom, but each has their sink in their own space.

On the other side of the home you will find the laundry room, half bath and the master suite. The half bath is directly off the kitchen and garage and gives you a convenient space for guests or young children who might have to dash to the bathroom.

The laundry room features a built-in desk as well as a counter space with hanging storage. There is also hanging storage over the washer and dryer hookups. The laundry room also gives you a soaking sink to help get rid of those really tough stains.

The master suite is located on the rear of the home. The master bedroom gives you two large windows that face the rear of the home and a sliding glass door that opens up onto the grilling porch. The master bath gives you double sinks, a whirlpool tub and a large shower. Don’t forget about the large walk-in closet! This gives you plenty of storage space.

Blair Lane (NDG 1429)

The first thing that you notice about this home is the brick exterior and unique roofline. The brick lends itself to a very classic look that is almost timeless in its elegance. It is also great for curb appeal.

As you enter the home, you find yourself in the foyer. This space gives you a formal separation from the entryway and the rest of the home. To the left of the foyer, you will find the dining room. This formal space is perfect for entertaining and is large enough to accommodate the busiest of families and features a large picture window facing the front of the home.

The great room is part of an open floor plan that also includes the kitchen and breakfast room. The great room is an imposing room with exposed timber beams in the vaulted ceiling. On the rear wall of the great room, you have two sets of French doors that lead out into the outdoor living area.

This outdoor living space is large enough to host any size gathering. It has a stonework outdoor fireplace and exposed timber posts to continue the European style out into the rest of the space. This outdoor living space also has an optional outdoor kitchen which would be perfect for those who love to grill.

The kitchen is separated from the great room by a large island. This island gives you bar seating for 5 and provides a perfect place to wash up after a meal. The island has a place for a sink and a dishwasher so that you can clean up and face the great room so you can keep an eye on things.

The rest of the kitchen gives you plenty of counterspace as well as space for a large range and refrigerator. Adjacent to the kitchen is the breakfast room. This space has windows on two of the walls. One window faces the rear of the home and the other faces the outdoor living area.

Just past the kitchen you will find the stairway that will lead you upstairs to the optional bonus room on the second floor. This way you will also find the half bath, kid’s nook and laundry room. The kid’s nook comes in off of the garage and gives you a bench with hanging storage. This makes a perfect space to take off your outer wear before you get into the rest of the house.

The kid’s nook also leads to the laundry room. That way you can dump any laundry on your way into the house. The laundry room has a small storage closet where the hot water heating unit can live. The laundry room also has a small sink for soaking stains as well as hanging storage over the washer and dryer hookups.

The master suite is on this side of the home as well. The master bedroom gives you a large picture window that looks out over the rear of the home and a vaulted ceiling that mimics the detailing on the rest of the home.

The master bath gives you double vanities, a whirlpool tub and a corner glass shower. Don’t forget about the built-in linen closet and the large walk-in closet! Both are essential for storage in the modern home.

On the other side of the plan you will find bedrooms 2 and 3. Both of these bedrooms have large windows that face the rear and front of the home, respectively. They each have their own vanity with sink, a small linen closet and a walk-in closet. They share the bathing area of the jack and jill bathroom.

Lombardia (NDG 1144)

The first thing that you notice about this house plan is the Mediterranean style exterior and clay tiled roof. The exterior is a mixture of stucco with natural stone elements and wood accents. As you enter the home from the street, you find yourself in a small courtyard that would be perfect for succulents or a butterfly garden.

Entering the home, you find yourself in the foyer. The foyer has high ceilings and gives you a small entry closet that is perfect for storing outerwear. Moving further into the room, you find yourself in the great room. The great room is open to the second floor and has a sloped ceiling sloping in from the rear of the home.

The great room has room for an optional gas fireplace on the left wall of the space. The rear wall of the space has two large windows and a French door that opens up to the covered porch on the rear of the home. The covered porch and grilling porch take up most of the rear of the home and give you a great space for entertaining.

The laundry room and kid’s nook lie just past the great room. This is also where the stairway to the second floor is. The kid’s nook comes in directly from the garage and gives you a bench with hanging storage. As a mother of two, I can certainly attest to the need of having a space like this. It cuts down on the clutter.

The laundry room has two entrances and gives you plenty of room to fold and organize all of the clothes. It also features hanging storage above the washer and dryer hookups.

The master suite is also on this side of the house plan. The master bedroom gives you a 10-foot boxed ceiling, a large picture window facing the rear of the home and a French door leading to the covered porch. The master bath features double sinks, a whirlpool tub and a corner shower. There is also his and hers walk-in closets.

On the other side of the great room, you will find the dining room, kitchen and breakfast room. The dining room is a unique octagonal shape that is perfect for a round table and would leave room to move around it. The dining room features windows that face the rear of the home.

The kitchen features countertops that wrap around in a “J" shape. The kitchen gives you an open bar with seating for 3. On the other side of the bar is the sink. This lets you wash up while still keeping an eye on things in the dining room or great room. This kitchen also gives you room for a corner pantry.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the breakfast room. The breakfast room has a row of windows that face the grilling porch and the rear of the home. There is also an entryway that opens to the grilling porch from the breakfast room. The breakfast room features a large pantry.

The rest of the first floor of this house plan is taken up by bedroom 2, bedroom 3/study and a hall bathroom. Bedroom 2 gives you a double casement window that faces the front of the home while bedroom 2, which can also be used as a study with an optional door into the foyer, gives you two windows that face the courtyard in the front of the home. Both bedrooms share the hall bathroom.

The second floor of the home gives you a loft with access to the attic storage. You have option of including a home theater or bonus room on this second level. The loft has a lovely view both into the foyer and the great room and features a computer center.

Maybe you're looking for something in particular? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Come check out Nelson Design Group’s collection of over 1,800 house plans. And come check out the past blog posts in our house plan series:

• Farmhouse style
• Farmhouse House Plans
• Contemporary Modern style
• Contemporary Modern House Plans
• Rustic Style
• Rustic House plans
• Mountain and Cabins House Style
• Mountain and Cabin House Plans
• Examining House Styles: Pool Houses
• House Plan Spotlight: Pool Houses
• Examining House Styles: The Florida Collection
• House Plan Spotlight: The Florida Collection
• Outdoor Buildings: Garages and Pool Houses
• American Style House Plans
• Starter Homes Spotlight: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Here at Nelson Design Group, we are always ready to make your dream home a reality. If we don’t have the plan that is right for you, we’ll make one. We are experts in our field and have been doing this for over 30 years. Give us a call today and we will be glad to help.

Benefits of Nelson Design Group

If you are looking at building a house, check out our Building Your Dream Home blog series. This series walks you through step by step on how to build a house and is updated regularly.

• Building Your Dream Home: Concept and Design
• Building Your Dream Home: Loans and Permits
• Building Your Dream Home: Site Prep and Grading
• Building Your Dream Home: Foundations and Underground Utilities
• Building Your Dream Home: Framing
• Building Your Dream Home: Roofing
• Building Your Dream Home: Rough-In
• Building Your Dream Home: Exterior Doors
• Building Your Dream Home: Choosing Windows
• Building Your Dream Home: Choosing Siding

If you haven’t found a builder yet, we have a Find-a-Builder tool right here on our website. These are builders from around the country that we have vetted just for you! They are skilled in their professions and do a great job.

Nelson Design Group has over 1,800 house plans for you to choose from. If you’re unsure about finding what you need, give us a call at (870) 931-5777. Our representatives are always happy to help.

If you are a builder looking to buy plans, sign up for our Builder’s Program. We offer discounts you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

We also have resources that are just for you like access to our Master Planned Communities and Marketing Services.