HOME INTERIOR DESIGN-LIVING ROOM DESIGN

These are the exterior house design pictures that can give you inspiration in building a new house.

The result is an attractive, welcoming river front home with water views that meets their family needs – four bedrooms, plenty of storage, and space to entertain guests in both formal and informal social gatherings.

The full basement has 1832 square feet of living space as well as a two-car garage. Entry to the house from the garage is accessed through a mudroom that has two large benches and a generous closet for coats. A kitchenette with counter seating is a welcome addition to the open family room. The basement opens to extensive outdoor patios, which creates the perfect space for casual entertaining and to enjoy the surrounding property.

The first floor, meanwhile, features an open kitchen / living area with plenty of windows to capture water views of the river. A formal pantry provides additional storage space and provides access to the formal dining area that seats eight comfortably. The Master Bedroom suite is spacious and features French doors leading to a screened porch overlooking the Mississippi River.

Our clients are very happy with their home and in working with an architect, stating, “Bonin Architects did a wonderful job in working with the best of our ideas and where input was required they were happy to do so. They assisted us with some difficult terrain and elevation issues and we are now able to go forward with the construction of the home confident that the home is filled with our ideas and Bonin Architects’ expertise. We had consulted half a dozen design services all of whom took weeks or months to present alternatives. Bonin put the plan together in less than one month.”

The home design process is continuing for our clients in southern NH.

One of our clients’ priorities is having enough space to entertain about 20 people four times a year. To add more living / entertaining space in the floor plan, the dining table was reduced in size and moved to replace the informal banquette. While the table is still large enough to seat extended family for holiday meals, the enlarged open living area is better suited toward hosting cocktail parties.

The dormer bays in the living and dining areas were changed to soften the interior lines. The kitchen was reconfigured slightly to take advantage of the added space and to streamline traffic flow.

One of our current projects is designed to be built to earn ENERGY STAR certification. The barn style home design fits in nicely with the architectural style of the surrounding area of Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Consumer Reports magazine recently polled subscribers on their home renovating trends (yes, they do more than just review products), and the results are interesting!

Many folks, instead of adding a bumpout or home addition, are cutting costs by renovating their kitchen, bathrooms, and outdoor spaces to make better use of the space, open up sight lines, and make the areas more livable. Quality, not quantity, “is the new standard”, according to CR.


According to CR’s poll, two-thirds of homeowners have changed their remodeling plans and given up appliances, specialized features, and extravagances that will not add to the home’s value. Sensible doesn’t mean boring, though – many of CR’s top performing appliances are in stainless, which consumers still crave. Bamboo flooring beats oak, and plastic laminates look like real stone for a fraction of the cost. Instead of adding deluxe whirlpool tubs, homeowners are opting to add luxury by way of handheld body sprays with powerful jets and pulsating massage settings to conventional tubs and shower stalls.

Homeowner trends are leaning toward spending more on products they interact with every day – namely, appliances. (Interestingly: “subscribers who scrimped on cabinets, countertops, and showers wished they had spent more” while at the same time “almost 60% of readers opted for ceramic tile over pricier stone.”)

Almost two-thirds of homeowners plan to do the renovating themselves. Working with an architect has advantages, though. CR recommends using professionals and adds a warning: “Remember that local building codes will probably require an architect's or engineer's sign-off.”

Top renovations include increasing energy and water efficiency. Eighty-four percent of those polled bought energy –efficient appliances, 43 percent picked out water-efficient appliances, and 38 percent chose fluorescent lighting for their kitchens. Water-saving toilets and low-flow showerheads were installed in 62 percent of bath remodels. Paints with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are popular, as well.

If you’re planning a home renovating project in the near future, consider the benefits of working with a green architect to design your home.