Purposely narrowed to a one-room depth along most of its footprint, the floor plan of The New American Home 2006 is decidedly extroverted, taking advantage of lake views, natural light, and prevailing breezes afforded by a 149-foot lot to deliver a variety of benefits to the homeowners and the house. All of the major rooms, centered on the first floor, have ample access to the pool terrace, either directly through pairs of patio doors or via the lower-level loggia. There’s also a trio of wide-set steps down to the grassy swale fronting the lake; one set leads directly to the boat dock.
The plan works because it operates on several levels, combining daily practicality, occasional entertaining, and plenty of private spaces—in this case, for a mature family in which the late-teen or early-adult kids may join their fiftysomething parents for a long weekend or during school breaks. When the children aren’t around, however, the secondary rooms upstairs (or even the entire second level) can remain dormant without the house feeling empty. With the master suite and all of the major rooms on the first level, the active but aging owners can live comfortably without having to climb the stairs. In fact, if they want to access the home theater or spa room above, they can use the elevator.
