i've always liked the southwestern and adobe styles. they're very unique flavors of house. well i just looked at the plan for one southwestern style house that has a roof garden. i think this it's a great idea to put a garden on the roof of a house because it makes better use of space that otherwise couldn't be used for something like gardening.

the main floor features a large porch at the front of the house that funnels visitors towards the main entrance. the main entrance door opens into the foyer, which features the bottom of the stairs leading to the upper level, and which also acts as the gateway to some of the bedrooms and the rest of the living space.

the main area of the house is made up of the living room and the dining room. the living room is locate towards the back and middle of the house, with the dining room at the very front. the living room is nice and large, and i think it has lots of space for some great furniture and probably a large entertainment unit too. the living room has a door opening onto the magnificent rear patio. this patio is just the kind of thing that's needed for soaking up the southwestern sun, or having a bbq party.

like i mentioned before, the dining room is at the front of the house. next to it is the kitchen, which has a whole lot of counter space. in fact, all the kitchen counter space is one of the greatest features of this house, i think. this is the kind of kitchen that somebody who really likes cooking would just love to have. it would give them lots of room to prepare really large and compex meals, and the eating bar that's within the dining room and living room areas makes it really convenient to serve those large meals.

at the opposite side of the house to the kitchen we find two bedrooms. the bedroom at the front of the house has a closet and a window looking out the side of the house. just outside this bedroom's door there's a small closet, and the start of the hallway leading towards the bathroom at the other bedroom. the one bathroom next to the front bedroom has a tub, a toilet and a sink. going past this bathroom through the hallway we find the closet with the washer and dryer, adn then the entrance to the rear bedroom. this bedroom has an attached private bathroom that's similar to the other bathroom on the main floor. this bedroom also has a closet, and has a door connecting to the rear patio.

back in the foyer, we can go up the stairs to the upper level. up here we find the master bedroom at the rear of the upper level. it has a large window looking out the back of the house. towards the front we find the large master bathroom. it has a shower with two heads, as well as a seat. behind this there is a toilet that's enclosed within its own room, and a counter with two sinks. there's also a large walk-in closet connected to the bedroom.

also on the upper level, at the top of the stairs, we find a door leading to the amazing roof garden. like i said before, this is one of the really great things about this house, if not the best thing. this roof top garden includes an enclosed area for the water heater and the furnace and maybe the air conditioner. beside this there's another storage closet. the garden itself is almost completely surrounded by a bench, which i think could make a great place to sit and relax in the warm southwestern sun. potted plants could be placed throughout the roof garden to give the house a very natural feel to it. i think this roof garden could be used for other stuff, too, like exercising. it's just such a flexible area of the house, with so many possible uses!

this is a really amazing house. it has a very practical kitchen, lots of living space, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large patio, and a spectacular roof garden. it really does a great job offering a variety of amenities, many of which let the occupants make the most out of living in the southwest, if that's where this house is built.

i've just learned about some amazing spherical lights that are on three legs! this is such a simple design, but i think it looks absolutely amazing! unlike with more traditional lamps, the size difference between the large light globe and the smaller thinner legs almost makes it look like the light is floating by itself in mid air. in many ways it even reminds me of the sun, sitting up there unsupported. i think these lights would give off a radiant glow that would mimic the sun in many ways, but it's all within the indoors.

i know some friends who have bought an older house and they're renovating it but in some cases they can't place electrical boxes into the walls. so they've been looking at electrical boxes for switches and sockets that are surface mounted rather than being within the wall. i've been looking into some possible options for them and one design that i really like are these custom made wood collars for surface mounted electrical boxes. the wooden collar offers just the kind of style that would fit in really well with a house that has a vintage theme. and instead of looking disposable like so many of today's plastic fittings, these wooden collars look like they're built to last! even if you do have the option of putting your electrical boxes into the wall, maybe it'd be worth going with a surface mount instead just so you can use a collar like this even just for its style and appearance alone!

i like houses that mix styles. an example is this two-story house with elements of the country style. although it'd fit in well in many newer suburban subdivisions, it still has that country feel to it.

the lower floor of the house includes a garage with one bay. at the back of the garage there's also some storage space, and some space for the water heater and maybe a furnace or air conditioner. there is also a door opening to the rear patio, and another door connecting near the kitchen.

the main entrance is at the front of the house. going in this door, we find the stairs leading to the upper level on one side, with the rest being the wide open living area consisting of the great room, the dining room and the kitchen. the great room has a lot of potential. it juts out at the front of the house, which i think is a great space for a reading area. behind this, there's a long wall that'd be great for a tv, and space for some furniture in front of the tv.

the dining room blends into the great room, so if not a lot of dining area is needed, then this space could maybe even be used as more great room space. the kitchen is at the back of the house, and it is quite magnificent. it has an L shaped counter and it also includes an island. there's lots of counter space, many cabinets, and even space for a dishwasher.

between the kitchen and the garage there's an open area that includes sliding doors leading to the patio. this could be used as a breakfast nook, but it would also be really useful when hosting a bbq party. the bbq could be stored in the garage, then it could be wheeled out the side door of the garage directly onto the patio, where the burgers, sausages, hot dogs, steaks and corn could be grilled to perfection, and could then be brought inside to garnish with condiments sitting on the kitchen island. some chairs could be put in the breakfast nook for people to sit on while eating the glorious bbq food.

like is common in many country-style homes, there's a small washroom located under the stairs leading to the upper floor. this home's bathroom has a space-efficient sliding door, as well as a sink and a toilet. behind this washroom, under the lower parts of the stairs, there's another storage area accessible though a door opening into the great room.

going upstairs, we find a closet for the washer and dryer, and we also find three bedrooms. the master suite is located above the garage, and it features a large window overlooking the driveway, plus smaller windows looking out the side of the house. at the rear of the master suite there's a large walk-in closet. the master bedroom isn't huge, but it's very efficient. it includes a shower, a toilet, a sink, and a lot of counter space.

there are two other bedrooms on the upper level. the bedroom at the front of the house is more square shaped, and it has a walk-in closet that's over the stairway and the entrance. this walk-in closet even has its own window! the bedroom at the back of the house is more rectangular shaped, and has a closet. both bedrooms share a bathroom located between them, and this bathroom includes a tub, a toilet and a sink with a counter.

as we've seen, this house has the elements and style that'd we'd expect from a country-style house, but it's clearly very modern and would fit in well in many cities and suburban areas. it's a clean, practical house that would be a pleasure to live in, i'm sure.

there is just something about tudor houses that always make me think of britain. this two story tudor cottage is no exception!

this cottage features two entrance ways. one entry is off of the front porch, while the other is off of a porch at the side of the house. the front entry porch door leads to an entry area that acts as a junction between the dining area, the living room, and the stairs leading to the upper level. the other entry connects to the side of the living room.

the dining area and the kitchen are along one side of the house. for a smaller kitchen, it still offers a lot of counter space and a lot of cupboard space, too. there's a two-basin sink, a stove, and a refrigerator. the kitchen, which is located at the rear of the house, is conveniently connected to the dining room which is towards the front.

heading back through the entry way, we can make our way to the living room. this living room is quite open, and includes a very regal fireplace, in addition to the door opening to the side porch. the living room also has a closet area next to the fireplace where the furnace and water heater are placed.

at the front of the house, near the living room, we find a bathroom with a shower, a toilet and a sink, plus a room that could potentially be used as a bedroom. this bedroom also includes a bay window with seats. even if this room isn't used as a bedroom, it would make a very nice library or study, or maybe even a home office or a room for crafts.

the upstairs features an area for the washer and dryer, as well as the master bedroom. the master bedroom has a tall ceiling including wood beams. it also includes a convenient walk-in closet, and built-in cabinets located off to the side of the glorious windows looking out the front of the house. the master bathroom has a unique shape due to the constraints of the roof, but it still offers a tub, a toilet, a sink, and lots of counter space.

while many tudor houses are large and extravagant, this tudor-style cottage manages to mix the both of both worlds very successfully! it looks and feels like a tudor, but it also would fit in very well for those who want to use it while living a cottage lifestyle. if you want your cottage to have a british flair, this is an excellent choice!