Modern Main Level Living

Traditional homes are built with the same size windows, rooms and the same size square footage per level.   This creates the “BOX”.  What happens in the box?  A lot of disfunction!

• Kitchens are undersized for entertaining
• Master Bedrooms have useless sitting areas
• There are multiple “museum rooms” (rooms that are never used like the formal dining room)
• Garages are too narrow and end up being used for storage not cars
• Mudrooms are non-existent or too small
• Laundry rooms are not functional and often down in the basement
• Dining rooms are disjointed and not used

AV Architects + Builders designs break OUT OF THE BOX with our Main Level Living Formula of 20/60/20.

• 20% Upper Level (secondary bedroom suites)
• 60% Main Level (owners suite, great room, kitchen, dining, study, laundry, mudroom, storage, exercise, outdoor living spaces)
• 20% Lower Level (extra storage, mechanical).

Where do you spend the most time in your home?  What’s the point of having spaces you don’t use? Main-level living removes wasted spaces and transforms how you live.  By combining all your favorite and most used rooms on the main level, you don’t waste time traveling around your home.  What if you could have less of what you don’t use and more space for the rooms you really live in? 

Smart design in main level living allows for rooms in the home to relate to one another easily with a natural flow that maximizes space, while minimizing your effort to use it.  For many in a main level living setting, the biggest game changer is adding a main level master suite or even a main floor guest suite.  Offices on the main level are becoming increasingly common and formal dining rooms give way to the kitchen.  Smart design has a huge influence on being able to create a functioning main level living design.

Having a Centerpiece.  It’s important to consider what the main hub of your home is, and then build around it.  In a main level living home that would be the kitchen.  It typically acts as a connecting room to get from one area of the main level to the other.  Remember, square footage is just a number.  If you can use the main level living approach correctly, you can maximize the space you have while having all of your favorite rooms on the same level.

Want to learn more about our main level and vacation style living philosophy? Contact us!