Top 5 Home Theaters

Home theaters have increased in popularity the last few years and we can see why.  They are a comfortable place to relax, unwind, and get the movie theater experience without leaving your home.  Here are our top five home theaters we're pining for. 


Home Theater #1
Traditional

Traditional Home Theater by El Segundo Home Media Design & Installation Interior Technologies

This home theater has all the features of a classic movie theater from 'back in the day'.  Chandelier ceiling, plush seats, wall sconces, and decorative trim around the curtained screen take us back to yesteryear, but with a stylish modern feel.  Although not cheap, a similar lush purple leather-textured wall paper can be purchased online.  The decorative wall trim at the curtain can be fabricated by a skilled cabinetmaker.


Home Theater #2
The Night's Sky

Traditional Home Theater by San Francisco Home Media Design & Installation VIA – San Francisco 

No more longing for the days when you could go to a drive-in because this home theater brings the outdoor movie experience inside.  Watch a movie in surround sound and comfortable seating while sitting under the night's sky.  Major bonus: no bugs.  The sky effect can be painted, attached with an adhesive mural, achieved by a lighting expert, or a combination of all of the above.  Fiber optic lights would produce effective night time stars.

Home Theater #3
Art Deco

Traditional Home Theater by Los Angeles Home Media Design & Installation Roberts Home Audio and Video Inc.

Say goodbye to wall sconces because this theater sets the mood with lighting that spans across the walls and ceilings.  With the Art Deco detailing on the lights, we're transported back to the time of The Great Gatsby.  These fantastically ornamented lights are offset by dark gray walls, floors, seating and curtains to bring a delicate touch to this chic theater. 


Home Theater #4
Natural Elements

Contemporary Home Theater by Sterling Home Media Design & Installation Encore Custom Audio Video

This home theater takes a tip from Mother Nature by using earth tones and natural textures to create a room that is visually appealing and very comfortable.  The brown leather theater seats are soft and inviting.  The two-tone paint compliments the seats and bring you down to earth.  The highlight of this room is the wave-patterned panels on the ceiling. (They also make an appearance on the walls as pilasters.)  Reminiscent of rippling water, these interlocking panels from Modular Arts make this textured feature possible.


Home Theater #5
Retro Suite

Contemporary Home Theater by South East Interior Designers & Decorators FiSHER iD

From the hip color scheme to the retro wall panels this home theater is swanky.  The purple, aqua and green couches have a dual job: they provide plentiful seating and create visual excitement in what could be a bland room.  The diamond art on the wall provides interest, lighting and possibly sound absorption.  The clean lines of these elements work together to provide a design that stands out from the rest on this list.


Which of these five home theaters is your favorite?  Maybe you have your own ideas for what makes the perfect theater.  Let us know.  We would love to hear from you!

Disclaimer: Southern Cottages House Plans and Michael R. McLeod Architect, PA did not design any of these rooms.  Click the picture to find these rooms on Houzz.

Roof Decks & Widows Walks

View from the Lookout Cottage roof deck.

We've previously posted about the Legend of the Widows Walk.  Whether you like the romanticized idea of a lonely wife waiting for her sea captain to come home while pacing the widows walk of her house, or you're more interested in seeing the ocean from your non-ocean-front lot, there's just something about being high above the houses around us that we love.

 

Our Widows Walk House Plans incorporate a roof-top windowed cupola, which we refer to as an observation loft, accessed by spiral stair from the second story. The observation loft is a great place to glimpse a distant view, to survey the landscape or to find a special place to read a book or to work on a project in your personal studio.

 

 Island Cottage

Grand Island

In addition to our Widows Walk House Plans, we offer Roof Deck House Plans which provide an open-air connection to the outdoors. The smell of the seabreeze or fresh mountain air is just outside the door.  Several of our house plans feature a roof-top observation deck to provide a panoramic view and provide your own private sunbathing deck or gathering spot high above the crowd overlooking your neighbors roofline for a glimpse of the ocean or distant view.

Lookout Cottage

Porches Cottage with Roof Deck

Sunrooms

According to Houzz, one of the top 25 home trends for 2016 is having a sunroom.  A sunroom gives you a place to sit and relax while being bathed in sunshine.  It's a special retreat in your own home.  It's a get-a-way from the norms of life.  It's a happy place when it's too hot or too cold to go outside.

If you are planning on building a home this year and want a sunroom, consider the following:

Side of the Grand Island Cottage.

The Grand Island Cottage will give you a generous place to enjoy the sun. At 12'-4" wide by 37'-5" long, the sunroom gives you a great place for relaxing or a casual place to entertain.  It features windows which are interrupted only by the fireplace.  It also includes doors which connect it to the front and rear porches of the house.

Rear of the Porches Cottage with Roof Deck.

Another option to consider is the Porches Cottage with Roof Deck.  Called a Flexroom in our on-line plan, the room features three large, double windows to bathe the room in light.  This sunroom includes space for a mini-kitchen, bar, or built-ins and measures 12'-10" wide by 27'-8" long. It is located on the rear of the home, which is especially great if that's the direction of your view.

Front left side of the Country Cottage

For those who desire a something a little different, the 3,565 sf Country Cottage features an L-shaped sunroom with windows into the living spaces.  The light-filled sunroom will bring sunshine even further into your home!  In addition to this, the wall-to-wall windows provide a view on two sides of the house.

Rear of the Hip Cottage with Attached Garage.

If you are looking for a smaller home, the Hip Cottage with Attached Garage has an 11'-0" by 11'-0" sunroom in the rear.  This sunroom is lined with windows on two sides, as well, and also includes windows through to the living room.  It is a cozy place to sit, relax and take time for yourself.


For more information about any of the homes mentioned here, including additional pictures, please visit our website.  If you didn't see anything that appealed to you in this post, most of our home plans include screened porches which can easily be changed into a sunroom.

Plantation Cottage Video

We recently added a new video to our YouTube Channel.



See the interior and exterior of the Plantation Cottage with pictures from a built home!  If you like what you see, this house plan is available for purchase on our website:  www.southerncottages.com.

Thanks for checking out our blog!

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitectpa.com.

View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

Home Trend for 2015: Small Houses

According to articles on the internet, like this one from The Fiscal Times or this one from Slate, the small home is making a come-back.  Whether you're an empty-nester looking to downsize or a young couple looking for your first home, people are looking for smaller homes and smaller mortgages.

 

At 1,260 square feet, our Hip Cottage fits the bill for being small.  Yet, it still has everything you need!  Inside of this house you get two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open concept living & dining room, good sized kitchen, laundry room, front porch, rear screened porch, plus storage.

If 1,260 sf is too small for you, the Hip Cottage comes in a few different sizes: 

• 1,423 sf which includes a wrap around porch; 
• 1,545 sf with an attached garage; 
• and 2,497 sf with a basement.

What's great about our house plans is that all of the Southern Cottages House Plans are designed by an architect to give you style with a comprehensive design at a price you can afford! 

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitectpa.com.

View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.