Jay, I came across a house plan today and thought of you. If this plan was reversed front to back, it might give you some ideas.

One bedroom floor plan

Reading these posts reminds me of a newly built rectangle-shaped house of 1100 square feet I was in about a year ago. It was on acreage in the PNW. It had 2 bedrooms - one bedroom on either end of the longer length. Each bedroom has its own small but functional 3/4 bath. The kitchen ran across the back of the great room. There was a built in desk for one of the owners - an artist - to work at. The peak of the roof had a skylight in it that followed the length of the roof, along the peak. The light was wonderful in the space. There was a full length covered porch with pillars cut from the stripped cedar logs felled to make room for the house. Its symmetry and simple beauty so fitting to the site appealed to me. I could easily imagine something like that next to your wonderful barn. Seems to me your nearly symmetrical plans are getting to that.

Just a thought in favor of keeping the relative simplicity of your plan.

Marti- Pretty plan!

Orcasgramma- Nice description...I wish you had pictures, since it sounds beautiful :)

Jay- What happened to this plan? You could enter the garage through the den, or the screened porch/living room, or from the front porch. I like this one better, for the entry, laundry and living room space. I also like that your entry is not right next to your driveway...it's much better, with the front porch, IMHO. {{gwi:2077781}}From Kitchen plans

Actually, LL, read your response to my posting that design. I'm pretty sure they won't let me have a doorway from the garage into a closed room like the den. If I were going to go with that plan, I'd probably eliminate the den, making it a foyer instead, and thus enlarging the LR a bit. That takes us even further back in the design chain!

It's interesting to look back and see the evolution of all of these ideas. It helps to re-visit some of the old ones.

Marti- That's a nice plan. I'll tinker with it a bit to see what emerges. The first thing that strikes me, though, is all the jogs in the walls, and assumedly, in the foundation as well. That raises the price for the sake of keeping the square footage down. It does add interest to the exterior, though.

Oh yes, I agree. It doesn't look like it would take much to square it up though.

had some time to tweak your plan ...
not sure of what you are thinking for the exterior , but i'm attaching a possible front elevation , as an example ...
let me know your thoughts ...

Wow, I love that one Summerfield. Great job!

I'm very uncomfortable criticizing someone else work, especially work as nice as Summerfield does! But I'm going to have to- we're really close here, but there are a few things that would be unworkable for us.

First, I won't have a closet that you have to walk through the bathroom. I've never understood two sinks in the Master bath, since neither of us would ever go in the bathroom when someone else is using it. I know these things are done all of the time, but not by us. If my wife were doing her lengthy morning bathroom routine, I wouldn't be able to get to the closet until she was done.

The closet is a lot of wasted space. If I'm just going to have hanging space on one wall, I'll go with a reach-in and save the 3' of width. Also, the closet blocks the morning sun, which is the point of having the MBR where it is. BTW- That is approximately east, to the right.

The den will be the primary TV room, so the couch needs to be directly opposite the TV. I don't see a need for the door to the porch with the foyer being so close by. Ditto for the MBR.

As for the front elevation- I would have a gable extend out over the front porch, rather than the shed roof and faux dormer. Since the house is such a basic shape, I'm going to punch it up by trying to make it as close to an authentic Craftsman style as I can. This means big overhangs (24" minimum), fat tapered columns on the porch, and eave brackets, at least on the front gable. The siding (the first thing I bought LOL) is fiber-cement clapboards, with a 7" reveal. I'd do something different in the gables- board and batten or shingles like you've shown.

For someone who didn't want to criticize, I sure wrote a lot! The front of the house is the tricky part; the back is easy, given the desired exposures. I have yet another plan I'll put up this evening. I really appreciate everyone's input, and I think we're pretty close!

I think Summerfield is a mind reader, only it was my mind being read this time. That plan is absolutely the perfect plan for our next house. I snagged it the minute I saw it and put it in my retirement home folder. Now I'll stop thinking about houses so Summerfield can read your mind. Deal?

Marti- LOL! That is a perfect retirement home :)

Jay- You had an earlier design, where you wanted access to the porch, from the den and bedroom. That's probably why Summerfield shows access directly, from each room.

Also, it's easy enough to have one sink, instead of two. If you never plan to sell you house, center the sink. If you think you might, put the sink on one side and have a longer vanity on the other...in case a potential buyer wants to easily add a second sink.

If you no longer want to access the porch, from the den, it would be easy enough to rearrange the layout.

And, if you don't need direct access to the porch, from the master bedroom, you could put the closet there and move the bedroom, back to the other wall, giving you corner light. Just a few ideas :)

Believe it or not, this is based on the link that Marti posted. As I drew it, I had to keep changing things to make it work, and here is how it came out. The garage door could be anywhere along the hallway, although either the foyer, or opposite the basement stairs would work best. Likewise, I didn't do much detailing; just the basics to see how it works. The main difference over my other recent plans is in the master suite. I kind of like it, because it's a self-contained suite, and can be shut off completely from the rest of the house. There is a lot of storage; 18 linear feet of hanging space in the closet, plus all of the shelving outside of it, which could alternately be more hanging space. In recent years, I've gone over to plastic bins for clothes that don't need to be hung up. There's also a big linen closet over the stairs.

The master bath seems plenty big, too. The second bath has been reduced to a powder room, and the den is gone altogether. I'm still on the fence about whether to have the den on the main floor, or in the basement.

The porch could be wider, and then there could be a door from the MBR on to it. In this plan, it's a lot further to the front door in an emergency.

There will be a deck or screened porch somewhere off of the back. I first drew it behind the garage, but with the fireplace there, there's nowhere to put a door. I could access a porch there via a door from the deck instead....maybe a shallow deck with a shed roof over it, so you could get to the porch on a rainy day without getting wet.

now , i see the gargoyle moniker is apposite :-(

when someone offers you free assistance ... don't critcise their effort , and then use their ideas ...

you're still stuck ...

Ouch...

Jay- I think that Summerfield's design has a lot of potential...and you seem to have adopted much of the living room/dining room, into your plan. Why not add the TV, in the living room? If you don't want it visible at all times, just put it behind cabinet doors...but it would be much more comfortable (and better seating) than the den. And, I don't even see the den, in your latest plan.

Also, in this last plan...where is the laundry? And, do you realize you put TWO sinks, in the master bath? It's very similar to Summerfield's, now that I look at it, just turned sideways...without the pocket door. Maybe you were more impressed with the plan, than you realized? :)

As I said, I don't like to criticize, and this is exactly why. The only thing I may have been harsh on was the closet design. Not walking through the bathroom is a personal preference; nobody's at fault there. Everything else was just an observation. Just because you posted a nice design doesn't mean I'm going to like everything in it. Don't ask 'What do you think?' unless you actually want to know. I guess we're done here.......

Jay- I think it was more about criticizing...and then using, some of the same ideas. You were quite adamant about NOT wanting two sinks, in the master bath...and then put two sinks, in your new plan. You also incorporated the bump out, in the living room, and took out the window seat in the dining room (which I liked).

We all realize you really want to find a plan that works...and I think you're getting close. You just need to finalize a few things, such as do you really need a den...do you want to have such a small entry...and where you want to place the front door.

I really like the front door placement on Summerfield's design, but I agree, that with the front door, you don't need access to the porch, from the den and bedroom.

One of the things I think works so well, in Summerfield's plan (and maybe you can incorporate it) is the arched division, between the entry and stair hall. It breaks up a long space and gives you a feeling of 'entry' into your home. Sarah Susanka (Not So Big House) always talks about the importance of 'arriving' when approaching your home. This would give you the porch, the entry and then being 'invited' down the hall, with a view out the dining room windows, to your lovely view.

If you left the french door 'as is' in Summerfield's plan (between the living an dining areas) you could have the bump out for the living room...and also put in the window seat in the dining room. That would give the room balance and still provide easy access to the back deck or porch. That would look really nice :)

Have to agree Jay. I think Summerfield was throwing another set of ideas out there for you, and I read your tone to be a bit exasperated at the effort. We're all just trying to bring out different arrangements so you can build your dream home.

This last plan incorporates the kitchen/dining/living from Summerfield's last plan with the master suite from the link I found, so all the brainstorming has been useful. I'm still not crazy about the long entry hall with the half bath, but I also realize I don't have to live there, and you said you won't have much company.

I know resale probably isn't a consideration for you at this point, but someday, someone is going to have to sell this house and property, whether it is you, your wife, or your heirs. Summerfield's plan, and this last drawing of yours has more potential than the others for adding on or enclosing the garage for more bedroom space.

I am a newbee to the Garden Web and have been scrolling around as I am remodeling a small space - 957 SF total, a little beach condo. However, a few years ago I downsized big time from a very large home to under 2000SF. One of the best things I did was go to Ikea for inspiration on space planning. I bought a few things, not much, but it gave me a real education on how much you can pack into small spaces.

First- an apology. I'm truly sorry if my comments didn't come off as intended, and apparently they didn't. I'm not a very good communicator, and it shows. I carefully re-read my response (shoulda done that the first time!) and realized that it appeared as though I was criticizing two sinks in the master bath, and then went ahead and included it in my next design- D'oh!

What I meant was that I don't like or understand bathrooms intended to be used by two people at the same time, or bathrooms that you have to walk through to access another function, such as the closet or laundry. I did finally see a reason for two sinks- so I could have my 'own' sink without having to shove beauty products out of the way every morning.

A little backstory, which might explain some of my pent-up frustration- I started out with an architect over 5 years ago. While wonderfully talented, he continued to ignore very specific requests on each go-round. I finally realized that he was designing what HE liked in a house!

Summerfield- You obviously know a lot more about house design than I do. It had to have taken hours to do each rendering. That's precisely why I don't put much detail in my drawings- I need to get the basics down before I worry about the details. When I started this thread, what I had in mind was to hash out the basics with quick sketches. If we were sitting around a table, I'd be dashing off ideas with a soft pencil, but in this electronic age, it's easier to do a 15 minute Sketch-Up rendering.

I want to thank all of my Small Homes friends for their valued input- I expect that there will be a little bit of all of us in the final design. That being said- I'm done- with the design process, that is. I have nearly 100 sketches to mull over, and one of them will be The One. Design-by-committee has it's pluses and minuses, that's for sure. I'm the one who (literally) has to live with the final design, and I need to stop seeking others approvals, and build what suits me best. There will of course be a build thread posted in Small Homes so you all can see what I'm up to.

Thanks again- Jay

thank you , jay ...

apology well accepted :-)

i am attaching yet another "final" plan ... perhaps usable ... perhaps not ... no wasted space , and just under 1300 square feet ..

the very best for you , as you finalise your desires :-)

Getting my "save Image as" finger ready.....

I love this one too, Summerfield. I am constantly amazed at your ability to rearrange features within a plan.

Oh, I like this plan! It's so compact, but still has lots of wonderful details. The porch is so nice and the entry space...with the powder room. I like the back hall, to the garage and the basement...and the stairs will come down into a family room area, if there is one.

Having the dressing area/laundry so close to the hall is great and would allow people visiting to use the laundry, without walking through the bedroom. The french doors in the dining room are great! Right out to the deck or screened porch :)

I think we have a winner! I can only see one 'structural' change to make, and I'll try to explain why. I'm pretty set against stacked washer/dryers, and here's why:

All of the ones I've seen are rather small. I do large loads of very dirty work clothes, and even our average-sized stand-alone seems small. The other reason is that dryers seem to outlive washing machines by a wide margin. Our basic dryer is on its third washing machine. Dryers are very simple, and cheap and easy to fix. Washers, on the other hand, have a finite lifespan after which they are not worth fixing. That used to be 15 years, but now its about 10. The tran$mi$$ion on ours just went, and they're more expensive to fix than replace. So if I bought a stacked unit, and the washer went, I'd have to scrap a perfectly good dryer, since they are sold as a single unit. Perhaps there are some different ones on the market now; I'll have to research it.

All that being said- I sketched the same layout, only moved the coat closet to the hall to the garage to make room for side-by-side appliances.

I'll have to research to make sure that its code-legal to have the main egress from the MBR go through what amounts to a closet. They get funny about some of that stuff, and its a looonngg process to find it buried in 600+ pages of legalese. If we CALL it a closet, I know it won't fly, but as a 'dressing room', or 'hallway', it might be OK.

It's a great design, and stands well exactly as-is. I'll wiggle things a little here and there to suit my peculiarities, but that's about all.

Thank-you all for your help, patience, and understanding!

Oh no, you can buy single pieces and stack them. I think you can stack any front load washer & dryer. We stacked ours for awhile, but it was a little too tall for me. But then, I'm short.

Jay- Marti's right...you can get stand alone washers and dryers that stack now. The washers are front loading and can be replaced, individually. You just need to make sure your subfloor can support a little extra weight, as the washer is on the bottom. It should be no problem, with a stick-built home...usually more of a concern, with manufactured homes :)

My mom has the older kind (I believe you're thinking about) with the one piece. It's nice, but if you had a lot of bulky laundry, the washer only opens so far, with the dryer above. The new separates/stacked units (with the front loading washer) don't have that same problem.

I did some quick research, and many units are indeed stackable. I see two drawbacks- I don't like front-load washers much, and it can be hard to reach the controls on the dryer. Since my wife is somewhat vertically challenged (one of the reasons for no overhead cabinets in the kitchen) that could be a problem. We had a front-load, and although it did some things well, there was no way to pre-soak my oily/greasy work clothes. I ended up soaking them in a bucket- not exactly convenient.

Anyhow- some like red flowers, some like blue.... I plan to make room for a side-by-side laundry. It's not that hard to change within the floor plan.

We aren't what you'd call 'well-to-do', so I like to design around cheap, generic appliances wherever I can. We'll have a 30" drop-in range, a standard 33" two bowl sink, a small top-freezer refrigerator, and El-cheapo white generic laundry machines. If things get really bad, I can go to a used appliance place and pick up something for $100, knowing it will fit.

Jay- LOL! I know exactly how you feel! I love posting beautiful pictures, but I'm really cheap too, when it comes to appliances. And, I'd rather reuse an old cabinet than buy a new one...and all my garden arches/arbors were on clearance!

Even if I have the money to pay full price, I grew up appreciating the challenge of a 'good deal' so somehow I see it as a bit of a failure, to just go out and buy all new anything. I've been teaching my nieces/nephews the joys of shopping at Goodwill and seeing past the mess, to what the desk/dresser/chair will look like with some hard work and paint, contact paper, fabric and a staple gun :)

I don't like front loading washers either...but I wanted you to know that they do make them, as stackable units. I had to replace my washer a while back and got the cheap white, too. It's a classic and you're right...they're not made that well anymore, so why invest a ton of money into an appliance that's not going to last.

The exception is something like ML's range, which is going to be beautiful...but most appliances we find at the local store are not as well made. Too bad we don't build things to last anymore, like some of the vintage ranges that are still being rehabbed and used in kitchens, over on the kitchen forum.

Sure, I understand that too. The only thing I really like about having the front loader is having a counter over it. So handy for folding clothes. But the noise (they're really loud) and the door issues make me wish I had kept a top loader.

reworked the dressing area to accommodate the enlarged laundry ...

had to relocate the front porch windows to balance the facade elevation ... resulted in modifying the master bath ... i hope that the changes are acceptable ... also brought the front wall of the garage flush with the house ... this will allow easier roof construction ...

added a small bump-out at the master bedroom to accommodate a full-size desk ...

attaching an elevation , so that you can visualise the results ...

That's terrific, Summerfield!

Just a thought- The main house is going to have somewhere between 9' to 10' ceilings. 8' is more appropriate for the garage. I can see you already have the garage perhaps 18" lower than the house; it may be more than that, due to the lay of the land. I wonder if there's room to step the roof down over the garage, or what it would look like?

Summerfield- That's beautiful!

Jay- Wow! :)

Great Plan & beautiful exterior! :)

That is really a nice looking front porch.Great plan. LOL there is a perfect spot for a coffee pass through from the kitchen to master close to the prep sink. I would LOVE that.

I agree, that plan is gorgeous.

Shades- What a good idea! That could work for tea, too...right? :)

Are we ready for some details now?

I'm thinking a roof pitch of 5/12 or 6/12, which is more in keeping with a Craftsman house. My guess is the one in the front elevation is more like 8/12. A flatter roof will be safer for this old man to work on, too!

The roofing will either be painted, ribbed metal (likely) or slate-look metal shingles ($$$).

The lower columns will either be brick (likely) or round stones, which I like, but may be too hard/expensive.

I'm playing around with all sorts of decorative infill for the porch railings.

I like the eave trim at the peak, but I'm not sure how it will look on a flatter roof. I was thinking maybe heavy timber-type brackets, 5 altogether- one in the middle, one on each side at the bottom, and each side half way up.

With a flatter roof, I'll probably put a decorative vent in the gable rather than a window.

I have to decide on ceiling height(s). I want to go a minimum of 9' for the main areas; possibly as much as 10'. The bathrooms and closets, halls, and closets will be 8'. I'm not sure what height would work best with the rooms sizes shown. I want to do coffered ceilings- possibly in the LR, DR, and kitchen, with lowered beams delineating each room. I was thinking using bead-board infill for the LR, embossed tin panels in the kitchen, and the DR? Maybe an angled pattern to the coffered beams, and plain infill. We have a large, Art Deco ceiling fan for the DR.

The kitchen ceiling will have schoolhouse pendant lights, along with some kind of task lighting. I want to have transoms over the kitchen windows with stained glass inserts (Chris- do you do commissioned work?)

I'd like to start with no overhead cabs in the kitchen, and only add them sparingly if we feel we need the space. Lowers will be almost all drawers.

Counter tops- Soapstone would be my first choice, but it will likely be out of our price range. Butcher block would be cheaper, but I'm worried about the maintenance aspects. Most likely we'll go Formica, at least to get the house occupied.

Most of the flooring will be rustic, wide red oak, face nailed with forged head nails. I don't want a 'bowling alley shine' that the dog will soon destroy!

There will be a lot of wainscoting, both because we like it, and it reduces the amount of drywall finishing.

There are some gorgeous Craftsman outdoor lighting fixtures, but the prices are equally breath-taking. I'll probably throw some generic cheapies up, and hand-craft my own out of copper during the winter months.

Bear in mind that much of this will be possible by doing the work myself. The materials for a coffered ceiling really aren't much; it's the labor that gets ya. If time and or money run short, I can always eliminate some of the niceties, or do them at a later date. Things such as the fireplace may have to wait, too. I have an antique mantel I can tack to the wall until I have the necessary funds for the real thing!

I'm putting this all out there as a general vision, and to see if anyone has any comments or ideas. While I want a Craftsman vibe, think Craftsman cottage, with white painted woodwork rather than the dark, heavy oak that is true to type. Thanks for all of the help and support so far, and in the future!

Oh that sounds lovely! I can't wait to see the ceilings.

Summerfield you plan is beautiful.

Flgargoyle your ideas for building it seem lovely. I am looking forward to seeing this project evolve.

Hey, Jay!!!
The beadboard and the schoolhouse lights....you have my attention!! And the stained glass transoms with an art deco
ceiling fan, how lovely. Also, no upper cabs in the kitchen?
Are you reading my mind? That is exactly in tune with my idea for my kitchen redo....except I want a dish rack for my everyday dishes. And some open shelving on the range side.
If we had ceilings in the 9 or 10 foot range, I'd want to feature them too like you are with coffered ceilings. But then, I think you will be doing a lot of your work yourself, and we have a contractor. But I am doing a fairly wide shelf at the soffit height to go around the room (kitchen and dining rooms) at a height just above the door way woodwork.

Have you done any thinking about a plainish crown molding and maybe a high baseboard too? It does add a lot to the detailing....sort of like adding eye makeup for emphasis.

I'm glad I read the last paragraph of your post above, because I always see WHITE WOODWORK, and that is the only issue I'd have with Craftsman style. Craftsman has a lot of geometric shapes, and if you looked into some of Frank Lloyd Wright's window designs, especially for the transoms, you'd find a "theme" pattern that could be repeated consistently throughout the house. His designs were all "signature" designs, and you house could certainly benefit from it.

Maybe think about working the name of your property into the design somehow. Moonshine? What was that name again?
Bootleg? And a tall pine tree with the moon shining through the limbs. YeeeeHAAAA, you are almost ready to choose, are you not? Good luck...

Jay your plans do sound wonderful. I am also anxious to see this project start.

I have not learned to do stained glass yet. I only do mosaics. I have seen some lovely deco windows done in mosaics. They were done on long narrow windows and hung in front of a regular window. This way you still have the wonderful insulating factor. I would be more than happy to set up up with what you needed to do one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Some Deco mosaics

What I had in mind for stained glass was to incorporate a couple green Depression glass plates into a transom window. I saw a beautiful and expensive window done that way. Depression glass is still pretty inexpensive. I'd buy a quantity of matching plates (Small and fairly plain) and have all of the transoms match. They would be inserts to go into double-pane transom windows. Sorry- I thought you did stained glass as well as mosaics. I bet you could, though!

I'll probably put some open shelves in the kitchen for glasses and such. I'm trying to sell my wife on the idea of getting rid of our mixture of funky glasses, and buying all matching stuff from a place like Ikea. Glasses and mugs can go on very shallow shelves, and flatware can stand on end in a Mason jar or the like. I HATE rummaging through the odds and ends for a plain old spoon! Look for a new post on this subject.....

Moldings and trim are easy if you have the know-how and equipment (I do). Rather than buying large, expensive moldings, it's much easier to stack different components. Take an ordinary 1X8, mill a bead on one edge, put a smaller crown molding on it, and now you have a dramatic molding on the (relatively) cheap. There are places that sell basic crown and baseboard very cheaply on craigslist. With a little stacking, you can disguise very generic moldings into something special. I read Journal of Light Construction, a residential trade magazine for builders, and it's full of tips to get a custom effect out of pedestrian materials.

I think the name we came up with was 'Bootleg Hill'. I like the idea of the pine in the moonlight- very Deco. Our property is mostly oaks, so it would be good if I could incorporate oak leaves and acorns into a design theme, but they are so overdone. I'll have to do some searching on that......

OH Jay that is a fantastic idea with the plates in the design. I might have to use that one. I saw it done on windows before. I bought some blue plates for a neighbor to work on some windows for her in the yard as decoration.

I did buy out a stained glass artist last spring. So I have the tools just not the know how yet. Some day..............

I was thinking something like these- basic pattern, and fairly pale green. I don't want the colors too intense.

Hey! I have some plates just like that I think.

OH those are really pretty.

Yeah, Jay, Bootleg Hill, and I see the jet green pines silhouetted in the dark with moonlighting the sky and casting shadows on your lawn or garden, or forest floor. It is mostly the shape of the tree, not individual leaves, so you might find inspiration without being ho-hum.

I'm thinking that something like this mirror frame that I posted earlier somewhere else, showing the roots and the crown of the treetop, might work nicely somewhere.

Just the other day, I dug up a briar that filled up a 5 gallon bucket with the tuberous roots. That's the only way to kill them, I think, but I'm keeping the tubers to let dry and see if they are tough like the stuff they make pipes from. But I digress. Here is the picture of the frame. With your tools and imagination, you could make an entry mirror frame to express BOOTLEG HILL. Even a 5" diameter pine sapling split in half could make the sides. Just let it drip the resin out first.....

Summerfield- That's exactly it! Is that the SC palm and moon I see on the porch railings? Here are some railing ideas I played with:

Many Craftsman houses I've looked at have solid in-fill between the cloumns, but I think in SC's hot humid weather you would want more air circulation. I'm also playing with some geometric designs, perhaps something I could also pick up inside the house for transoms or whatever.

Jay, as much as I like those two infills, I'm thinking those designs are conflicting with and distracting the eye from the pattern of the windows.

My suggestion is to use the RISING SUN design for a fence gate. I have a really fine book BY Suzanne Slesin called CARIBBEAN STYLE, and one of the houses/cases does have the rising sun pattern around the porch railing. The bottom on, with the XXXX is reminiscent of the British colonial style in the West Indies.

I love a good porch rail though.
So, I've taken photos of numerous railings and transom designs, and will zip the file up and send it to you.
I'll meanwhile just put ONE photo up here. As soon as I get them off my camera. The book I mentioned is now out of print, but it might be available through some library.
The shots are of actual railings, not just designs from a textbook.

What I'm thinking would be good, is to have a GATE with your palm or sunrise, and then the same sort of design for your transoms, maybe the upper portion of your front door glass.

...stuck because I cannot send the file to you, no address.
and I will not be able to load all the pics on here, they are copyrighted. so I will put up the first 5 out of about 30.

This is the transom and it is a palm design. consider the design for a stencil pattern also, if you like it.

The sunrise design used inside.

And this is shown from ON the porch looking through the railing. I have another of this which is seen from the lawn.

Here is a design I think might work with Craftsman, and make a good shape for the window design or transom inside too. What do you think?

This design is not appropriate if you need to keep in dogs or little tykes, but it is very geometrical.

Hope this gives you some ideas. Look for the book, which is out of print, great tropical designs which tend to be folk design, but on wealthy plantations very classic.

Thanks for the pics- I like the geometric ones! The last one for sure wouldn't meet code- you can't have more than a 4" opening anywhere. Here is one I just drew up which is a little more 'solid'. The geometric pattern could be picked up in a leaded glass transom over the front door, and echoed in the hallway leading in to the living room.

No offense, but after 30+ years in FL, I'm done with palm trees....