One of the most popular residential building styles in the United States, a Colonial style home is a favourite among American families. With the characteristic rectangular shape, two-storey structure, wood facade, and shuttered windows, the brand-new home that you’ll tour in this ideabook is an excellent example of familiar style. Designed by Hallie Bowie, the architect and founder of New Leaf Home Design, this practical, pleasing, and highly functional family home is located in Shaker Heights, a suburb very close to Cleveland, Ohio. All said, it’s about as all-American as it gets: this home’s setting in America’s heartland provides the perfect stage for the traditional Colonial elements found throughout the design of the house.
Exterior
High quality interior
The architect’s philosophy revolves around quality design and quality materials, believing these elements of home building to be ultimately more important than sheer square footage, in terms of being able to enjoy your home. In this interior, the emphasis on quality is clear: hardwood floors are topped with luxurious woven rugs, and a fireplace with a high quality brick and wood construction occupies the focal point of the room. Special attention has also been given to the transition between rooms; while the home maintains the classic divided room layout typical of Colonial architecture, they’ve been given a dose of contemporary convenience with the addition of sturdy wooden sliding doors.
Moderation is key
In a vision as familiar as the friendly white porch, this dining room maintains a traditional layout defined by logic and symmetry. A moderate approach has been taken in all rooms of the home, but in this laid-back room it becomes especially evident, as the furniture and decor makes a modest, less-is-more statement that prizes familiar traditions, great food, and healthy relationships over the presence of elaborate and decorative “stuff”.
Serious about cooking
This home is clearly designed with a busy family lifestyle at the forefront. This spacious kitchen provides a well-equipped and accessible space for cooking up a storm, and the open floor plan makes supervising the kids during meal prep an easier task. The room still draws inspiration from history (note the farm sink, white wooden cabinets, and moulding on the ceiling), but modernity makes an intervention for the sake of convenience (open floor plan, stainless steel appliances). Overall, the space takes on an energizing and optimistic appearance with its yellow walls, making the atmosphere all the more hospitable.