What is the Best Home Design?

The best home design can mean different things to different people. What you like about a home might not be liked by someone else. However, there are broader measures that describe what makes a good house and what makes the best home design for you.

The best home design can be measured by the following:

• The design of the house is effective for the needs, lifestyle, and personality of the occupants, and creates a sense of comfort, enjoyment, and interest.
• The design of the house takes full advantage of its site and is properly scaled for the its location and the floor plan.

These factors are subjective but together are easily perceived when you’re in the house and it “feels” right for you. Let’s take a closer look at the descriptions to get an idea of what makes the best house design.

What these descriptions mean

These overall descriptions can be expanded further to get a better sense of what makes the best house design

The needs of the occupants are the first basis of design. This is not only the list of rooms they need but also the sizes and proportions of the rooms to make sure they can work for the activities and furnishings that go in them and to make sure the rooms feel right when your in them.

The diagram above shows a room diagram for a living/dining room shown in blue. Such a diagram should start with a desired furniture layout first. Once you have the layout you can then determine the actual room size you might want (shown by dimensions in the green background field) based upon desired clearance around the furniture and any additional circulation through the room you desire.

The lifestyle has to do with how you live day-to-day. Does the plan support an active lifestyle for those who like to play sports and be outside? Does the plan support a more leisurely lifestyle of relaxation and contemplation? Does the plan support having a lot of formal dinners and parties or more casual family gatherings and events?

The personality has to do with how the plan and aesthetics represents who you are and how you perceive yourself. If you consider yourself down-to-earth you don’t want a fancy formal house. If you are financially successful you might want a house that shows off your success. If you are family oriented you might want an unpretentious and homey design.

A house is comfortable when you are happy and relaxed being there. The spaces are the right size and the relationships between spaces allow for an ease of living.

Enjoyment of a house has to do with how much you like being there and how easily you can do the activities you like. It also has to do with how well it represents you; that you can look at the house from the street and can easily say “that is me!”

Interest in a house has to do with the style and features that you enjoy and that visitors can see and say “that’s so you”, “that’s cool”, or “I wish I had a house like that”. It also comes from the sequence, sizes, and views of the spaces as you walk through them that create intrigue, surprise, and excitement.

A house that takes advantage of the site has a plan that allows for easy access, presents itself well from the street or drive, orients to good views, provides for gardens, yards, and outdoor activities, and takes advantage of sun, shade, good weather, and protection during extreme weather.

A properly scaled house is sized to represent the floor plan and design style without being disproportionate or seeming too big. Additionally the house should be designed so that it does not overwhelm adjacent houses but rather easily fits in with its neighbors and the neighborhood.

The personality of plans

Plans should represent what you need and who you are. Plans can be organized in seemingly endless ways, but should always represent who you are.

If you are a more traditional person you might want a plan with formal individual rooms off of a grand entrance hall. Formal living and dining rooms are where you visit with and entertain your guests while having day-to-day spaces in a different part of the house. You might also have spaces where others can assist you, such as a butler pantry or a a maid’s en-suite bedroom.

The formal plan above has a large front porch off the circular drive that opens onto a broad gallery that runs the length of the house. Across the gallery from the entry is a two-story Great Hall which is used for entertainment and fundraisers. The formal living and dining rooms are off the great hall with a more casual den at the far right. The kitchen/breakfast area is at the left. The veranda that runs the length of the house overlooks a lake.

If you are a casual person you might want a comfortable great room where your sitting, eating, and kitchen spaces are combined into a single open space where everyone is together. You might also want comfortable porches to enjoy the weather and a large backyard for kids to run around and play.

The floor plan above is centered upon the living/dining area. The central space is defined by a line of stone and timber columns on each side that support timber trusses above. Smaller common spaces open directly onto the central space.

If you are a more dynamic person you might be interested in more cutting edge designs. The floor plans could create unique and impressive spaces with great open views to the outside and with a lot of wall space that can display art.

These represent just a few elements that can create personality in a floor plan. The personality of a plan should also match the aesthetic design of the house.

The personality of the look of your house

Let’s take a look at how the three personalities above might be expressed in the look of a house.

A formal personality will want a formal look to the house. Formal styles tend to be larger, often using symmetry and very controlled proportions, very specific detail elements, and high-end materials. Materials tend to be brick or stone, but could also be wood such as in the great shingle style houses of the northeastern states of the U.S.

A more casual personality might want a design that can consist of any number of aesthetics. A rambling plan can allow for an interesting grouping of building masses and roof forms. A more rural house might be simpler, with front or wrap-around porches being the prominent aesthetic. It could also be a casual “California” style emphasizing outdoor spaces. Materials tend to be simpler such as wood siding, simple brick, and stucco.

The dynamic personality could have very non-traditional designs. Such designs often use exposed wood or steel to show off the structure of the house. Glass is abundant to tie the interiors to the exteriors, and unique forms are often created to emphatically state “this is not traditional”.

Mid-century modern influences tend toward single story houses, low or flat roofs, and lots of floor-to-ceiling glass walls looking onto patios and gardens, often focusing on swimming pools. Detailing is very simple, and the structure is often displayed.

Late 20th century modern tended toward exploration of mass and its manipulation, using cutouts and counter forms to create a unique aesthetic. Materials could be anything from simple wood siding for seaside houses to combinations of brick and glass or steel and glass.

Current contemporary styles play a lot with structure and material. Technological developments allow the use of unique construction methods and expressions. There is also a push for dynamic design that addresses regional and green design that works with the local environment.

What design is best for me?

The best design for your house is one that reflects your personality and needs. Floor plans and design styles can be created in endless ways. Regional differences in climate, materials, and lifestyles around the world will influence how plans are created and aesthetics designed.

Since people have different personalities, passions, traditions and needs there is no single “best” house design. There is only a house that can work best for you.

All drawing images are by Cayl Hollis