New Modern and Country/Cottage House Plans

From Lithuania to Maine

One of the great pleasures of my job as Houseplans.com editor is helping make a wide range of high quality home designs available from around the world, and this week I’m excited to announce the arrival of two new plans by Arch L. A. B. in Lithuania and two new plans by architect Bruce Butler in Maine.  They’re all part of our Exclusive Collection. Residential architecture should be as diverse as the cultures that shape it and these four plans exemplify that concept. Arch L. A. B.’s

Plan 552-3, above, is a 1,752 sq. ft.  3 bedroom 2.5 bath two story design that draws inspiration from the simple gable forms of Lithuanian farm architecture –

like this barn house example near Nemunaitis, Lithuania (photo © Victor Gedris, courtesy vic.gedris.org), or this farmstead built of shaped logs (photo by

Sigurdas, courtesy Wikimedia Commons). Arch L. A. B. abstracted the barn

shape, expanded openings, added a carport and privacy screen, and developed an efficient layout for modern living. Kitchen/dining area and great room occupy

opposite ends of the long rectangular plan and are linked by a gallery with built-in cabinetry. A rear deck runs the length of the house and is accessible from

the dining area and the entry hall. Upstairs offers a similar linear arrangement for the bedrooms. Arch L. A. B.’s Plan 552-4 takes a more International Style

Modern approach — you could also call it a contemporary ranch house — with

projecting flat roofs and walls of stone and glass in a 1,716 sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath, one story design. One of the key features of this plan is the way each major

room — great room, dining room, master bedroom — opens up its corner location with nearly floor-to-ceiling glass, thereby providing natural light from two directions while linking to the surrounding landscape.

Bruce Butler has perfected the porch-oriented home and his latest designs offer country living with extremely well thought-out room arrangements. He calls

Plan 546-2 Lakeside Cottage and it’s easy to imagine yourself relaxing on the wrap-around porch or on the screen porch sipping a cool drink. The 2,180 sq. ft.

Country/Farmhouse style plan includes a large family room and kitchen with an L-shaped island. The kitchen includes a walk-in pantry with laundry off the front

hall. The master suite is on the ground floor; the other two bedrooms, each with its own bath, are on the upper level. Plan 546-3 is a classic 3,130 sq. ft.

Country/Farmhouse that takes advantage of every season with covered front and side porches, a generous screen porch, and a mudroom. The ground floor office

can double as a guest room thanks to the adjacent full bath. There’s a media room as well as a family room. The kitchen includes a large walk-in pantry and there is a storage/utility alcove beside the garage entry. The bedrooms are

upstairs, with generous walk-in closets for each along with the laundry, and a spacious shared bath between bedrooms 2 and 3. This design is all about turning a year round home into its own vacation getaway.

For more on Arch L. A. B. click here; for more on Bruce Butler, click here.