Not So Big House-Inspired Home near Westby

I'm currently working on a new home to be located on a rural property near Westby, Wisconsin.  My clients are fans of Sarah Susanka and her "Not So Big House" concept, which "values quality over quantity and emphasizes comfort, beauty and a high level of detail".

The main living spaces will contain some special details such as multiple window seats, custom built-in shelves and cabinets, and a lowered soffit around the edges of the room combined with a vaulted ceiling in the middle.  To reduce costs, the bedrooms and other areas of the house will be left fairly simple.

Two of Susanka's trademark design features are utilized here:  defining spaces with changes of ceiling height and using horizontal trim bands to reinforce room scale and emphasize changes in the wall and ceiling plane.

The 3D Floor Plan above shows the public spaces on the right side, including a living/dining area, kitchen,  nook for the grand piano, entry foyer and screen porch.  

From the foyer, one looks past an arch to the piano nook.  The foyer is defined by the arch as well as columns and a lowered soffit between the foyer and seating area.

The view above shows the vaulted ceiling above the living/dining area, with 7' soffits around the edges creating a perceived transition to the piano nook and foyer.

As seen above, there are window seats centered on the dining table and the seating area.  They are made to feel more cozy by the 7' soffits above them and the bookcases which define their sides.

The image above shows the view from the kitchen toward the living/dining area and the screen porch, with the two windows seats on the left.