The last thing you need is a house that causes stress. Here are 10 ways to create zones of serenity that are both practical and aesthetically perfect. 

 

"Homes are visible, physical and static expressions of their owners, and they should always help us cope with the complex world beyond our front doors," says Stewart Elliott, a regional manager at Michigan-based Riverbend Timber Framing. "Creating a stress-free home comes down to making smart choices about design and ensuring that each space reflects how we really live."

We've used this philosophy to peg 10 ideas that may not always keep the maddening world at bay, but at least make your home a refuge for family and friends. 

Practical Elements

1. Functional Foyers
Limiting your home to a single drop zone-that is, a place to deposit everything from keys to coats-is a no-no. Incorporate at least a few, and the most important might be your entryway.

Barry Hryciw, drafting manager at Ontario, Canada-based Linwood Custom Homes, notes that a closet is essential, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the main coat storage for your family. "You certainly can opt for a small closet in this space, but be sure to include adequate shelving," he says. The entryway needs quick functionality, including exceptional and warm lighting, built-in cabinetry and furnishings (think about benches for taking off shoes or placing bags) that offer beauty, too. This architectural first impression will carry over to the rest of your home.

Design Tip
A minimum size for the main entrance is 8 by 8 feet, which should provide enough space for guests to comfortably enter and remove coats and shoes.

2. Kitchen Office
Home offices are wonderful, but they're often located in areas that aren't on the front lines of your family's daily battles: bill paying, homework, email and more. Where to carve out this space? Kitchen islands are the most versatile, and a desk (don't forget drawers) can be tucked on their backsides away from food-prep areas. If you're hosting guests and need extra counter or eating space, make sure your computer equipment and important documents can be stored out of the way in nearby cabinets or drawers.

Design Tip
If your kitchen doesn't have enough space for a desk and chair, opt for a so-called command center-a tall, narrow desk designed for standing and taking care of quick routines.

3. Mudroom
The name connotes messiness, but this space is truly about order. In fact, it might be the most important room in your home-especially since it may hold hooks for grocery bags and umbrellas, cubbies for mail and magazines, storage bins for recycling and sports equipment, and a sink for rinsing everything from paint brushes to gardening gloves.

Design Tip
Locate your mudroom off of your kitchen, enabling you to store essentials and giving you quick access to these items-or stashing them away when guests arrive.

4. Butler's Pantry
We love the heralded comeback of the butler's pantry-a short hallway between the kitchen and dining room-to house everything from dishware to cookbooks to foodstuffs. It's such a hot trend that some homeowners, especially those who entertain often, choose fewer kitchen cabinets and instead opt to carve out this space.

Design Tip
Some of the most efficient pantries are L-shaped with glass-front display cabinets, wine storage and mini refrigerators.

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Do you have a question about your home or building project?  Please forward your questions to pam@timberframe.org and the answer may be found in the next edition of "In Touch." 

If you have built a timber frame home and you'd like to share your story with our readers, please pass along your story (and any photos) -- we'd like to highlight your project!  Send your story to info@timberframe.org! 

Established in October 1995, the Timber Frame Business Council (TFBC) was created as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality, integrity and marketability of the timber frame industry.  TFBC is committed to strengthening and advancing the business, communications and research capabilities within the timber frame industry.  

Using its most traditional definition, timber framing is a specific type of post and beam construction in which a frame is created from solid wood timbers that are connected by several types of interlocking wood joinery including mortise and tenon, dovetails or scarfs secured with hardwood pegs.

 

Timber frames are enclosed using several methods. While traditional timber frames were typically in-filled (between the posts and beams) with various mixtures of clay, straw, lime and other regionally available materials, contemporary frames use several methods that effectively enclose the timber frame and allow the timbers to remain exposed to the interior of the building. Timber framing is a building system which lends itself well to both residential and commercial construction over a broad spectrum of architectural styles such as; traditional, rustic, modern, southwestern, oriental and colonial to name a few. Timber framing integrates well with many other building systems and materials, such as; structural insulated panels, log systems, engineered wood products, concrete and conventional stud framing.

 

 

Pam Hinton, Executive Director

Timber Frame Business Council