What an honest way for a building to say, "I'm a home".

The American Four-Square, may be my favorite style of all time. When you see a block of foursquares, your looking at a block that was developed between the 1890's and the 1930's. It is well known and understood the American Foursquare design was influenced by the popular Craftsman Movement coming out of the British Isles. But, when I look at the homes scale, proportions, wide eve's, hipped roof, horizontal emphasis, and rigorous simplicity, I see Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style influence. The Prairie and Craftsman styles were developed using a philosophy that believed a home should be honest, simple and well crafted. This thinking was in contrast to the popularity of the Victorian Era styles that took advantage of industrialization and how it was changing the face of small towns across America.

The story the front of this house tells is authentic and rich!

The story the front of this house tells is authentic and rich! Symmetry is such a strong compositional element. It suggests a real sense of balance, order, control, and safety. It's simple to understand and therefore comfortable. But this home has much more than just a formal organization going for it. I love the play between the formal (stiff, serious, rigid) ordering of the homes front elevation and the (casual, inviting, approachable) human scale that is developed through the main floor's proximity to the ground plane and the use of the bluestone patio and landscape. So, what story do you think the front of this home and yard tell? My story: - I see a scene of a casual gathering of friends and family on a beautiful day, filtered sunlight coming through the tree branches, the front door open with young and old people going in and out, others sitting at small white clothed tables on the patio eating and chatting, children playing in the yard, more guests arriving and being welcomed. - I smell the scent of pine, flowers, and food cooking on the grilI. -I hear laughter, chatter, music, car doors closing, and yes, children being told to be careful near the street. Why can I see, smell, and hear this joyfull moment in the family's life? Because the property was designed to promote activity in the front yard of the home, making the community a player in that activity. Now imagine this home three feet higher out of the ground with a stoop, landing, iron rail, and shrubbery on both sides of the door under the windows. It certainly would be a beautiful house, but the stories that a home with less indoor/outdoor connection could promote would be very different.