This is an actual client for an actual project! Thank you for giving me permission to post it! Also the upper floors are now even better with the staircase change!😊
This is infinitely better and also fixes a huge problem not mentioned: The original layout had no rooms suitable for keeping an eye on kids playing in the back from. The living room was on the other side of the house. Now tired parents can relax on the sofa but still look out back and keep an eye on the kids and make sure they aren't falling in the pool or anything. A lot safer.
You do realize a person wealthy enough to build a mansion definitely has staff to watch their kids 24/7, right? And that the staircase leads to the upper floor? Chances are they have their personal living room up there, with the lower stuff just being for meeting guests, as was traditionally the case in such big houses.
@@YamiKisara okay? thats all just a hypothetical based on them being rich, and its not like theyre going to just ignore the fact that their kids exist until they turn 18
@YamiKisara Maybe, but I for one would be a lot more comfortable in that position if I can glance out a window every so often and see that things are OK, regardless of staff presence.
@@YamiKisara But if they are the kind of family who doesn't want to flash it, maybe they don't want a staff. Maybe they just want to have a staff and be hands on like any other family.
@@LouisAlfieri-n2lHe says it’s an actual client and thanks them for giving him permission to share it. (Pinned comment at top.) How do you know he’s lying?
@@cclayton1316the entry changed! It still from the walk in but it is at the entry of the room, instead of the very end of it. The energy was concentrated all at the end of the room instead of flowing smoothly from the entrance, it also made the flowing redundant because it started from the entrance, went to the end of the room, then back up to access the bathroom. Imagine you just need a quick bathroom break when you were in the living room 😅
My father had always called our little room off the foyer the "date inspection room." Sure enough, 15 years later, that is exactly what it was used for! 😊
I imagine there are mostly bedrooms and more family oriented spaces on the second floor, so it makes sense to make the staircase more discreet. It’s for the family, not for guests. A grand staircase is great for a hotel or such, where the second floor is for guests, but it’s weird for a family home.
Great point! Grand staircases are for making a great entrance, with guests walking up/down them to get to the party. Or sometimes a staircase can be the focal point in the room if it's a floating or clear staircase that adds to the aesthetic in a fun way. However a spiral staircase off in one corner still looks grand while also saying "family only," if all they have upstairs are bedrooms.
Guest Room 1 is very important- that’s where the parents will move into as Senior Citizens. Also where family members may stay when sick or recuperating. So nice that it got extended in the improved layout.
@@amysmiles9751 try to explain it with e.g. a possible broken leg (if you want to avoid stairs) or a heavy cold etc (my dad was sleeping on the living room floor when he was coughing through the whole night) ^^
Yes! We’ve also built our guest bedroom in the first floor thinking about the future when my parents or in-laws need to be taken care of and move in with us. It has also been great for family and friends staying over so we can keep our privacy at night, or when my husband has been sick or had very early mornings.
Usually true, my mother also built the bathroom downstairs for a time when she can't walk up the stairs anymore (and she'd have a bed in the living room, it's a small houe). There is just a toilet upstairs. HOWEVER! This family literally has a lift, so it doesn't matter 😂😅 Unless it's only a laundry/luggage lift but I don't think so
@@XIIchiron78 tbh the hotel lobby might be an argument. But generally, I think a staircase like that is pretty. I wouldn't mind one haha but for example in the case of this family, it makes more sense the way he designed it.
When I was a Freshman in high school, we moved from a split level house to a house that had no running water, no indoor plumbing, no kitchen counters, etc. It was built before the Revolution and had a larger fireplace than Valley Forge. But the first year, we all slept in one room to stay warm in the winter. I consider us luckier, because we were not coddled. We learned to build wood fires, split logs, etc. And we still went to school during the day and got our homework done at night. The first few months we used oil lamps, but then we put in about 6 outlets. It made a world of difference. Think about skill development, long range goals, self-discipline and patience. How are you going to develop that in a mansion? Please don’t say Karate or soccer….that’s just ridiculous. 🙏☮️
I love all of the changes with the exception of the "store room" as it drives me crazy to see fancy houses with huge kitchens and no pantries. There still needs to be a store room/pantry by the kitchen.
From what he said there’s an actual kitchen separate, in a building outside the kitchenette. Likely there’s a full pantry in there, or a butlers pantry between the kitchenette and main kitchen. He did say the lady of the house only needed a kitchenette (not the full kitchen) to do some occasional baking, so I’d presume what she needs would be easily stored in what he showed.
That was addressed the cooking happens in another external kitchen. I a guessing the house is in a country were servants are cheaper and they do the cooking. That kitchen is more for serving the food and a bit of light cooking.
The new design makes so much more sense. I'd still change the sitting room, flipping the entrance to be off of the lounge, and repurpose it to be a home office/library/studio/home theater/billiard room/basically anything with an actual function.
I wonder if the family has any business where they meet clients. I’ve known people who do therapy or painters who sell stuff, it would be handy to have a room off the front for that.
He said the people wanted a nice environment to raise their kids. With that in mind the lounge has its purpose. Kids/teenagers can play in the lounge without disturbing other people in the house. For calmer activities or talking with guests they have the living and the lounge is far from the bedrooms and staircase. When people who live together have different schedules, it can create a lot of tensions and a negative atmosphere.
My first thought is how much I love the revised floor plan, but my second thought is that it is almost exactly how I imagined a mansion described in an Agatha Christie novel 🤔
I LOVE how you consider the family's personality, and they sound really nice, too. As someone who grew up in a house designed to present well to guests rather than be actually lived in, I LOVE the coziness and the flow of this home.
It's so nice to hear more background about the project! I saw your short on this project a couple days ago and was like "eh, the staircase would be a selling point for a lot of people" and didn't agree with getting rid of it. But now hearing more context about the family, I totally see why you made that choice!
It would be nice to see the second-floor plan since the lift and the staircase moved. And maybe see if the living room still has the high ceiling which was the placement of the old grand useless staircase. It would be fun to know.😀 Otherwise, a really great floor plan, down to earth and practical.
CHANGES STILL: I’d make the sitting room an office. If there is no pool house, then the toilet should have access to the terrace for pool use. And depending where the family enters the home, a nook facing the hallway near the storage area for shoes, and book bags. Also there is no pantry in your kitchen, family homes need pantries
Missing pantry is explained by this kitchen being a stub, with most cooking being done in another building. Not enough storage and toilets seem exclusive, guests and pool both should have an access.
Much depends on the location of the garage. For both safety and convenience the garage should open to the kitchen, at least in USA. There should be a good sized butlers pantry between the formal dining room and the kitchen for safe and efficient and discreet dinner service. Without that buffer, guests weirdly feel free to barge into the kitchen instead of congregating in the living room, distracting the hostess and generally getting in the way. I would line up the left side of the house with a corridor room where the breakfast area is, below that, the formal dining room, and below that, where the family room is, I would place the formal living room. The corridor would lead to the kitchen. You need a mudroom in a 4 season climate, and an outdoor kitchen in a warmer climate. The corridor could have a laundry or a powder room accessed from the swimming pool area. As the children become teens, the great room opening to the pool will become their space, and trust me, it will not sustain its formality. Agree with moving stairs, having a closed off study and downstairs bedrooms. Do not ever ever ever put a bathroom beside a kitchen or dining room. Gross. Always love your presentations. 😊
Working with me and my 2-bed bungalow in July is going to _very_ different to this 🤣 But it's going to be great all the same. I really look forward to it! You are sensational! What a talent you have.
I love that we got to hear how you considered the client! I’d love for more long form stuff so we can get more of an idea of how you adapt things for different kinds of people c:
Love the changes Cliff! I would make the following small adjustments: "dining" is misspelled in the revised plan, and I would maintain access to the kitchenette from the lounge.
The entrance to the kitchen from the dining room is relatively short, and there are already two doors in the lounge so he might’ve thought another would make it too “exposed.” Idk, personally I don’t like having too many doors
Wow. Literally, this just makes intuitive sense and feels so much more concentrated where similar areas share rooms. Before it was a little shaken up. Very nice work!
I love how he was like “there is nothing really wrong. Then proceeded to change everything. Having said that I loved this more in depth analysis. It was so much fun seeing how everything should work… when you can afford all the space in the world.
I love that little nook, too, but I would have elongated it and turned it into a library, complete with a fireplace and reading places in the window. Sometimes you just want to sit quietly and dream, right? Then again, I can't fathom a mansion without a study / library. 😂
I like those little nooks, but I agree with Dear Modern, it was not well placed. If one really wanted to keep it, then do it where he placed the new breakfast table, but in the middle of a long stretch of wall is weird.
Only thing I see missing, that most would like, is a study/home office. Perhaps that front little sitting room. Not sure it's big enough without including the powder room space. But maybe powder could go somewhere else.
So much better. The family flow is soooo much more livable. That staircase space was gross before. Such wasted space and poor use of the views. Love it!💕💕
Yes mansion architect only showcases his architecture or built objects, the more the merrier the bigger the better and more money for the architects commission and good for show off media pictures. Thank you dear Clif wonderful rationalisation of built structures into family happiness.
OOOH great analysis, i like this! The grand stairs is indeed an eyesore in that plan, it looks like luxurious grand stairs in cramped room, "too forced" 😂 Maybe the reason why the architect put toilet not on the outer side (?) of the building, because they can't put big windows for the front facade? Since it is on the first floor and you want big windows for the lounge and symmetrical front facade. If i may add, maybe you dont need full solid wall between stairs and foyer so the new grand stairs can be grand-er 😂 I really like the kitchen/dining room new layout, it is nice for mother cooking there while watching what's happening on the lounge so she wont feel excluded.
yeah, tho the bathroom is better flow wise in the new plan, if it were going to be a constantly inhabited room, I wouldn't want the huge window facing forward in the bathroom. now, if it's a guest bedroom, then I wouldn't mind because then it wouldn't be used near as often
I would love to see an entrance to the bedroom suites through the Walk-in-closet which would access the bedroom on one side, and the bathroom on the other. This way you don't enter directly inside the room which offers more privacy to the bed, and also makes the bedroom more quiet because one can get ready and leave the suite without bothering the other person in the bedroom.
I’ve designed many homes like this and I almost completely agree with all of your decisions. It’s so obvious to me. I can’t imagine the original architect is very good, as shown by that staircase. Thank you for fixing it.
Part of the original intent was to feature the grand staircase upon entry for visual impact. I do prefer your layout, but perhaps you don’t need to close off the foyer, so the stairs are visible as you walk in. I know feng shui prohibits a staircase meeting the front door, but that rule feels a bit arbitrary in a house with as much space as this. Also, if the sweep of the turning stairs directs toward the central living room, it would redirect the energy toward the heart of the house anyway, yes?
Sooo good! Instead of a McMansion it will be a beautiful, livable large home! Thanks to the clients for allowing you to post this. It's very inspiring, and they are lucky to have found you.
There are so many designer channels here in UA-cam, but this is the only one that focuses on the most important element I’d design, being space planning. All the marble/reclaimed wood/whatever is the finish of the day is far less important than how a home works. That huge staircase was an obnoxious disaster that needed fixing. And fixing the symmetry of the house was golden, it will make the rear landscaping plan far more appealing. The only thing I’d say is that the front sitting room does seem a touch cramped, and also I’d like to see the kitchen open to that front lounge area
Dear Cliff, this is great! I just saw the big staircase and thought, wow that takes up most of the house, such wasted space! one day I will have you help me plan a house!
This is so fascinating. Only thing I am a little confused about is why do you need. Lounge, a living room and a sitting room? What is even the function of a sitting room?
I'm guessing a sitting room is for like people visiting for business, but aren't close enough to be invited into the living area of the home. Or where the butler makes people wait while waiting for the owners to arrive from where ever they may be.
Sitting room: Andymingni's explanation makes sense Lounge: functions as games room/play room/ TV room/ recreational activities room (for younger ones at home maybe)
Sitting room is for formal/business, living room is the living room/watching the kids playing outside, lounge is where the preteens and teens watch tv with their friends.
The improved living room and lounge are much better spaces. I wonder if there's a way to make the path to the kitchen and breakfast not have to cut through the dining room though.
Yes, much improved! So much better to ditch the movie-set staircase and add a nice living area overlooking the garden. (I take it they aren't in the US. Even mid-range new homes in the US are designed with informal "family rooms" in addition to the more formal living room, by default.)
Sinceramente, ficou muito melhor do seu jeito. Menos imponência e muito mais lógica! Parabéns pelo trabalho sensacional. Seu canal tem me ensinado muitas coisas legais! ✨ Um abraço do Rio, Brasil 🇧🇷
Mmm the breakfast area its cool, its like a greenhouse. Thats cool, and probably this breakfast overlooks a garden or something.. not everything must overlook to the pool
1. Can you put the stove almost in the middle of the kitchen? 2. Is there a problem if stairs were accessible from foyer and not from corridor? 3. And the thing that interests me the most (as if I'm going to do it soon :) ) - the pool. Where is the best direction for the outdoor pool? Does it shape matters? And what about indoor pool and the greenhouse? Where would you put them?.. Center of the home for greenhouse, but not the indoor pool? So many questions :) Thank you
Most new homes have the laundry room on the second floor where the bedrooms are. After all that's where all the clothes and linens are. Why go up and down stairs?
Add: fireplace, grand piano, enlarge the powder room (sacrifice the storage room). Leave the elevator where it was in original design. You cannot put guests in a bedroom that shares a wall with an elevator. A proper mansion does need a visually dramatic (read curved) staircase. Stunning views that just happen to be where anyone let in through the front door can immediately see, is precisely what is wanted. Those who come in through the front door, who are to be ushered into the reception room, are treated with upmost courtesy. This is done out of a proper respect for actual houseguests, who should not inadvertently become part of that interaction. That's why a reception room is important. I would add a drink-in wine cellar downstairs or dig a cellar just outside the mansion that has room for a stage for the musicians, plenty of cushioned seating for guests skirting around the wine walls, and a dance floor near the stage. A fountain is probably already in the design. Lots of walkways through the gardens, with lots of shaded nooks for seating and interesting focal points throughout. A pagoda, a gazebo or both.
I think the second plan is better, but still I would think some things differently: 1. The small wc opens up right onto the main corridor. The entrance should have been indirect, through the sitting room maybe? 2. Foyer-staircase relationship: Try to think of the sitting room - foyer - staircase as one continous related area, using/admiring the staircase through the foyer, too. 3. Adding a whole volume on the right of the northern facade of the house with the nice view is a big move, only to use it as wc? And the ocurring storage is too big. I would think (from north to south) mini office/sitting area, WIC, WC, storage. OR at least use this storage area as a mud room+storage. 4. In the kitchen: There seems to be too much sitting space. I would either remove the stools around the cooktop, OR remove the table area by the window and make it a more pleasing/relaxed sitting area with a small desk/work space for a laptop maybe. 5. The southern wall of the living room could have a fireplace which would adorn the space, make a focus and make the place cosier. Unless specifically asked for I would remove the bar, making it into a TV-watching area making TV less of a focus in the whole space. 6. If the lounge area is meant to be messy and used daily, I would cut off its realationship to the dining area and the living room beyond and connect it to the kitchen directly. (I think this area is too big for only one function. I would talk to the family and divide it into 2-3 areas with different functions that they might prefer.) 7. I would add a door to the corridor on east side, creating a private corridor between the bedrooms. 8 . Also, I would think of a more limited/controlled passage style between the kitchen and the living room as a swinging door perhaps? Formal guests and kitchen noise do not go well together.
You see these layouts for all these McMansions all the time that feel like they have completely wasted the space that they have in the house. Like, this is a 5000+ sqft house; how do you only have 3 bedrooms and so little storage space?! Seeing a potential McMansion actually being transformed into a usable home is so satisfying!!!
The doors to the terrace aren’t symmetrical, and I think they could easily be made so, with 2 doors in the lounge and 1 in the bedroom. Love your work!
Agree. I think lift should rather be off the foyer. Don’t think the sitting room is necessary - should turn bathroom 90 degrees so entrance not facing the dining room, add lift and storage for coats etc.
1. The powder room door is facing both the living room and the dining room. I think it would be better placed in the foyer. No guest wants to be seen going to the toilet. 2. You need a place to deal with your mail and organize incoming and outgoing stuff. I suggest that the foyer waiting area would be a good office with several chairs for trades people to wait while their checks are being written. . 3. Grandmother needs her room and sitting area to be downstairs, so I suggest converting those two bedrooms into a grandmother suite. You would not have to add that little ell for a second bathroom. 4. There is no laundry room shown on the ground floor plan. It should be upstairs near the bedrooms. There is no point in hauling laundry from one floor to another and there is plenty of room upstairs.
Beautiful! I would have made the sitting room by the entrance into a walk in wardrobe instead - because I'm norwegian, we always have wet or dirty clothes that need to be taken off by the entrance. Could double as a coat check for parties.
This is an actual client for an actual project! Thank you for giving me permission to post it! Also the upper floors are now even better with the staircase change!😊
You did a beautiful job revising the floor plan.
Great job and you increased the amount of the living and storage space. Would you show us the 2nd floor of this home? Thank you.
Who else is desperate to see the before and after of the 2nd floor now?!?!?!
Please take permission for the other floor too. I am begging.
PLS SHOW THE OTHER FLOOR! 😭
It went from ritzy useless showpiece to a livable welcoming family home, well done!!
Agree !!!
Excellent.
Will put this to use when designing my Sims luxury mansion
me fr 🥲
The overlap between Dear Modern and Sims fans grows every day
Can we send our sims builds in for review lol@@AKA_Studios
Yesss, love the Sims and Dear Modern, both.☺️
Same!
This is infinitely better and also fixes a huge problem not mentioned: The original layout had no rooms suitable for keeping an eye on kids playing in the back from. The living room was on the other side of the house. Now tired parents can relax on the sofa but still look out back and keep an eye on the kids and make sure they aren't falling in the pool or anything. A lot safer.
You do realize a person wealthy enough to build a mansion definitely has staff to watch their kids 24/7, right? And that the staircase leads to the upper floor? Chances are they have their personal living room up there, with the lower stuff just being for meeting guests, as was traditionally the case in such big houses.
@@YamiKisara okay? thats all just a hypothetical based on them being rich, and its not like theyre going to just ignore the fact that their kids exist until they turn 18
@YamiKisara Maybe, but I for one would be a lot more comfortable in that position if I can glance out a window every so often and see that things are OK, regardless of staff presence.
@@YamiKisaralots of unfounded and frankly wrong assumption you just made
@@YamiKisara But if they are the kind of family who doesn't want to flash it, maybe they don't want a staff. Maybe they just want to have a staff and be hands on like any other family.
It's cool to see the updated blueprints with all of the feedback included!
All the background info is made up. The story is done as publicity for potential clients
@@LouisAlfieri-n2lHe says it’s an actual client and thanks them for giving him permission to share it. (Pinned comment at top.)
How do you know he’s lying?
But why didn't he update the spelling of Dining? 😊 Maybe it does double duty as a music room.
Only note they didn't take was on Bedroom 2 he said not to go through the walk in closet to get to the toilet but that layout was kept
@@cclayton1316the entry changed! It still from the walk in but it is at the entry of the room, instead of the very end of it. The energy was concentrated all at the end of the room instead of flowing smoothly from the entrance, it also made the flowing redundant because it started from the entrance, went to the end of the room, then back up to access the bathroom. Imagine you just need a quick bathroom break when you were in the living room 😅
My father had always called our little room off the foyer the "date inspection room." Sure enough, 15 years later, that is exactly what it was used for! 😊
Thank you for revising the floor plan. The original house was nothing more than a salute to staircases!
When the staircase is the main character, and the family is the side characters.
Ha ha. So true.
And now is a salute to the corridor...
I imagine there are mostly bedrooms and more family oriented spaces on the second floor, so it makes sense to make the staircase more discreet. It’s for the family, not for guests. A grand staircase is great for a hotel or such, where the second floor is for guests, but it’s weird for a family home.
Great point! Grand staircases are for making a great entrance, with guests walking up/down them to get to the party. Or sometimes a staircase can be the focal point in the room if it's a floating or clear staircase that adds to the aesthetic in a fun way. However a spiral staircase off in one corner still looks grand while also saying "family only," if all they have upstairs are bedrooms.
Guest Room 1 is very important- that’s where the parents will move into as Senior Citizens. Also where family members may stay when sick or recuperating. So nice that it got extended in the improved layout.
My thoughts, too. 👍
I try explaining that to my husband, and he doesn't want to look that far in the future. 😅
@@amysmiles9751 try to explain it with e.g. a possible broken leg (if you want to avoid stairs) or a heavy cold etc (my dad was sleeping on the living room floor when he was coughing through the whole night) ^^
Yes! We’ve also built our guest bedroom in the first floor thinking about the future when my parents or in-laws need to be taken care of and move in with us. It has also been great for family and friends staying over so we can keep our privacy at night, or when my husband has been sick or had very early mornings.
Usually true, my mother also built the bathroom downstairs for a time when she can't walk up the stairs anymore (and she'd have a bed in the living room, it's a small houe). There is just a toilet upstairs.
HOWEVER! This family literally has a lift, so it doesn't matter 😂😅
Unless it's only a laundry/luggage lift but I don't think so
Definitely appreciate these "deep dives" going more in depth into a single project compared to your usual content
And that storage room is now in a great spot for a mud room by the side entry!
Also I love how accessibility seems built in (if doors are wide enough)
I’ve worked on a home that had grand central staircases like the first blueprints. I always felt like it was a ton of wasted dead space.
All that money just to end up feeling like you live in a hotel lobby
If you have the money and land to make the house arbitrarily large, there’s no such thing as wasted space
@@XIIchiron78 tbh the hotel lobby might be an argument.
But generally, I think a staircase like that is pretty. I wouldn't mind one haha but for example in the case of this family, it makes more sense the way he designed it.
I know, my eyes always roll when I see a home like that.
I love the tone on "elevator" 😂😂😂
me too
Lucky kids.
I learn so much from you. Thank you.
fr
When I was a Freshman in high school, we moved from a split level house to a house that had no running water, no indoor plumbing, no kitchen counters, etc. It was built before the Revolution and had a larger fireplace than Valley Forge. But the first year, we all slept in one room to stay warm in the winter. I consider us luckier, because we were not coddled. We learned to build wood fires, split logs, etc. And we still went to school during the day and got our homework done at night. The first few months we used oil lamps, but then we put in about 6 outlets. It made a world of difference. Think about skill development, long range goals, self-discipline and patience. How are you going to develop that in a mansion? Please don’t say Karate or soccer….that’s just ridiculous. 🙏☮️
I love all of the changes with the exception of the "store room" as it drives me crazy to see fancy houses with huge kitchens and no pantries. There still needs to be a store room/pantry by the kitchen.
From what he said there’s an actual kitchen separate, in a building outside the kitchenette. Likely there’s a full pantry in there, or a butlers pantry between the kitchenette and main kitchen. He did say the lady of the house only needed a kitchenette (not the full kitchen) to do some occasional baking, so I’d presume what she needs would be easily stored in what he showed.
That was addressed the cooking happens in another external kitchen. I a guessing the house is in a country were servants are cheaper and they do the cooking. That kitchen is more for serving the food and a bit of light cooking.
The new design makes so much more sense.
I'd still change the sitting room, flipping the entrance to be off of the lounge, and repurpose it to be a home office/library/studio/home theater/billiard room/basically anything with an actual function.
I'd make it into a study/technology space where everyone can charge their devices when they walk through the door. Leave their phones there. :-)
Yes I'd definitely make that a library. And one of these ground floor bedrooms a home office.
I wonder if the family has any business where they meet clients. I’ve known people who do therapy or painters who sell stuff, it would be handy to have a room off the front for that.
He said the people wanted a nice environment to raise their kids. With that in mind the lounge has its purpose. Kids/teenagers can play in the lounge without disturbing other people in the house. For calmer activities or talking with guests they have the living and the lounge is far from the bedrooms and staircase. When people who live together have different schedules, it can create a lot of tensions and a negative atmosphere.
I love how much you love white post it notes!
most entertaining part was watching him do and redo the post it notes.
My first thought is how much I love the revised floor plan, but my second thought is that it is almost exactly how I imagined a mansion described in an Agatha Christie novel 🤔
You may want to buy Cliff's book! I highly recommend it. I bought it and my house and garden flow like a dream now!!! 💗💗💗
He has a book? Now i want it💙💙 wat is the name of the book?
@@SachaBouman Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan, Bloomsbury publisher. Yes, and it's great!💗
@@TaurusMoon-hu3pd found it. It is even translated in dutch👍
@@SachaBouman that's awesome! 💗
@@SachaBoumaneyy ik ben ook nederlands!
I LOVE how you consider the family's personality, and they sound really nice, too. As someone who grew up in a house designed to present well to guests rather than be actually lived in, I LOVE the coziness and the flow of this home.
It's so nice to hear more background about the project! I saw your short on this project a couple days ago and was like "eh, the staircase would be a selling point for a lot of people" and didn't agree with getting rid of it. But now hearing more context about the family, I totally see why you made that choice!
I actually really enjoyed watching this, nice to have an overview of the entire floor plan instead of just one room for a change
It would be nice to see the second-floor plan since the lift and the staircase moved. And maybe see if the living room still has the high ceiling which was the placement of the old grand useless staircase. It would be fun to know.😀
Otherwise, a really great floor plan, down to earth and practical.
What about the 2nd and 3rd floor!! What you waiting for?😅😘
CHANGES STILL: I’d make the sitting room an office. If there is no pool house, then the toilet should have access to the terrace for pool use. And depending where the family enters the home, a nook facing the hallway near the storage area for shoes, and book bags. Also there is no pantry in your kitchen, family homes need pantries
Missing pantry is explained by this kitchen being a stub, with most cooking being done in another building. Not enough storage and toilets seem exclusive, guests and pool both should have an access.
Much depends on the location of the garage. For both safety and convenience the garage should open to the kitchen, at least in USA. There should be a good sized butlers pantry between the formal dining room and the kitchen for safe and efficient and discreet dinner service. Without that buffer, guests weirdly feel free to barge into the kitchen instead of congregating in the living room, distracting the hostess and generally getting in the way.
I would line up the left side of the house with a corridor room where the breakfast area is, below that, the formal dining room, and below that, where the family room is, I would place the formal living room. The corridor would lead to the kitchen. You need a mudroom in a 4 season climate, and an outdoor kitchen in a warmer climate. The corridor could have a laundry or a powder room accessed from the swimming pool area. As the children become teens, the great room opening to the pool will become their space, and trust me, it will not sustain its formality. Agree with moving stairs, having a closed off study and downstairs bedrooms. Do not ever ever ever put a bathroom beside a kitchen or dining room. Gross.
Always love your presentations. 😊
Working with me and my 2-bed bungalow in July is going to _very_ different to this 🤣
But it's going to be great all the same.
I really look forward to it!
You are sensational! What a talent you have.
Great improvement- actually can’t believe this architect really thought this is a good floor plan
Plenty of rich people just want to show off space-wasting 'luxury' and would prefer the original.
I love that we got to hear how you considered the client! I’d love for more long form stuff so we can get more of an idea of how you adapt things for different kinds of people c:
Brilliant! They are very fortunate to have you.
Love the changes Cliff! I would make the following small adjustments: "dining" is misspelled in the revised plan, and I would maintain access to the kitchenette from the lounge.
The entrance to the kitchen from the dining room is relatively short, and there are already two doors in the lounge so he might’ve thought another would make it too “exposed.” Idk, personally I don’t like having too many doors
Wow. Literally, this just makes intuitive sense and feels so much more concentrated where similar areas share rooms. Before it was a little shaken up. Very nice work!
I want to thank you for the "fix it" series. It really got into my head and it's helping me in life. I appreciate that greatly. Sending good vibes.
More longer videos please !!
And I love the real life examples of any size, redoing a room, redoing a house, all very instructive and enjoyable.
Architects goes Default, watch how this Feng Shui expert mints this floorplan!
I love how he was like “there is nothing really wrong. Then proceeded to change everything.
Having said that I loved this more in depth analysis. It was so much fun seeing how everything should work… when you can afford all the space in the world.
I like the shape of earlier breakfast area, I would put glass windows there and chair along the window to make a book corner XD
I love that little nook, too, but I would have elongated it and turned it into a library, complete with a fireplace and reading places in the window. Sometimes you just want to sit quietly and dream, right? Then again, I can't fathom a mansion without a study / library. 😂
I did, too. Personally, I'd have made it a little bigger and turned it into a mini solarium so I could have breakfast with my plants :D
I like those little nooks, but I agree with Dear Modern, it was not well placed. If one really wanted to keep it, then do it where he placed the new breakfast table, but in the middle of a long stretch of wall is weird.
Anyone noticed the UP inthe stairs is reversed.. genius idea as always Cliff.. you saved this humble family from future regrets. ❤
The big square shape of the new design is oddly satisfying.
Only thing I see missing, that most would like, is a study/home office. Perhaps that front little sitting room. Not sure it's big enough without including the powder room space. But maybe powder could go somewhere else.
So much better. The family flow is soooo much more livable. That staircase space was gross before. Such wasted space and poor use of the views. Love it!💕💕
Yes mansion architect only showcases his architecture or built objects, the more the merrier the bigger the better and more money for the architects commission and good for show off media pictures. Thank you dear Clif wonderful rationalisation of built structures into family happiness.
OOOH great analysis, i like this! The grand stairs is indeed an eyesore in that plan, it looks like luxurious grand stairs in cramped room, "too forced" 😂
Maybe the reason why the architect put toilet not on the outer side (?) of the building, because they can't put big windows for the front facade? Since it is on the first floor and you want big windows for the lounge and symmetrical front facade.
If i may add, maybe you dont need full solid wall between stairs and foyer so the new grand stairs can be grand-er 😂
I really like the kitchen/dining room new layout, it is nice for mother cooking there while watching what's happening on the lounge so she wont feel excluded.
yeah, tho the bathroom is better flow wise in the new plan, if it were going to be a constantly inhabited room, I wouldn't want the huge window facing forward in the bathroom. now, if it's a guest bedroom, then I wouldn't mind because then it wouldn't be used near as often
Yes and the kids and their friends can gather there while their parents visit in the living and dining rooms.
I would love to see an entrance to the bedroom suites through the Walk-in-closet which would access the bedroom on one side, and the bathroom on the other. This way you don't enter directly inside the room which offers more privacy to the bed, and also makes the bedroom more quiet because one can get ready and leave the suite without bothering the other person in the bedroom.
I’ve designed many homes like this and I almost completely agree with all of your decisions. It’s so obvious to me. I can’t imagine the original architect is very good, as shown by that staircase. Thank you for fixing it.
OMG the end result is *chef's kiss*
Comfortable layout is key to comfortable living ❤
You saved them and created a far better home.
Part of the original intent was to feature the grand staircase upon entry for visual impact. I do prefer your layout, but perhaps you don’t need to close off the foyer, so the stairs are visible as you walk in. I know feng shui prohibits a staircase meeting the front door, but that rule feels a bit arbitrary in a house with as much space as this. Also, if the sweep of the turning stairs directs toward the central living room, it would redirect the energy toward the heart of the house anyway, yes?
Major improvements both in function and flow!
Sooo good! Instead of a McMansion it will be a beautiful, livable large home! Thanks to the clients for allowing you to post this. It's very inspiring, and they are lucky to have found you.
With that new toilet extension on the top right, the back of the house is now also symmetrical which looks so much better.
I love the way you talk about your service and the value you give to your customer. as a graphic designer I’m learning so much from this!
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE your redesign! Well done!
I would love to see how the changes downstairs affects the layout upstairs.
There are so many designer channels here in UA-cam, but this is the only one that focuses on the most important element I’d design, being space planning. All the marble/reclaimed wood/whatever is the finish of the day is far less important than how a home works. That huge staircase was an obnoxious disaster that needed fixing. And fixing the symmetry of the house was golden, it will make the rear landscaping plan far more appealing.
The only thing I’d say is that the front sitting room does seem a touch cramped, and also I’d like to see the kitchen open to that front lounge area
Dear Cliff, this is great! I just saw the big staircase and thought, wow that takes up most of the house, such wasted space! one day I will have you help me plan a house!
I would like to see the second floor changes
The baywindow area is intended to feel like outdoors with protection from weather.
This is so fascinating. Only thing I am a little confused about is why do you need. Lounge, a living room and a sitting room? What is even the function of a sitting room?
You're not rich enough to understand that. Nor am I.
I'm guessing a sitting room is for like people visiting for business, but aren't close enough to be invited into the living area of the home. Or where the butler makes people wait while waiting for the owners to arrive from where ever they may be.
Sitting room: Andymingni's explanation makes sense
Lounge: functions as games room/play room/ TV room/ recreational activities room (for younger ones at home maybe)
We are not rich enough to understand 🥲
Sitting room is for formal/business, living room is the living room/watching the kids playing outside, lounge is where the preteens and teens watch tv with their friends.
The improved living room and lounge are much better spaces. I wonder if there's a way to make the path to the kitchen and breakfast not have to cut through the dining room though.
Oh wow, you did great, the changes are HUGE for this space.
Yes, much improved! So much better to ditch the movie-set staircase and add a nice living area overlooking the garden.
(I take it they aren't in the US. Even mid-range new homes in the US are designed with informal "family rooms" in addition to the more formal living room, by default.)
I love the changes! Now I'm very curious what's upstairs.
After your description, I really enjoyed mentioning how the family would actually live there!
Sinceramente, ficou muito melhor do seu jeito. Menos imponência e muito mais lógica!
Parabéns pelo trabalho sensacional. Seu canal tem me ensinado muitas coisas legais! ✨
Um abraço do Rio, Brasil 🇧🇷
Mmm the breakfast area its cool, its like a greenhouse. Thats cool, and probably this breakfast overlooks a garden or something.. not everything must overlook to the pool
when people say 'Intelligent Design' this is what it should mean 👏👏👏
1. Can you put the stove almost in the middle of the kitchen? 2. Is there a problem if stairs were accessible from foyer and not from corridor? 3. And the thing that interests me the most (as if I'm going to do it soon :) ) - the pool. Where is the best direction for the outdoor pool? Does it shape matters? And what about indoor pool and the greenhouse? Where would you put them?.. Center of the home for greenhouse, but not the indoor pool? So many questions :) Thank you
I liked the breakfast room in the little sunroom on the left :(
I love you work! Applying Feng Shui seems common sense when you draw it like that!
Can’t wait to be rich and have this guy design my house
I love these longer format, thanks for sharing!
I’d love more vids like these from real clients plans!
You did amazing proposais and you add a store room, maybe thought as a well needed laundryroom with a sink. Well done
Most new homes have the laundry room on the second floor where the bedrooms are. After all that's where all the clothes and linens are. Why go up and down stairs?
Add: fireplace, grand piano, enlarge the powder room (sacrifice the storage room). Leave the elevator where it was in original design. You cannot put guests in a bedroom that shares a wall with an elevator. A proper mansion does need a visually dramatic (read curved) staircase. Stunning views that just happen to be where anyone let in through the front door can immediately see, is precisely what is wanted. Those who come in through the front door, who are to be ushered into the reception room, are treated with upmost courtesy. This is done out of a proper respect for actual houseguests, who should not inadvertently become part of that interaction. That's why a reception room is important. I would add a drink-in wine cellar downstairs or dig a cellar just outside the mansion that has room for a stage for the musicians, plenty of cushioned seating for guests skirting around the wine walls, and a dance floor near the stage. A fountain is probably already in the design. Lots of walkways through the gardens, with lots of shaded nooks for seating and interesting focal points throughout. A pagoda, a gazebo or both.
My sources tell me a pagoda is a multi-story Buddhist temple
I like the entryway to enter a less used room so the house looks really neat upon casual entry.
I think the second plan is better, but still I would think some things differently: 1. The small wc opens up right onto the main corridor. The entrance should have been indirect, through the sitting room maybe? 2. Foyer-staircase relationship: Try to think of the sitting room - foyer - staircase as one continous related area, using/admiring the staircase through the foyer, too. 3. Adding a whole volume on the right of the northern facade of the house with the nice view is a big move, only to use it as wc? And the ocurring storage is too big. I would think (from north to south) mini office/sitting area, WIC, WC, storage. OR at least use this storage area as a mud room+storage. 4. In the kitchen: There seems to be too much sitting space. I would either remove the stools around the cooktop, OR remove the table area by the window and make it a more pleasing/relaxed sitting area with a small desk/work space for a laptop maybe. 5. The southern wall of the living room could have a fireplace which would adorn the space, make a focus and make the place cosier. Unless specifically asked for I would remove the bar, making it into a TV-watching area making TV less of a focus in the whole space. 6. If the lounge area is meant to be messy and used daily, I would cut off its realationship to the dining area and the living room beyond and connect it to the kitchen directly. (I think this area is too big for only one function. I would talk to the family and divide it into 2-3 areas with different functions that they might prefer.) 7. I would add a door to the corridor on east side, creating a private corridor between the bedrooms. 8 . Also, I would think of a more limited/controlled passage style between the kitchen and the living room as a swinging door perhaps? Formal guests and kitchen noise do not go well together.
Great! I'd love to see more big houses!
So much better, and thank you for putting a door at the entrance of the lounge. That long hallway was giving me airport breezeway vibes.
You see these layouts for all these McMansions all the time that feel like they have completely wasted the space that they have in the house. Like, this is a 5000+ sqft house; how do you only have 3 bedrooms and so little storage space?! Seeing a potential McMansion actually being transformed into a usable home is so satisfying!!!
The doors to the terrace aren’t symmetrical, and I think they could easily be made so, with 2 doors in the lounge and 1 in the bedroom.
Love your work!
You’re amazing. So practical and compassionate in the way you approach human problems. One question: is there a laundry room somewhere?
wonderful! the only thing is that it is missing an entrance closet for coats, shoes and bags. and i trust that you can easily fix that.
Very good. I'm so curious about the second floor now. 😅
Nice.But what about the lift energy and noise right near the bedroom?
Agree. I think lift should rather be off the foyer. Don’t think the sitting room is necessary - should turn bathroom 90 degrees so entrance not facing the dining room, add lift and storage for coats etc.
So clever , outstandingly done. ❤❤❤
I’m very happy you removed the pimple from the side of the house. Your plan is good. Now I know!
One thing I like is putting a metal and glass elevator in the center of the stair case, done right it looks even more grant and saves space.
So much better! I love the games room--its a room that will actually be used. The sitting room could be an office.
A library would have been nice instead of three sitting areas.
Love your work x
1. The powder room door is facing both the living room and the dining room. I think it would be better placed in the foyer. No guest wants to be seen going to the toilet. 2. You need a place to deal with your mail and organize incoming and outgoing stuff. I suggest that the foyer waiting area would be a good office with several chairs for trades people to wait while their checks are being written. . 3. Grandmother needs her room and sitting area to be downstairs, so I suggest converting those two bedrooms into a grandmother suite. You would not have to add that little ell for a second bathroom. 4. There is no laundry room shown on the ground floor plan. It should be upstairs near the bedrooms. There is no point in hauling laundry from one floor to another and there is plenty of room upstairs.
Well done.
Much more pleasant living space.
That Dinning Room is going to be loud! 😃
I hope the dashed lines are sliding doors so you can enclose the space
Love watching ng you cliff 😊
Love the new design.
Excellent, Cliff. Now how do you translate that “gracious living” feel to 1200 sf?
Nice tweak. I usually add a so-called boot room near the entrance for coats, shoes, bags etc.
Beautiful! I would have made the sitting room by the entrance into a walk in wardrobe instead - because I'm norwegian, we always have wet or dirty clothes that need to be taken off by the entrance. Could double as a coat check for parties.
wow the after is great! you never fail to amaze me
My future home inch’allah
Your personality is so enchanting! Love it!