Elevate Comfort with a Creative Home Design

Even grand spaces can feel cozy.

That idea is exemplified in the open-concept great room and kitchen of this new build in Sharon Township.

“I wanted to make it feel grandiose, but also take into account the acoustics,” says Jim Yezbak, head of design and sales at Old World Custom Homes. “When you do an open-concept plan, voices tend to echo.” 

That’s why the living area is 15 feet high, while the kitchen and dining area is 22 feet high.

“The kitchen and dining room, you don’t usually see as a two-story space,” he says. “I accounted for that being the main wow factor of the house.” 

That difference in height appears “pleasantly asymmetrical” from the outside, while creating a balance between grand and comfortable on the inside, he says. Despite the space’s striking features, lower ceilings in the living space and oak trusses forming a diamond over the kitchen make for a more intimate feel.

“It does create more of a cozy feel in a space that’s actually quite tall,” Yezbak says.

He describes other standout features in the great room and kitchen.

THE DETAILS:

Fireplace: The most eye-catching feature is the fireplace — it’s 14 feet wide. 

Fireplaces generally don’t exceed 7 feet in width, so this stone veneer and limestone feature draws attention. “It was a design risk for sure,” Yezbak says. “It’s always a risk to go outside of what is normalcy.”

Although the width is unusual, Yezbak says some others have been designing fireplaces that flare out or have ornate details. 

“People [are] starting to look at a fireplace as, Oh, wait. We can do something different here,” he says.

Windows: The black-paned windows are another standout feature, contrasting against the house’s many grays and tans. 

They reach 12 feet above the kitchen sink and cover 12 feet of the wall in great room, where they’re dropped to the floor instead of about a foot above.

“The windows kept clean lines along the back wall,” Yezbak says, “but then also … show a little bit more of a contemporary feel.”

Islands: The kitchen is full of surprises — including a tricked-out working island with a rollout cutting board and integrated trash bags.

“When you’re cutting all your vegetables, you can just swipe them off to the garbage,” Yezbak says. “It’s a real wow factor when you walk around the island and you see a piece of black walnut underneath the [quartz] countertop.”

The working island has a counterpart in the 12-foot-long white oak conversational island, set with 10 chairs for dining.

Pantry: Another standout feature in the kitchen is one that you won’t see at first glance.

There are two doors within the line of shaker style inset cabinets that aren’t what they seem. One is the refrigerator door, and the other is the entrance to a 6-foot-by-8-foot walk-in pantry.

“The hidden gem of the kitchen is a hidden pantry,” Yezbak says. “It’s something completely unexpected.”