Design & Decor
Posh Patio Homes
Two couples live large in their not-so-big houses. Their identical floor plans, decorated in totally different but equally incredible ways, emphasize originality and personal taste.

Two couples live large in their not-so-big houses. Their identical floor plans, decorated in totally different but equally incredible ways, emphasize originality and personal taste. Neighbors Leonard and Karen Mitchell and David and Ruth Newby share one thing in common: the same floor plan. The Loch Lloyd residents enjoy the resort lifestyle with their low-maintenance, three-bedroom, two-story structures. Everything else about their homes is completely unique to them. Even with a reduction in upkeep and square footage, these two homes maximize living space and provide comfort to their respective inhabitants.

The identical floor plans appear to have magical dimensions. Both homes offer common amenities, such as bumped-up ceilings to camouflage less square footage, floor-to-ceiling windows and multi-functional rooms. They maintain the illusion of a larger home by managing the number of halls and walls, using creative storage areas and arranging intimate furniture settings.

The Mitchells prefer an elegant Country French décor while the Newbys favor an understated, sophisticated interior, but both couples enjoy the advantages of their proportional patio homes.

Comfortable Elegance
Karen and Leonard Mitchell have never felt that their home is downsized from previous homes. "On the contrary, we moved here when two of our four children were still living at home a few years ago. The high ceilings and radiant light from the large windows give it an airy quality," Karen says. "We wanted a quiet setting surrounded by nature. My husband can paint his portraits and I can garden my lilies and roses. I planted different varieties of lilies, clematis, hydrangeas and roses in layers to add dimensions. We enjoy flowers throughout the season, and my neighbors tell me they enjoy the fragrant aroma all the way down the street."

The Mitchells' daughter, an interior designer, helped Karen select French furniture in rich warm wood tones. Armoires throughout the home serve as extra storage and reduce clutter. Architectural moldings and columns were added to every room and light yellow walls serve as a subtle palette for Leonard's oil paintings that hang throughout the house. Rich hues of hardwood floors add an upscale ambiance to the first floor.

Because the couple loves to entertain, their lifestyle centers on the kitchen and family room. The Mitchells distressed white cabinets with a crackled and ink finish, and finished and tiled an oversized island with oak trim accents. Bay windows in the kitchen add extra space, allowing them to expand the dining room table to accommodate guests for parties. During mealtimes, they open the patio doors from the family room to enjoy the stone flowered planting area and front-and-back French window boxes draped with flowers.

The Mitchells sacrificed a traditional living room for Leonard's private art studio. An armoire holds his paint and canvas supplies. Family photos flank the glass-topped tables lined in silk coverlets. It's "French Country with no chintz," Karen says. Thirty-foot ceilings create an expansive ambiance around a dramatic, custom-built stairway. The Mitchells designed the stairway moldings, adding brass fixtures and staining the wood in a rich ebony finish. A mirror over the two-sided hearth reflects the outside and adds a valuable dimension to the room. In this elegant study, a pair of high-backed, tapestry and leather chairs and pull-up, balloon curtains draw the eye up. "I sit and read in here while Leonard paints. The atmosphere is so conducive to self reflection and creativity," Karen says.

Karen applied her gardener's touch to the sitting room, a feminine space decorated in celery green walls and a matching floral couch and ottoman. "I keep my personal things in this room, where I can relax in solitude," she says. "I really focused on comfortable elegance, without being too formal. I wanted this room to reflect my love of gardening and nature."

Transitional Mix
David and Ruth Newby transformed their simple patio home into an indulgent retreat. The clever application of stone, rich wood accents and earthy colors of terra cotta, green and black creates a warm backdrop for furniture and fabrics. "I wanted a big-city, sophisticated décor without a lot of froufrou. So we upgraded our windows, added built-in cabinets and installed a brick patio off our kitchen to connect with the outside," Ruth says. "We think the additional door and side patio transforms our kitchen into a porch."

The Newbys' interior designer, Renee Grissom, created understated elegance by selecting an eclectic mix of black and flowered wallpaper against the high-tech durability of a granite-topped, green wooden island. "I wanted to express the Newbys' casual lifestyle with a degree of luxury by emphasizing a balance of organic colors and comfortable furniture," Grissom explains. The white kitchen cabinets add drama, with a contemporary coolness of stainless steel and glass-topped range and ovens. Black wicker chairs around a glass-topped breakfast table reflect the porch-like atmosphere.

The Newbys defined the passageway from the kitchen to their study with an intricately carved French bureau. They incorporated family heirlooms in their study and master bedroom. "I didn't want to start from scratch buying furniture, so I integrated Dave's antique desk in the study with a leopard-spotted chaise," Ruth says. Built-in bookcases were added for more space and an Asian trunk serves as an end table. Ruth spends time reading in front of the study's window in her late grandmother's winged chair, which she reupholstered in a soft chenille fabric.

Grissom adorned the large dining room window with floor-to-ceiling green silk drapes. When the Newbys entertain a large number of guests, they can expand the cherry wood table to accommodate 12 people. Stately, high-back chairs, embroidered in black and brown lattice with a madras cushion add a classy accent to the room.

The restful and masculine-driven décor of the master bedroom features an original, four-poster wrought iron and wood bed as the main attraction. The couple bought a black armoire and side chests to add sophistication to the room and Grissom designed a brown spread with pillows in a whimsical bird design. "I didn't want to make it too girlie," Ruth says.

A Secret for Everyone
Both the Mitchells' and the Newbys' homes display qualities of beauty and spaciousness without being "McMansions." Proportionately sized and tastefully appointed, they maintain a high level of detail that cannot always be found in larger-scale homes. By employing a not-so-big philosophy, they were able to commit themselves to quality design with fantastic results.