When people think of “living large,” they often picture grand foyers, vast halls, and sprawling square footage. But at Inglenook Cottage Homes, the philosophy is different — here, living large means extracting the maximum comfort, charm, and utility out of every square foot. With thoughtful design, smart craftsmanship, and a focus on function without excess, these homes feel roomy, welcoming, and timeless even when they’re not massive in size.
This article explores how Inglenook makes “small” feel spectacular: the principles, design tactics, and custom touches that let their Cottage Homes live large.
Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Modern big-box houses often carry with them a lot of extra empty space — long corridors, unused rooms, over‑sized entertaining rooms, huge ceilings just for height’s sake. These may look impressive, but they come with drawbacks: higher building and maintenance costs, more energy use, more cleaning, and often areas that are seldom used.
Inglenook’s approach is the opposite: design every space with purpose. Every room, nook, and built-in feature should earn its place. Homes are made to be lived in — hosting, relaxing, gathering, doing quiet work — but always efficiently and beautifully.
Key reasons this approach resonates:
- Lower cost & maintenance — smaller footprint reduces heating, cooling, cleaning, furnishing costs.
- Comfort & intimacy — a home designed for what you use, not what you don’t, tends to feel cozier and more personal.
- Quality over quantity — focusing resources on craftsmanship, materials, charm rather than unused square footage.
- Sustainability — less waste, lower energy, less environmental footprint.
Core Design Principles That Make Rooms Feel Bigger
Here are several foundational design principles Inglenook employs to give small or moderate spaces that “large‑home” feeling:
- Open Layouts & Flow Combining kitchen, dining, and living into a connected space lets light travel, spaces feel more expansive, and social life becomes more natural.
- Vertical Space Optimization High ceilings where possible, exposed beams, or even vaulted ceiling in select rooms. Also built‑in storage that goes up the walls, lofts, tall cabinets, shelves, etc.
- Natural Light & Windows Generous windows, glass doors, skylights. Light has a magical power to make rooms feel bigger and more alive.
- Customized Built‑Ins Furniture and storage built into walls—bookshelves, window seats, cabinetry—that reduces clutter, avoids wasted space, and integrates design into architecture.
- Scaled, Multi‑Functional Furniture Furniture sized proportionally to the room (not oversized sofas or tables). Pieces that serve more than one purpose: dining benches with storage, fold‑away or convertible pieces, etc.
- Clear Sight Lines & Minimal Barriers Fewer walls or partitions; use half‑walls, openness, glass, or visual divisions rather than physical walls where privacy allows. This increases perceived spaciousness.
- Color, Texture & Finishes Light, neutral palettes stretch space visually. Strategic use of contrast, light textures, reflective surfaces. But charm and warmth are essential – so textures like wood, stone, mixed materials add richness without visual heaviness.
How Inglenook Puts It Into Practice
To make these principles real rather than abstract, here are some specific custom tactics and design touches that Inglenook uses in its Cottage Homes:
- Kitchen & Dining Areas designed to be the heart of the home: open to living areas, often with a peninsula or island that doubles as counter prep / casual dining. Cabinets that go to the ceiling, integrated pantry storage, specialized lighting over task zones.
- Built‑in Bookshelves and Nooks around fireplaces, windows, behind doors. Window seats with storage beneath offer cozy spots and hide extra clutter.
- Modern Design Customizations tailored to daily routines. For example, creating a space for entertaining small gatherings rather than large parties mixed with everyday dining; optimizing for real family living patterns (home office corner, hobby areas, flexible guest space) so that no room is “wasted.”
- Efficient Circulation Spaces: corridors kept short; hallways revisited to become storage zones or display spaces; open transitions between spaces rather than closed‐off rooms.
- Attention to Detail: lighting zones, layers (ambient, task, accent), thoughtful floor materials that run continuously through kitchen/living/dining to unify the space; trim and scale chosen to match room proportions so nothing feels too fussy or too grand.
Design Tips & Tactics: What You Can Do (or Expect) in a Well‑Designed Cottage Home
If you’re considering a home like those Inglenook builds, or renovating, or want to understand what makes their homes feel larger than their square footage, here are tips to keep in mind:
| Design Area | Practical Strategy | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Layout / Floor Plan | Go open‑concept where possible; position cooking, eating, and living zones in connected spaces rather than separated by walls | Reduces visual barriers; promotes easy flow and shared light |
| Ceilings & Ceiling Treatments | Use tray ceilings, vaults, exposed beams; keep ceiling heights generous in key shared spaces | Creates vertical visual space; “airier” feeling |
| Window Placement & Sizing | Place large windows, sliding doors, skylights; cluster or align windows to capture views & daylight | More natural light makes spaces feel larger; view outside extends interior visually |
| Storage Solutions | Built‑in cabinetry, under‑seat storage, floor‑to‑ceiling bookshelves, thoughtful closets rather than “just space” | Minimizes clutter; every piece has purpose |
| Furniture Selection | Choose appropriately scaled furniture; multi‑functional pieces; avoid bulky silhouettes; use furniture legs rather than block bases so light flows under | Helps avoid overwhelming the room; keeps floor space open |
| Material & Color Choices | Light walls / ceilings; contrast or accents in smaller doses; natural materials (wood, stone) to add warmth but in lighter tones; reflective surfaces where appropriate | Light colors bounce light; materials add character without crowding visually |
| Lighting | Multiple layers: general lighting, task lighting in cooking / reading, accent lighting to highlight architectural features; dimmers and control zones | Makes space adaptable; avoids flat lighting that can make small rooms feel boxed in |
Real‑World Example: Imagining an Inglenook Cottage Layout
Let’s visualize how all this comes together in a typical Inglenook Cottage Home of moderate size (say around 1,800 square feet, but could be smaller or slightly larger). The idea is to have it feel generous without waste.
- Open kitchen/dining/living: one large shared space with vaulted ceiling, lots of natural light, sliding glass patio doors looking into the yard.
- A built‑in bookshelf and window seat in the living room.
- One or two bedrooms, but guest room designed to double as home office.
- Built‑in storage in hallways, minimal laundry room but very functional.
- Bathroom and bedroom finishes chosen to feel light and airy.
- Warm, natural materials (wood beams, clean cabinetry), yet modern fixtures so it feels fresh.
In that imagined home, you don’t notice the total square footage; instead, you feel connection, flow, and that every space is useful.
Potential Trade‑Offs & How Inglenook Balances Them
No design is perfect without compromise. To make homes feel larger than they are, Inglenook must balance several trade‑offs:
- Privacy vs Open Flow — Open spaces are great, but people still need separate quiet areas or bedrooms. Inglenook tends to cluster private spaces (bedrooms, baths) away from common areas.
- Cost vs Finishings — High ceilings, large windows, built‑ins cost more. Inglenook balances by investing where the payoff is most visible and meaningful (front living spaces, kitchen), while simplifying other areas.
- Storage vs Aesthetic Minimalism — More built‑ins mean fewer loose furniture pieces, but too many built‑ins can feel heavy. So Inglenook uses built‑ins that blend into walls, use hidden storage, choose lighter colors and textures.
- Natural Light vs Energy Efficiency / Climate Control — Big windows and glass allow light but can lead to heat gain or loss. Inglenook mitigates this through well‑insulated window units, strategic placement (north/south orientation), using overhangs, shade features.
Why the Inglenook Approach Feels Different
What sets Inglenook apart from cookie‑cutter designs or mass‑produced floor plans isn’t just scale or strategy: it’s the mindset.
- They begin by asking: How do people live every day here? How much entertaining, how often, what routines, what personal style.
- They do not design for the “largest possible party every weekend” but for daily living + special moments.
- They lean into charm, detail, warmth — built‑ins with personality, kitchens that feel inviting, little corners and nooks that invite people to sit with a book or reflect.
- They value sustainability and efficiency: less square feet means less energy, but design quality makes that more than a sacrifice; instead, a benefit.
Conclusion: Feeling Spacious Without Size
In the world of home design, “bigger” may feel better in advertisements, but truly large living is about feeling expansive, connected, comfortable — not about how many square feet you have.
Inglenook Cottage Homes demonstrates that with intent, creativity, and craftsmanship, a home can live large without being large. Their homes show us that doors, windows, built‑ins, furniture, finishes, and layouts designed for human life make the difference.
So whether you’re planning a cottage, downsizing, or just want a more intentional home, remember: volume does not equal value. Thoughtful design does.