A lovely home from Cleveland, Ohio. Architect: Robert A. Little

11/25/2025 07:53:00 AM

Designing a successful house for a growing family calls for a perfect meeting of minds. The architect must understand the family, and the family must understand itself. This house, built for a family with three children ranging from 5 to 12, is the product of such understanding. Placed on a sloping, wooded site, it is a pleasantly informal house whose rustic appearance derives from the use of local boulders for the fireplace and redwood boarding as exterior siding. But it is the T-shaped plan that tells the story of the family. At one side of the main entrance is a children's doorway which leads to a "mud room" and lavatory. From this point the children, now clean and presentable, may go directly to their wing consisting of four bedrooms, bath and a large (15'x21') playroom. Laundry equipment and a countertop separate the playroom and kitchen, thus making it possible to keep an eye on the children while cooking. Well removed from the children's domain are the living room, down six steps from the entrance level, and the master bedroom, study and guest room, up six steps from the entrance level.