Craftsman plans with a covered lanai rarely fail a family gathering — and experienced builders know exactly why. The protected outdoor space keeps the party alive when August thunderstorms roll in, kids move between the yard and the kitchen without tracking mud across everything, and Sunday morning coffee happens outside regardless of what the weather decides. The Reconnaissante Cottage is built around that rhythm: a covered lanai designed for twelve people, an open main living area that absorbs a crowd, four bedrooms that give everyone somewhere to land, and a single-story layout that keeps noise and conversation in the same zip code.
Specifications
- Sq. Ft.: 2,482
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 3.5
Floor Plan – Main Floor
Four bedrooms anchor the right wing while the family room, kitchen, and nook cluster at the center, with the covered lanai connecting outdoor living directly to the interior. A study and two-car garage round out the layout.
Floor Plan – Bonus Room
The second floor holds a 26×14 bonus room accessed by stairs, with open attic space on all sides.
Arched Double Doors Set the Tone Before You’re Even Inside
Dark wood and wrought iron don’t try too hard here.
The arched entry doors with glass panels pull in natural light, and the iron baluster staircase keeps things grounded without pushing into ornate territory. It’s the kind of entry that signals craftsmanship without announcing itself.
Warm Cabinetry and a Granite Island Built for Sunday Mornings
Glazed upper cabinets with interior lighting show off dishware without feeling precious, and the granite countertop has enough movement in the stone to hold its own against the gray-painted island base. Bar stools with upholstered oval backs keep seating comfortable for the long haul. That decorative range hood is the room’s clear focal point — and it earns it.
In The Details: The custom range hood matches the cabinetry profile exactly, so it reads as built-in millwork rather than a cover bolted on after the fact. Under-cabinet lighting runs the full length of the upper cabinets, which means the backsplash tile gets to do its job even after dark — not just during the Sunday morning hours the kitchen was named for.
Stone Fireplace Column That Earns Its Square Footage on Both Sides
Stacked stone rises floor to ceiling and serves both the dining and living areas from a single shared column. A rope-wrapped chandelier, wood ceiling beams, and dark hardwood floors do the rest of the character work — nothing here feels added as an afterthought.
Fun Fact: Double-sided fireplaces built into a shared stone column were a fixture of mountain lodge architecture long before central HVAC existed — heating two zones from one firebox was just practical. Today they survive because the atmosphere is worth keeping even when the warmth isn’t strictly necessary.
Vaulted Beams and a Stone Column That Anchors the Whole Room
Exposed wood beams run the full length of a cathedral ceiling that gives the living room genuine, unhurried volume. The floor-to-ceiling stacked stone fireplace anchors one end visually, while layered rugs and upholstered ottomans bring the scale back down to where people actually sit. Kitchen cabinetry visible in the background stays warm without competing for attention — which is harder to pull off than it looks.
- Cathedral ceilings with exposed beams reduce the need for additional architectural detail on the walls.
- A round chandelier with open-flame-style bulbs suits the scale of a tall ceiling better than a flush fixture would.
- Placing seating ottomans perpendicular to the sofa adds flexible surface area without adding another piece of case furniture.
Racing Memorabilia Finds a Home in Warm Wood and Leather
Framed motorsport photography covers two walls above a leather recliner and carved wood desk — a study that actually looks used rather than staged.
Material Matters: Solid hardwood flooring holds up well in rooms that double as display space, since furniture gets rearranged more often than you’d expect. Open metal shelving lets collections breathe without closing off the room the way built-in cabinetry can. And if you’re mounting framed pieces salon-style like this, anchoring into studs matters — more people skip that step than will admit it.
Cathedral Ceiling, Crystal Chandelier, and Bedding That Means Business
An ornate carved headboard in cream lacquer anchors the room under vaulted beams, with silk-draped windows and warm hardwood floors pulling the scheme together without any single element overshooting its welcome.
Why That Vaulted Ceiling Works So Hard Here
Exposed white beams on a cathedral ceiling don’t just add height — they give the eye a path to follow, which keeps a heavily furnished room from tipping into crowded. The chandelier placement is doing real work too. Hung at mid-vault rather than flush to the peak, it drops the light source closer to where people actually are, and that decision matters more than most homeowners realize when they’re planning a room this tall.
Freestanding Tub by the Window, Walk-In Shower Built Into the Wall
Marble-veined countertops run the full length of a double-sink vanity with raised-panel cabinetry below. The freestanding tub sits centered beneath draped roman shades, positioned to catch natural light directly — the kind of detail that photographs well and actually improves daily use.
Try This: Freestanding tubs look best pulled slightly away from the wall on all sides — cleaning underneath shouldn’t require moving anything. If your bathroom window sits low, figure out the reclined sightline before you commit to plumbing placement. Moving a drain after the fact is not a fun afternoon.
Covered Lanai with a Brick Fireplace Column and Room for Everyone
Stone pavers run wall to wall beneath a vaulted wood-beam ceiling, with cast-iron patio furniture and cushioned seating wrapped around a decorative rug that keeps the space grounded even with a full forest view behind it. A brick fireplace anchors the back, a gas grill sits ready on the right, and the whole setup is covered — which is the entire point of a lanai this size.
Pro Tip: Outdoor rugs on stone or pavers trap moisture underneath if they don’t have a breathable open-weave backing. Lift the rug a few times a year to let both surfaces dry out, especially in shaded spaces where the sun can’t do the work for you. Small habit, real payoff in mold prevention and rug longevity.
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Craftsman exterior with wood garage doors and stone accents pairs with a first floor plan showing four bedrooms and a covered lanai.
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