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The Harlowe - Floorplan thoughts

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carturo15

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What do you guys think of this floorplan? 10 ft ceilings.

What would you modify to the actual design? 3 ideas that come to my mind, an extended kitchen island that serves as a dinner table, a double vanity in the main bathroom and a double glass door for the second bedroom removing the actual wall ( it will allow more natural light to the bedroom and it can used as a den or a bedroom). What do you think? any other ideas?


http://www.theharlowe.com/assets/pdfs/TheHarlowe-Mercer1.pdf
 
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There's a lot to like about this floorplan

Likes:
double sink (for some reason this is becoming more of a rarity in new builds)
good kitchen layout with built ins and gas cooking.
Master is big and the sliding door actually butts up against a wall rather than butting up against air like I've seen in other projects
Good size 2nd bedroom
No wasted space like long, winding hallways and useless nooks.
Big, deep balcony

Dislikes:
The vanity needs to be bigger. Way too small for such a big bathroom and unit.

Also would add a medicine cabinet somewhere too.

The washer/dryer in the 2nd bedroom is a big pain.

Tiny entrance closet.

The big master bath is a bit overkill IMO. Doesn't need to be that big IMO. Would rather the space go to the closet or living space.
 
MODIFICATIONS:

* if you want and can live with a smaller master bath, eliminate the separate shower and get a tub/shower combo, move the toilet up slightly so it would align with the end of tub
* extra 2.5 feet from eliminated shower could be used to enlarge 2nd bedroom to 9'0" x 12'6"
* move W/D further right so it's faces/opens to the hallway. that would give you about 8 feet of closet for 2nd bedroom
* place the hall closet behind the right wall of 2nd bedroom - there's enough space in the foyer that it would not interfere with flow or make it feel claustrophobic and give you about 3.5-4 feet entry closet
 
I really like this floor plan, it is very spacious and well laid out. Having 10' foot ceilings is a definite plus and will make it feel more loft like.

I like the large master bath and agree that there should be dual sinks as there is space for it, and is ideal for couples.
Having a separate tub and shower is not really necessary, as there is a second bathroom with a tub. I rather have a large walk-in shower and lose the tub in the master bath as it will get the most use. The shower stall is small and I would feel claustrophobic in it.

The dual sinks in the kitchen is also you do see too often in condo these days. While this is a nice feature and something I would get good use of, I would rather have a sink-and-a-half to gain more counter space while still having the useful divided sink. Gas for both the kitchen and balcony is also a rarity but is a must for me.

Initially I would lengthen the island to stretch the length of the kitchen, but on second thought I would keep the length as it is as dining at a dining table is much more comfortable than dining on stools around an island. My last place had a similar layout and I butted a dining table against the island which creates a great setting for a dinner party. What I would change on the island is to extend the countertop depth so that there is an overhang so that you could place stools against it for more casual dining or entertaining.

Flipping the layout of the second bathroom would be better as the door wouldn't be right next to the kitchen.
 
cdr108 said:
MODIFICATIONS:

* if you want and can live with a smaller master bath, eliminate the separate shower and get a tub/shower combo, move the toilet up slightly so it would align with the end of tub
* extra 2.5 feet from eliminated shower could be used to enlarge 2nd bedroom to 9'0" x 12'6"
* move W/D further right so it's faces/opens to the hallway. that would give you about 8 feet of closet for 2nd bedroom
* place the hall closet behind the right wall of 2nd bedroom - there's enough space in the foyer that it would not interfere with flow or make it feel claustrophobic and give you about 3.5-4 feet entry closet
Click to expand...

What of these options would you choose for the master bath?

1. Leave it as it is to have a large bathroom
2. Add a second sink, move the W/D to the shower location, remove the bathtub as there is already a bathtub in the second bath and have a large shower instead. This way you would increase the size of the second bed closet by removing the W/D from there.
3. Leave a bath with the same size as the entry bathroom with shower instead of bathtub and use the extra space to add more closet space to the master bed
4. Leave a bath with the same size as the entry bathroom with shower instead of bathtub and use the extra space to add more space to the second bed.

Thoughts?
 
depends on your priorities but for a unit of 880 sq ft, I believe the bedrooms are too small.
personally, I would keep the bathtub and have it set up as shower/tub instead of only a large shower.

with option 4, both bedrooms will be of similar sizes at 9'0" x 11'0" (I made a typo when I said the second bedroom would be 12'6" long - meant 11'6") and the master already has 8 linear feet of closet space that could be expanded up to 16 ft with double-hung set up given that ceiling height in principal rooms is 10 ft excluding bulkheads.
try to get closet doors as high as possible - might have to pay extra for custom, to maximize the vertical space which would otherwise not be easily accessible with regular closet doors/sliders

I would also consider the other recommendations:
* move W/D further right so it's faces/opens to the hallway. that would give you about 8 feet of closet for 2nd bedroom
* place the hall closet behind the right wall of 2nd bedroom - as is, the foyer is slightly more than 6 feet wide so it would not interfere with flow or make it feel claustrophobic and still give you about 4 feet entry closet

carturo15 said:
What of these options would you choose for the master bath?

1. Leave it as it is to have a large bathroom
2. Add a second sink, move the W/D to the shower location, remove the bathtub as there is already a bathtub in the second bath and have a large shower instead. This way you would increase the size of the second bed closet by removing the W/D from there.
3. Leave a bath with the same size as the entry bathroom with shower instead of bathtub and use the extra space to add more closet space to the master bed
4. Leave a bath with the same size as the entry bathroom with shower instead of bathtub and use the extra space to add more space to the second bed.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
Actually the master bed closets do not have doors as per the plan which is even better to do custom closets. Also, I was thinking to add a door in the second bedroom (den) to communicate this bedroom with the master bathroom. I think it can add an interesting flow to the unit. What do you think?
 
I wouldn't do it. you'd lose privacy if you intend to use the unit as 2 bedrooms

carturo15 said:
Actually the master bed closets do not have doors as per the plan which is even better to do custom closets. Also, I was thinking to add a door in the second bedroom (den) to communicate this bedroom with the master bathroom. I think it can add an interesting flow to the unit. What do you think?
Click to expand...
 
I like the second layout much better. I like the galley kitchen and the work triangle with the sink facing into you living space rather than into a wall. There is way more storage space in the second layout too. The Clarkson is bigger but it would work so much better and not feel cramped. It is a pretty classic efficient layout without much wasted space.
 
Clarkson is classic layout; however, it's not the best efficient use of 1,142 SF with only 2 bedrooms.
I would have expected a 3rd bedroom/den/library in there for flexible use; however, they've decided to provide extra closet space for both bedrooms and a very large bathroom for the master.

I will assume this unit also has 10 ft ceilings since it's the PH collection.
lots of closet space in the master with 16 linear ft which could be doubled-up to 32 ft with double-hung rods, with plenty of shelf storage above and below as long as the ceiling isn't dropped a lot for bulkheads.
13 linear ft of closet space in the 2nd bedroom that could be doubled-up to 26 ft with double-hung rods.

the galley-style kitchen may be abit tight.
make sure there is at least 3 ft between the base cabinets along the wall and the peninsula - 3.5 ft preferred as there's plenty of space.

storage space for the kitchen may be insufficient as there doesn't appear to be any overhead cabinets above the DW/sink peninsula (which is a good thing from an aesthetic pov).
do you know if the base cabinets are shelves or drawer units? drawers are more ergonomic and efficient as it'll let one access items at the back better.

do you prefer a breakfast bar at the peninsula?
if so, have them extend the countertop by 1 foot overhang.
 
The unit has actually 11 ft ceilings. What if you add another 2ft to have an extended peninsula? There's plenty of space and that is an option to add a bit more of storage. I do not like the enclosed toilet in the master bath, do you?
 
The Clarkson is a great floor plan, but with that large size you could do a lot.
I don't think it needs extra rooms as I prefer spacious rooms over more smaller rooms which divides the space up more but that really depends on your lifestyle and living situation. Dens are overrated unless you work from home full time. There is room on the other side of the 2nd bathroom wall to the left to put a nicely sized desk, either freestanding or built-in.
The 11' ceilings is only on the PH level, where the same floor plan on other levels are 9' with select floors having 10' ceilings. The PH level is obviously preferred because not only of it's exclusivity, but it has only 7 units on that floor, has better views as it will clear the ugly office building across the street, and as mentioned previously the taller ceilings.

Extending the counter outwards a foot in the peninsula for a breakfast bar is definitely a must as you can effectively use stools there for informal dining/seating. And I agree that extending the counter 2 or 3 feet to the right would provide needed counter space for food serving or prep, or even more casual dining or entertainment space because you could add a few more counter stools around it.

The enclosed toilet in the master bath is a good idea if you are living with a spouse, trust me! I would rather have it frosted glass enclosed (or frosted up to 6 or 7 feet tall) rather than drywall so that it feels brighter and less claustrophobic.

I would rather have a walk in shower instead of a tub in the second bathroom as guests will shower more than take a bath and it will make that bathroom appear more open and spacious.
I would add a door for the walk-in closet for the 2nd bathroom while for the Master Bedroom closet I would have a custom California Closet installed as it would still look attractive when still exposed -- though doors in the closet system could be added to conceal more of your closet if you really think seeing your clothing collection is too cluttered and overwhelming.
 
forgot to add, see if you can get pocket doors for the bedrooms instead of external sliders which take up and/block the use of functional wall space.

I had thought about extending the peninsula by 2-3ft but it's not completely necessary if you add the additional depth for breakfast bar as there is already 3ft of countertop works surface either side of the sink.
again, if you can, getting drawers as opposed to just doors & shelving for the existing base cabinets will make a big difference.

I like the enclosed toilet in the ensuite as long it's frosted glass door so it doesn't feel claustrophobic as noted by neuhaus.

I don't have an issue with a tub in the 2nd bath as it'll will have a shower too.
a parent may not want to bath a child in their master bath so a secondary tub would be necessary.

I just realized there is a 3 bedroom option floorplan - the Clarkson 2 and I don't like it.

they could have done better with the available SF for the Clarkson but as it stands, they've decided to use it as extra closet space for both bedrooms and a very, very large ensuite for the master.
 
Clarkson is pretty nice but I feel for all that square footage there should be another room somewhere. For a unit that size, a pantry would have been nice too. Those are just minor quibbles. I would also opt to replace the sliders with *gasp* swing doors. As someone who has Lamb sliders, they're very wobbly, loud and in many units I've seen, don't close properly. Pocket doors as mentioned would be a good idea too but I wouldn't go through the builder for that.

Now that I look at it again....they could have added a den/office if they cut down on the bathroom and closet sizes.
 
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