Cohousing-L Mailing List: common house design recommendations

[Kristen Simmons (simmonskristen]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my questions about common house
design this past week!

I am happy to report the Stony Brook Cohousing had a fantastic common house
programming session yesterday with our architect Laura Fitch. It was a lot
of fun and a lot of work, and we are very excited about our future
community. The final decision for the great room/kitchen connection is that
it be as open as possible, but close-able in an aesthetically pleasing
manner. We seem to agree that if the common house is the center of the
community, then the kitchen is the heart of the common house.

I am observing from the listserv feedback that designing a functional, yet
aesthetically pleasing connection between great room and kitchen seems to
be a challenge faced by many communities. Perhaps this is a topic for the
Cohousing Conference in June?  It could be paired with sound attenuation for
dining rooms, as noisy dining rooms seem to be another challenge for both
and existing communities and those in design. Conference Programming
Team, the proposal will be sent shortly...

Regards,
Kristen Simmons
Stony Brook Cohousing, now forming in Boston, MA, where it's beginning to
feel a lot like spring
www.stongbrookcohousing.org