The Akron design is a simple but attractive layout

The Akron is a compact home designed to fit on a narrow city lot. Many of the Akron’s features are as appealing to first-time home buyers as they are to retirement couples.

Vaulted ceilings, for instance, expand the sense of spaciousness in both the living room and dining room. Even the entry has a lofty 10-foot ceiling and a transom window over the front door.

A waist-high wall, with columns at either end, divides the dining room from the living room. The space between the columns is bridged by a high shelf. Draped with hanging plants, it becomes a living screen of greenery separating the busyness of the dining room from the relaxing calm of the living room. A high arch, stacked with multi-paned windows, fills most of the boxed front living room wall.

Another notable feature is a bathroom that can be entered from either the bedroom wing, or the family room. An inner door provides added privacy for the toilet and tub.

And the dining room is only one of many places to eat. A window-bright eating bay expands the combination kitchen/family room, and an eating bar is handy for snacks and meals on the run. In summer, you could even dine on the deck, accessed by a door near the fireplace.

The Akron’s owners’ suite features a large walk-in closet, a spa tub with glass block wall, and a separately enclosed water closet and shower. A small utility room is tucked in the passageway between the garage and house.

Visit AssociatedDesigns.com for more information or to search our home plans. A review plan of the Akron 10-038, including floor plans, elevations, section, and artist’s conception, can be purchased for $25. Our home plan catalog, featuring more than 550 home plans, costs $15. Both are available online, by mail or phone. Add $5 s/h. Associated Designs, 1100 Jacobs Dr., Eugene, OR 97402, (800) 634-0123.