Celebrate mother’s special day with a dream house plan from Direct from the Designers, where she will feel like the queen of the castle. If she loves to cook, surprise her with a home plan with a fully equipped gourmet kitchen. Special attention has been give to create functional work zones with plenty of countertop and storage regardless of the size of the kitchen floor plan. Everyone loves to be pampered, which is why these homes all feature master suites with spa-like baths, walk-in closets and sitting areas so mom can escape for some private time to rejuvenate and relax after a busy day of taking care of the family.

One can never have enough storage space, which is why all of these designs feature walk-in closets, built-ins, bonus rooms and optional basement floor plans. If you’re considering having your mom live with you, you’ll enjoy our extension collection of home plans with in-law suites, many offering the comforts of a small apartment with private entrance, full kitchen and living room.

Here is a sample of some of our favorite house plans, designed with mom in mind:

The Retreat at Waters Edge House Plan is a luxurious estate featuring five unique structures that are joined by trellised arbors and covered walkways with complementing floor plans designed for large families and those that love to entertain at home on a grand scale. The kitchen is absolutely amazing with marble countertops, two center islands, including one with ample seating. There’s plenty of cabinetry including a built-in desk area to keep you organized. View over 50 photographs and the floor plans for this luxurious home.

Mom will absolutely love the laundry room/craft room, which is approximately 500 square feet and located right next to the kitchen.

This master suite is the perfect retreat from a long day with a window sitting area, spa-like bath and exercise room.

You’ll feel like you’re at a 5-star resort when you step outside to the large covered patio with outdoor living room and fully equipped kitchen. Enjoy family time swimming in the large in-ground pool. There’s a beautiful, versatile cabana that can easily be converted into a private living quarter.

This sophisticated cottage house plan offers an abundant of unique features throughout its three floors. Beyond the soft arched entry is a gourmet kitchen that serves for casual and formal entertaining. Speaking of entertaining there’s a music room, large coffered great room, recreation room, two game rooms, a home theater, bar and wine cellar. This is home that one won’t want to leave. Upstairs is a true master retreat with a sitting area, fireplace, extensive his & her closet spaces and a private screen porch where one can relax and refresh.

The gourmet kitchen of the Olmstead House Plan is only one of the many appealing features of this two-story home. An optional finished basement floor plan gives this 5,342 square foot home the potential for an additional 2,092 square feet.

With over 6,000 house plans to preview in a wide range of architectural styles and sizes you are sure to find your dream home. Check some of our favorite designs, including our newest home plans at Pinterest.

You can easily dress up your front entry by selecting a stylish front entry door with decorative transoms and sidelites. The Halstad House plan was designed using a front entry system from Therma-Tru's® new Classic-Craft™ Canvas Collection.

The architects and designers from Direct from the Designers House Plans wanted to make sure that all builders, remodelers and other home building professionals were aware of a new sweepstakes being offered by Therma-Tru called “Unlock the Opportunities.” This interactive sweepstakes allows visitors to pick a home and customize its front entry system using the latest products from Therma-Tru.

By creating and submitting an entry system, visitors are entered to win daily $25 gift cards, monthly televisions and laptops and the grand prize, which is a trip for two to the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans. One entry is allowed for every demonstration you take. The contest runs through June 30th.

Building a new home is such an exciting project and it all starts with a having great house plans – one that compliments your lifestyle, taste and budget and that you can envision living in for many years.

For Direct from the Designers latest issue of Her Dream Home the editor decided to share some of their top designer’s favorite house plans, based simply on their personal favorites and of course aesthetics, not their best-selling (though a few just happen to be) house plans. These plans were selected to help inspire you to find your dream house plan.

Direct from the Designers latest issue of Her Dream Home Magazine showcases the designers and architects favorite house plans.

If you’re looking for luxury, you’ll enjoy the Ciscyane house plan, a contemporary Mediterranean featuring rich interior detailing. For every comfort of home, take a tour through the L’Attesa di Vita or if Craftsman is your style, take a look at the classic Halstad house plan. For a luxurious cottage house plan there’s the Olmstead, which features 3 levels of high-end living or if you’re looking for something smaller, there’s the well-designed, affordable bungalow cottage that’s just less than 2,000 sq. ft.

This issue also features articles about how to create a romantic master suite, the latest in pampering bath products and tips to design a cutting-edge home.

We would love to know which of these designs were your personal favorite and would be happy to answer any questions about these house plans or any of our collection of over 6,000 popular home plans.

Direct from the Designers recently released Her Dream Home: Tour of Homes featuring house plans perfect for entertaining.

The newest issue of Her Dream Home magazine features great house plans for entertaining from the leading house plan designers and architects at Direct from the Designers. Each of the designs in this special Tour of Homes issue features a dream kitchen with all the latest amenities including additional seating for socializing, innovative energy efficient appliances, eco-friendly cabinetry and flooring products.

These featured house plans also have large great rooms with fireplaces and plenty of windows, open living areas, as well as extended outdoor living spaces. One of the benefits of a having a home with an open floor plan and flexible living spaces is that it can easily accommodate small or large gatherings without having to rearrange your home’s interior.

Each plan features an abundance of great photography to help inspire consumers to design a beautiful, functional and festive home that they can enjoy all year long.

On the cover of Her Dream Home is the Cariati House Plan, which is a 5 Star Mediterranean masterpiece. Take a tour of this home with over a dozen photographs showcasing the two-story stone turret and great room, a pampering master suite and bath, sunken media room, formal dining room, cozy breakfast room, gourmet kitchen with island seating and custom pool area.

The Bellesera House Plan is a natural beauty featuring a private casita above the two-car garage, which is great for overnight guests and features a kitchenette and full bath. The foyer leads to an open living area with a gourmet kitchen, living room and cozy dining room that opens to the pool area with a covered courtyard. The interior décor shown in this home provides plenty of inspiration for consumers looking to replicate an authentic Mediterranean-styled home.

Travel back to Europe with the Boddington House Plan, which is a stylish two-story European Cottage that offers exceptional living spaces for entertaining and easy living. For a timeless traditional home, the Palladian House Plan features and exterior accented by columns and arches, warm shingle-style accents and welcoming front porch. The interior features rich wood flooring, intricate millwork and cabinetry that flow naturally through the open living spaces.

These house plans are just a small sampling from the thousands of best-selling house plans offered by Direct from the Designers, which are available in a wide variety of architectural styles and sizes. Please share your favorite designs from this issue on Direct from the Designers Facebook.

The newest house plan from Direct from the Designers is a gorgeous two-story mountain log home with plenty of green building products like ENERGY STAR windows.

Direct from the Designers newest energy efficient house plan is a two-story lodge log home. This new mountain house plan features plenty of windows for natural light and warmth, which helps reduce the cost of heating and electricity during the day. You can learn more about building a green home by reading this article featured in Direct from the Designers Green Living section. The two story vaulted ceiling in the great room is accented by two walls of windows and features a wood stove with hearth and cathedral ceilings.

It’s designed with 2” x 6” walls and log siding inside and out to minimize construction costs while meeting the more stringent energy codes in many localities, while retaining the charm of a traditional log home. Of course, this design can easily be modified to utilize other modern sidings and interior finishes. Simply contact Direct from the Designers by calling one of their home plan specialist at 877-895-5299 to find out how you can make this your custom dream home. All modification quotes are free. For your convenience you can fill out a modification form for any of their over 6,000 house plans.

Take a peek at the only collection of ENERGY STAR house plans.

Enjoy the view from this two-story great with wood burning stove and wall of windows.

Her Dream Home from Direct from the Designers features great Fall decorating ideas that will inspire you to dress up your porch, light up your home’s exterior, carve a pumpkin, roll out the welcome mat, make a homemade pie and showcase your fireplace. You’ll find some hot, new house plans featuring innovative floor plans and plenty of curb appeal.

This latest issue of Her Dream Home from Direct from the Designers House Plans features great fall decorating ideas & tips that will inspire homeowners to dress up the porch, light up the home’s exterior, carve a pumpkin, roll out the welcome mat, make a homemade pie and showcase the fireplace. Homeowners will find some of Direct from the Designers newest house plans featuring innovative house plans with plenty of curb appeal.

With the holidays right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to dress your home in seasonal décor. There’s also an article on Creating an Authentic Craftsman Home, which highlights the key design elements to look for in a Craftsman house plan, particularly the front porch and entry.

“This new issue features some of Direct from the Designers most popular house plans based on curb appeal and interior design,” said Christine Sears, Managing Director of Direct from the Designers. “Readers will see spectacular homes with large open kitchens and living spaces and gorgeous outdoor living spaces to make entertaining easy.”

One of the homes featured in the new issue, The Fireglow Home Plan, captures the charm of homes from the French countryside. An offset entry featuring a fiberglass door from Therma-Tru’s® Classic-Craft® Rustic Collection™ opens to an impressive two-story foyer and a formal living room with fireplace lead to a formal dining room.

Another gorgeous home readers can take an inside peek of is The Chatham House Plan which embodies the essence of New England luxury and charm with its shingle-style gables, gambrels, columns, turrets, balconies and verandas. Inside is a spectacular grand circular rotunda with domed stained-glass ceiling and compass rose floor. The two-story great room with a curved bay window anchors the expansive family living space, which is great for entertaining.

For a selection of over 6,000 innovative house plans in a wide range of architectural styles and sizes, as well as their exclusive collection of ENERGY STAR house plans visit Direct from the Designers.

Let us know what you think about our Favorite Apple Pie Recipe, which is on page 8 by sending us a Tweet or sharing a photo of your homemade apple pie or favorite holiday dessert on Facebook.

With the holiday’s right around the corner it’s the perfect time to think about designing a new kitchen, which is why Direct from the Designers recently updated its collection of best-selling kitchen floor plans. Regardless of the size of the home, all the kitchens in this collection feature perfectly crafted work zones for prepping, cooking, serving and cleaning so homeowners can create the perfect home cooked dinner or holiday feast with ease and enjoyment.

The trend continues to create an open living space where the kitchen is integrated in a way that it’s not only used for cooking but entertaining and interacting with family and friends. Since the kitchen is such a key ingredient to your homes overall design, it should reflect your personal qualities and tastes, but without losing functionality.

Whether you are planning a kitchen remodel or building a kitchen from scratch for your dream home your kitchen floor plans is critical in how efficiently your kitchen space will function for you and your family. For some great examples of innovative kitchen designs you’ll want to explore kitchen floor plans from leading house plan companies like Direct from the Designers, who not only offer detailed floor plans but great photography so you visualize your new kitchen.

Here are three innovative, fabulous  kitchen floor plans fresh from the architects drafting table to inspire the chef in everyone:

This one-story house plan satisfy and delights on all levels, particularly in the kitchen.

Though this is but a single-story home, The Leewright House Plan satisfies and delights on many levels. The exterior has visual appeal with varied rooflines, a mix of materials and graceful traditional lines. The interior is thoughtfully planned for family living. Count among the living spaces a huge great room with sloped, vaulted ceiling, fireplace and built-ins; a media room with double-door access; a private home office; and an outdoor living area with fireplace. There are two dining spaces — a formal dining room with hutch recess and a nook that opens to an outdoor kitchen with built-in grill. Speaking of kitchens, the main one in this home has an island, two sink prep areas, a butler’s pantry connecting it to the formal dining room and a walk-in pantry. Family bedrooms sit to the front of the plan and are joined by a Jack-and-Jill bath. The master suite is on the far right side. Its grand salon has an eleven-foot ceiling, a fireplace, built-ins, a walk-in closet and a superb bath. If you need extra space, there’s a bonus room on an upper level above the garage.

This gorgeous kitchen features an expansive floor plan with kitchen island.

When you enter the courtyard of this two-story home,  you’ll feel like you’ve just entered into the elegant world of Tuscany. The old world charm and craftsmanship are evident as you pass through the tower entryway into the gallery and great room with beamed ceiling and fireplace. There’s a huge open kitchen with breakfast nook, center island and peninsula so you can enjoy casual dining with family and friends. The French doors lead you to an expansive outdoor living space featuring a covered patio, stone floor and fireplace. The second floor features 461 sq. ft to create a unique/flexible space to fit your family needs. Shown as a game room with full bath, this space could easily be converted into another a fourth bedroom or office.

The brilliantly designed kitchen area of this two-story home features a snack lounge, circular dinette and dining area.

This beautiful traditional house plan has great curb appeal and an amazing layout. Soaring to 22 feet, the ceilings in the great room are adorned with decorative beams, recessed lighting and a massive stone fireplace. The brilliantly designed kitchen area, snack lounge, circular dinette and dining area combine functionality and beauty. Separated by decorative columns, the octagonal shaped hearth room creates a feeling of warmth and relaxation. There’s plenty of room to grow with this house, which comes with an optional basement plan featuring a game and recreational room, wet bar, guest room and plenty of additional flexible spaces.

Enjoy their recently updated its collection of best-selling kitchen flloor plans, featuring a wide range of architectural styles and sizes, including homes from their exclusive ENERGY STAR approved house plans collection.

House plans featuring well-designed garages do much more than house your automobile, they add value, practicality, organization and curb appeal to your home. When searching for house plans, it is best to decide ahead of time, whether you want an attached or detached garage, a one-car or multi-car design or a one-story, two-story and three-story floor plan to extend your living space.

Think of your garage as a valuable extension of your home’s living space. By outfitting your garage with extra electrical outlets, lighting, flooring and insulated garage doors, you can create a functional workspace. Your garage can also provided you with additional storage space by adding simple accessories like cabinets, tables, benches, shelving and racks.

Consumers are also installing upscale, eye-catching and energy-efficient doors to give their home added curb appeal. With the garage accounting for about 30% of your home, it only makes sense to take special care in choosing a garage door that will complement your home’s architectural style.

For example this European–styled manor  features three gorgeous carriage house garage doors with accented by soft stone and dormers and some added storage/bonus space above. This spacious, yet cozy cottage house plan is perfect for a narrow lot design. It’s accented with stone, cedar shakes and carriage style garage doors. An irresistible wrap-around porch makes a great first impression. There is lots of curb appeal packed into this house design, feature a mix of natural stone and siding and a unique front entry two-car garage design.  All of these designs feature garage doors by Wayne-Dalton.

You can preview thousands of popular house plans featuring innovative, flexible garage designs from Direct from the Designers. Check out this week”s issue of Dream Green featuring the our  favorite garage designs and garage doors.

Direct from the Designers presents this cozy cottage featuring a two-car garage design and plenty of curb appeal.

Direct from the Designers House Plans, Home Plans, Floor Plans offers one of the largest collections of online green house plans, including an the only collection of ENERGY STAR® approved house plans to assist homeowners and builders in building innovative, flexible and sustainable homes.

“The designers and architects of Direct from the Designers believe in creating innovative, energy-efficient green house plans that utilize all the latest green building techniques and products to make it easy and affordable for consumers and builders to build an authentic green home without sacrificing aesthetics,” said Christine Sears, Managing Director of Direct from the Designers. “We wanted to take it a step further by providing consumers with a comprehensive resource center called Green Living where they could read about the latest interior and exterior home building products, get inspiring home design ideas and tips and find the latest home product rebates and promotions.”

Articles like Building a Green Home, The Top 10 Commandments to Home Design and Gorgeous, Green Bathroom Products are key to assisting home builders in making informed decisions about green products and building techniques so they can determine how green they want their new home to be.

If you want to stay in touch with the newest green house plans from Direct from the Designers and read the latest articles added to Green Living, you’ll want to sign-up for Dream Green, a free weekly newsletter, showcasing the latest in green home building products and inspiring design ideas.

You’ll find cutting-edge designs like The Evergreen Cottage, which took first place in a recent ENERGY STAR/Green house plan competition, The Greenview House Plan, a contemporary two-story, perfect for narrow lots and the Award-winning Craftsman previewed each week in Dream Green.

The Evergreen Cottage House Plan from Direct from the Designers House Plans was selected because it offers tremendous flexibility in its design, while offering the latest in green technology and innovation.

A recent issue of Dream Green by Direct from the Designers House Plans is all about satisfying home builders craving for creating an eco-friendly kitchen.

After all, the kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in any home and a key ingredient to any well-designed house plan. It is the place where we create great dishes and gather for food and conversation. When it comes time designing your new kitchen, be sure to satisfy your craving for style while balancing functionality, by making sure you have enough space for food preparation, storage, cooking and cleanup.

A great addition to any kitchen design is to incorporate a kitchen island so you can have extra space for food preparation and cleanup and more time for socializing. It is especially useful for entertaining, snacking, light lunches and breakfast, if you have enough room to add seating.

All of the house plans in Direct from the Designers green collection feature the latest in kitchen design ideas, from green flooring products to high-efficiency appliances, gorgeous countertops, water-efficient faucets and decorative millwork.

If you don’t already have a free subscription to Dream Green, please click here.

Sign up for Dream Green, a free newsletter from Direct from the Designers, a free weekly newsletter, showcasing the latest in green home building products and inspiring design ideas.