Neither my husband nor I grew up in the city, but since moving here over six years ago, we’ve never had the desire to leave. We love the city life. The city is inspiring and thriving with restaurants, coffee shops, parks and playgrounds. There is so much to do and so much to learn in an urban environment full of art, entertainment, food, culture, landmarks, sports, history and more. These aspects of living in the city have influenced our house design. Because we are close to many amenities, there is no need for a large house or a large backyard. The city is our backyard. The location of our new house is within a historic district. Therefore the height, width, materials and proportions of the house had to match that of the neighbors. These requirements influenced the house exterior. We wanted the space to be big enough to fit our needs, but with as little excess as possible. With more space comes more possessions and with more possessions comes more shopping, more cleaning and more maintaining. Less time spent doing these things equals more time spent getting out and exploring the city we love!