This Yankee Barn Homes cottage sits on the shores of Lake Sunapee, NH. To be more precise, the delightful little post & beam sits on an island in the middle of Lake Sunapee. The best part of this timber frame is, from bottom to top, it comes in at 1,994 totally usable square feet.
A rectangle with full dormer bump-out constitutes the total footprint of this home. The main reason this house has so much usable interior space is due to the fact the only open two-story space resides in the front bump-out facing the lake. All other cathedral ceilings are located on the second floor of the cottage. 
Because this lakeside cottage is a post & beam home, the main level is a totally open floor plan. No divisive walls are necessary to hold up the roof – the timber frame structure does that job beautifully, both literally and figuratively. 
The fireplace great room opens directly onto the dining room and kitchen. 
Keeping the color of all wood surfaces the same, including the timber frame, the kitchen cabinets and the floor, gives the home a sense of continuous flow and spaciousness. The use of blue and yellow as accent colors is a nod to the blue waters of the lake and the sunny skies over head.
The lake is visible from every room in the house. Some of the views are just down-right spectacular! 
Best of all, this cottage is totally weather efficient. Whether it be the height of summer or the depth of winter, this house has the human comfort factor totally covered. The fact that Yankee Barn Homes uses its own True Panel wall and roof panels means the cost to keep this house either cool or warm is a fraction of what a stick-built home would cost. I know this to be true as I live in a Yankee Barn under 2000 square feet myself and have the bills (or lack there-of) to prove it!
Too much plaid.