Architects and builders strive to build new houses that reflect the way people live. A formal living room - rarely used - often eat up a significant amount of floor space. But more and more, design professionals are casting aside such conventional approaches and creating homes suited to the way people actually live, such as a great room concept.

A showhouse on the Northwest Natural Street of Dreams in Portland, Oregon, built during the spring and summer of 2002, exemplifies this trend.

This home neatly combines the charm of traditional architecture with the amenities of contemporary living. It boasts oversize windows that flood rooms with light, a compact floor plan devoid of hallways, and a nicely proportioned dinning room. But what may be most noteworthy is what it lacks - a living room. The exterior of the house was inspired by the great seaside cottages of the Northeast.