Our Story
Your Modern Cottage was founded on a simple belief: good design has the power to improve everyday life. The spaces we inhabit shape how we feel, how we function, and how we experience our daily routines — often in ways we don’t even realize.
We created Your Modern Cottage Home Plans to make thoughtful, high-quality design more accessible. Our homes are guided by clarity, efficiency, and livability, balancing beauty with purpose. Every plan is designed around the way people truly live — supporting comfort, ease, and a sense of calm.
Because a well-designed home doesn’t just look better.
It feels better.
And life inside it becomes simpler, more natural, and more relaxed.
What We Do
Education is a core part of what we do.
Through videos, articles, practical guides, and our Your New Home Build Roadmap community, we share real-world insights about planning, designing, and building a home. These perspectives come from our own experience, along with the trusted architects and builders we’re proud to collaborate with.
Our goal isn’t simply to sell plans.
It’s to help you understand the process, avoid costly missteps, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
Because informed homeowners make better decisions —
and better decisions create better homes.
“A well-designed home should make life feel easier, simpler, and more relaxed.”
Rick Staub, AIA, LEED AP, MBA
Rick Staub believes the best homes are not defined by size or style, but by how they support daily life. His designs are guided by clarity, livability, and a quiet sense of calm — creating spaces that feel natural, balanced, and enduring.
Raised in a family of makers — a father who designed and built homes and a grandfather who was a millworker — Rick developed an early respect for craft, detail, and the human side of building. Over more than 40 years in architecture, he has become known for creating homes that feel intuitive, balanced, and deeply responsive to the people who live in them.
Rick’s design philosophy centers on understanding what truly matters to each homeowner. His process, often described as “Design DNA,” focuses on lifestyle, priorities, and the emotional experience of living in a space — not just the physical structure. The result is homes that feel effortless, functional, and enduring.
Rick is a founding partner of Point One Architects in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and co-founder of Your Modern Cottage. YMC was created to share thoughtfully designed home plans and practical design guidance — helping homeowners navigate the building process with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.
Jennifer Carmichael
Since high school, Jennifer Carmichael knew she wanted to pursue a career in writing. Much like finding the exact piece to fit a jigsaw puzzle, she has always enjoyed choosing the perfect string of words.
Upon obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, she’s been writing and editing for large and small companies, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers for more than 25 years. She developed a unique niche and passion writing about trends and topics in architecture and interior design.
As co-founder of Your Modern Cottage, she splits her time among looking at beautiful pictures, chatting with talented designers, and sharing what she learns with all of you. Truly a perfect gig, since at the heart of what she loves to do is make connections and tell a good story.