Atelier II vs. Moderne at Cotino: One Level or Two?
Guest privacy, stairs, flex rooms and outdoor living in two Shea Cottage Collection designs.
Atelier II and Moderne put two different versions of Cottage Collection living on the table at Cotino. Both are Shea Homes designs with a downstairs primary suite, open gathering rooms and a flex room. Atelier II keeps the entire published base plan on one level. Moderne adds a second floor with a bedroom, loft and covered deck.
That makes the decision more useful than simply smaller versus larger. It is a choice between keeping guests and daily routines on the same floor, or creating a second place in the home where people can sleep, gather and step outside.
- Atelier II keeps both bedrooms, the flex room and shared living spaces on one level.
- Moderne keeps the primary suite downstairs and adds an upstairs guest bedroom, loft and covered deck.
- Both base plans have two bedrooms; Moderne’s approximately 546 additional square feet do not simply mean another bedroom.
- Atelier II emphasizes ground-level covered outdoor living; Moderne distributes outdoor spaces across two levels.
The real choice: one shared level or a second retreat
Moderne’s published base area is approximately 546 square feet larger than Atelier II’s—about 24%. Yet both base specifications list two bedrooms. The extra area is not simply another base bedroom: Moderne also provides a loft and the circulation needed for a second level.
Atelier II makes sense to examine first when keeping every principal room on one floor is important. Moderne becomes more interesting when a separate upstairs gathering space would be used regularly. Neither advantage depends on the furniture, lighting fixtures or finishes chosen for the model.
Atelier II and Moderne at a glance
Start with the drawings
Follow the front entry into the shared rooms, then trace the routes to the primary suite, guest bedroom and flex room. Atelier II needs one drawing to show those relationships; Moderne needs two. The images below fit their containers and are not displayed at a common scale.
Select a drawing or photograph to enlarge it. Base specifications, model configurations and available options should be distinguished; dashed lines and optional labels are not a promise of included features.
Guest privacy: separated rooms versus separated floors
Atelier II keeps overnight guests on the same level
Atelier II’s Bedroom 2 is close to the front entry and has an adjoining bathroom. The primary suite is at the other end of the plan, beyond the kitchen and shared living rooms. That separation gives owner and guest bedrooms distinct positions without requiring stairs between sleeping and gathering spaces.
It is a practical arrangement for visitors who prefer everything on one level. A guest can reach the great room and kitchen without going through the primary bedroom. It also means the guest remains on the same floor as evening conversations and television; actual sound separation depends on construction, doors and use.
Moderne gives guests an upstairs area of their own
Moderne puts Bedroom 2 upstairs with its own full bathroom and walk-in closet. The nearby loft and covered deck create additional places to read, watch television or spend time apart from the downstairs gathering room. A separate upstairs half bathroom also means loft visitors need not use the bedroom’s bathroom.
The tradeoff is movement between floors. A guest coming down for breakfast or returning to the bedroom after dinner uses the stairs. A separate floor can support privacy, but it should not be described as soundproof or as an independent apartment.
How often would the stairs matter?
Moderne’s primary bedroom is downstairs, along with the kitchen, great room, flex room and laundry. For the primary occupants, much of an ordinary day can take place on that level. It would be misleading to assume a two-story home requires climbing stairs for every routine.
The upper floor still needs furnishing, cleaning and regular attention. More importantly, its usefulness depends on the household actually wanting to use it. An upstairs retreat that becomes the favorite reading room adds something different from a floor visited only for occasional cleaning.
Atelier II removes that choice by placing its principal spaces on one floor. One-story living alone does not establish step-free entry, wheelchair clearances or an accessible bathroom; those details require checking the specific home.
Gathering rooms and kitchen connections
Atelier II arranges the kitchen, dining area and great room in a long, connected space, with covered outdoor living alongside. The kitchen island faces into the shared room, and the flex room is reached from the great-room end of the layout.
Moderne arranges its kitchen, dining area and great room across the house. Its downstairs flex room is near the front entry, with the stair and primary-suite circulation behind the shared spaces. Both kitchens stay connected to conversation; the difference is how the household moves through the surrounding rooms.
When touring, test the paths around a dining table and the main seating group. A model’s furniture arrangement is one example, not the only way to use the room. The comparison should follow circulation and sightlines rather than the model’s decorating style.
Both have a flex room—but in different positions
Atelier II’s flex space sits beside the great room and the covered outdoor area. That position keeps work or hobbies close to the home’s main activity. Whether it feels connected or distracting will depend on how the room is enclosed and how the adjoining living area is used.
Moderne’s downstairs flex room sits nearer the front entry, beside the laundry side of the plan. Mark’s photograph shows an enclosed model office, illustrating one way that space can function. The exact doors, cabinetry and structural selections need to be checked against the home being offered.
Neither flex room should automatically be counted as another bedroom. Confirm any offered conversion, its bathroom arrangement and its effect on the published specifications.
Outdoor living: a broad ground-level area or two levels
Atelier II’s covered outdoor area stretches alongside much of the home, with connections near the shared living rooms and primary suite. The drawing labels it approximately 19 by 32 feet. Its shape and circulation matter more than multiplying those labels into a promised furnishing area.
The photographs show how different sections can support outdoor sitting and dining. They also show a model-specific pool and landscaping; those features are separate from the basic room arrangement.
Moderne’s downstairs covered outdoor living area is labeled approximately 10 feet 6 inches by 8 feet. It also has a front porch and an upstairs covered deck reached from the loft. This distributes outdoor use across more than one location, rather than concentrating it in a single broad ground-level covered area.
Neither drawing determines afternoon shade, neighboring-home privacy or a protected mountain view. Orientation, adjacent construction and the particular lot remain separate decisions.
Which plan is the better starting point?
Start with Atelier II when…
- Keeping owners, guests and daily routines on one level is a priority.
- A substantial ground-level covered outdoor area would be used often.
- Two bedrooms and a flex room meet the household’s needs.
- A second lounge would be less valuable than a simpler one-level arrangement.
Start with Moderne when…
- An upstairs guest bedroom and nearby lounge would be useful.
- Members of the household want separate places to gather.
- The covered upper deck is a meaningful addition.
- Stairs fit the intended use of the home and its visitors.
The strongest comparison is not whether the larger home is better. It is whether Moderne’s upper floor would improve daily life enough to justify choosing it, or whether Atelier II already puts the needed rooms in the right places.
Plan a model-home visit with Mark, explore the Cotino map, or browse the complete floor-plan collection.
Walk through Atelier II with Mark
Use the tour to connect the drawing with the furnished model, then compare Moderne’s two drawings and photographs above.
Open the Atelier II video page with chapters · Explore the Moderne profile and complete photo gallery
Original model-home photography by Mark Miller. Photo coverage is selective. Furniture, finishes, pools, landscaping and structural options in the models may differ from an available home. This comparison addresses the published base layouts and identifies model-specific observations separately.
Atelier II and Moderne questions
Is Atelier II a two-story home?
No. Atelier II’s published base plan is one story. The II identifies the plan variation; it does not mean a second floor.
Is Moderne’s primary bedroom downstairs?
Yes. The published drawing places the primary suite on the first floor, along with the kitchen, great room, flex space and laundry. Bedroom 2 and the loft are upstairs.
Does Moderne have more base bedrooms than Atelier II?
No. Both published base specifications list two bedrooms. Moderne has more total living area and an upstairs loft; flex rooms and optional conversions should not be treated as included additional bedrooms.
Which plan has more ground-level covered outdoor space?
Atelier II’s drawing shows a substantially larger covered outdoor living area beside its shared rooms and primary suite. Moderne offers a smaller downstairs covered area plus an upstairs covered deck. Compare the shapes and exact configuration, not just the dimension labels.
Which is better for overnight guests?
Atelier II keeps the guest bedroom on the same level as the kitchen and living room. Moderne places the guest bedroom upstairs beside a loft and covered deck. The better fit depends on whether visitors prefer one-level access or an upstairs retreat, and on their comfort using stairs.
Sources and plan notes
- Cotino / Shea Homes: Atelier II official plan and configuration viewer.
- Cotino / Shea Homes: Moderne official plan and configuration viewer.
- DOI Atelier II and Moderne plan profiles and published drawings, reviewed November 8, 2026.
- Original photographs and Atelier II video by Mark Miller. Furniture-use, circulation and household-fit comparisons are editorial interpretations of the drawings and photographed models.
Areas and dimensions are approximate. Base layouts, options and model presentations are distinct. Verify the current builder documents for the selected home.
