The back door is often a home’s friendliest entrance.

Jon Crain and Linda Dixon made sure that was the case in their new home nestled in a corner of Cortona, a 48-home community that is a nice walk to Corazon Club and Spa in Dublin.

The front of the two-story stucco home faces Corazon Drive, so the neighborhood’s defining architectural features are prominent. A two-car garage is to the rear and is accessible from Portofino Place that flows through the picturesque enclave.

When the couple picked Truberry Group’s Ashborne model for their home after living in Worthington for 20 years, they made some enhancements to the exterior and back door entrance to make the most of the layout.

They had the original floor plan switched so that a patio nestled in the L-shaped area between the garage and living area faces a permanent open space on the lot next door. And they had an enlarged tumbled stone patio installed off of the driveway along the walkway to the entrance that is off the patio and served by stone steps and a small landing.

The stone replaces wood while the entrance is a regular door with paned windows rather than the glass sliding door in the model’s plans. The layout creates an “old world” look in keeping with the architecture throughout the neighborhood, Linda says.

The patio is a comfortable gathering spot, reminding them of their former home where a small front porch was a popular seating place for neighbors.

The entry opens into their dining area, where the immediate attraction is the kitchen with a large, stool-height, angled crescent dining bar with dining and service tops. The nicely finished, three-section wood fixture defines the working area in which the couple had an island added.

They capped all counters and the island with Venetian gold granite. A glass-doored China cabinet was built-in where a pantry would have been. A guest closet was added off the dining area next to the laundry.

They had decided the dining bar and an expandable table in the dining area would serve all of their formal and informal dining needs. “It fits our family,” says Linda.

Jim adds that “it worked well at Thanksgiving,” which was their first gathering since they moved in last fall.

A design change added a foot to one side of the dining area. Kitchen access to a formal dining room would have been through a butler’s pantry; now converted into a kitchen pantry. The room, with an opening accessible from the front foyer, is instead a comfortable study for relaxation.

The kitchen and great room blend nicely with no wall or separation between them. The carpeted great room is bounded by wood floors that extend from the foyer into the kitchen and form a hallway to the master bedroom suite off of the great room. A picture window overlooks the patio and street. A custom wood entertainment center looks much like the cordovan-stained maple kitchen cabinets. One corner has a marble-faced gas fireplace

In the master suite, they decided against a built-in Whirlpool tub that Jim says would have taken a lot of space but remained largely unused. That allowed installing a long two-sink top with a wood framed mirror its full length. Linda recalls the small, narrow bath they had for years in their former home. The enlarged counter is opposite a spacious walk-in closet.

Wide, custom crown molding and two nicely finished pillars along one side add a decorative flair to the great room. So, too, does the 10-foot great room ceiling the couple selected when they opted not to have a two-story-tall opening and an open walkway linking two upstairs rooms. Instead, they had the ceiling installed – they’re 10 feet throughout the first floor – and turned the added space into a bonus room, with cabinets, shelves, furniture and a wall-mounted television, to provide a play/entertainment area for their growing band of grandchildren.

One of the two generous guest bedrooms has a view of the treed surroundings outside and the other overlooks the quaint streetscape. The second floor bath, originally conceived as a Jack & Jill, is accessible from the hall rather than the adjoining bedrooms.

When making interior design selections through the Truberry design center, Linda says the couple picked mostly standard items with few upgrades, finding most options “were very beautiful.” They frequently mention the amenable flexibility Truberry staffers allowed as they adjusted various features.

As Linda and Jon looked and plotted their move, the couple considered a smaller home, but decided “our family ought to be our number one priority.” They like to work out and are next to Corazon, plus they are proximate to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium and Dublin’s park system is also readily available. For measure, with a social and attractive patio, and not having to mow their own grass, this home is the dream of many empty-nesters.

Duane St. Clair is contributing writer for Luxury Living Magazine.