I was looking at pins on Pinterest and thinking about what my perfect dream home would look like if I was able to piece together every element of all the "dream homes" to make the ONE perfect dream home for me. What would it look like? What would I include if I could build it? Hmmmmm. Fun to think about! I am going to break it down room by room and come up with a working dream-plan! (As long as it's a dream plan, I can dream BIG! Which makes the exercise much more fun!)
The Kitchen:
I have to start with the kitchen. It's the heart of the home and because I love to cook....it's where I spend a lot of time. What sort of materials would make for the perfect dream kitchen? I'd love some roughly mortared exposed brick.....I'm thinking Old-World style curved brick ceiling. Exposed beams. Perhaps a nice Travertine Tile back-splash with a Pot-filler over a massive Antique-style stove with at least 6 gas burners and a grill-top. I'm torn over the counter tops.....do I want granite or do I want a stained concrete? I love both! I guess it would depend on the style of the decor. I do know I want a farm sink.....and perhaps a prep sink in a giant island. Lots of counter space and lots of storage space. I want appliance storage space too.....so that I can have clean counter tops! The cabinets can be either dark or light....I like both....but they have to be plentiful. I have SO MUCH kitchen gear that the kitchen needs to be quite large. I also want a walk-in pantry with shelves from floor to ceiling with an organization system. Places for canned goods, spices, dry goods and what-not. I'd love to have a keeping area with a fireplace and sitting area in my kitchen....as well as a breakfast nook with lots of windows. I'd love for the kitchen to be open to the living area so that I can still watch TV and interact with folks while I cook. Nothing sadder than being stuck in the kitchen cooking supper during prime time and missing my favorite shows and missing out on conversation. I'd like for the floors to be tiled or brick or hardwood. The kitchen floor is hard for me to keep clean. I'm a messy cook! A commercial style fridge would be a boon.....and of course, I'd like to have a microwave, coffee machine and a double convection oven built right in.
The Living Area:
Open to the kitchen (see above). Fire place, tall ceilings, ceiling fans, exposed beams or coffered ceiling, built-ins with room for the TV to be mounted to the wall. Wood floors. Lots of windows. Open and airy. I'd like for the living area to be able to open up to the outdoor space...via a garage door or French doors or sliding pocket doors....to have one large entertaining space for warm evenings.
Master Bedroom:
Tall ceiling (barrel, trey or vaulted) and a fan (we DO live in the South...a ceiling fan above my bed is a MUST). I'd like a sitting area and a fireplace and windows with a view. Hardwood floors (no carpet!), amble wall space for furniture. En suite bath.
Master Bath:
Soaking tub, walk-in shower with NO shower doors (they are SUCH a pain to clean!), shower-tower with multiple shower heads and a "rain" shower head, steam shower, heated tile floor. 2 sinks, large mirrors, speciality sinks, lots of storage for linens and toiletries. Vanity area for make-up. Separate water closet for privacy. Bidet.
Master Closet:
LARGE area with built in storage areas...drawers, areas for hanging ties, shoes, purses, jewelry, scarves. Ironing board area inside the closet would be a bonus. NO WINDOWS in the closet. This is a must.
Laundry Room/Mud Room/Pet Room:
Area for washer/dryer, hanging clothes to dry. Laundry Sink. Counter Space for folding and cabinets for storage. Mud Room area for hanging coats, purses, shoes and what-not. Area for charging cell phones and keeping pocket contents to keep my counters clutter-free. Area for Motorcycle gear storage. Dog-Wash area with hand-held shower spray and built-in dog crate/dog food storage. Would like this room to be tiled for easy clean-up.
Library/Office/Music Room:
Lots of book shelves (built in) with a library ladder. Nice desk with computer set-up, cozy sitting area for reading, and perhaps even a fireplace. Decorated in rich, warm colors with dark wood and furnishings....cozy. I'd LOVE to have a piano in there as well.
Dining Room:
Formal Dining Room with easy access to the kitchen via a Butler's Pantry. Room for my large table and china cabinet and perhaps a built-in buffet with storage for serving dishes. Tall ceiling and hardwood floors.
Craft Room:
Tiled floor for easy clean-up, lots of windows for natural light, built-in storage and bookshelves, work-island, easel area, sitting area.
Media Room:
With NO windows and wired for sound...but SOUND-PROOF so that Steve can watch his yucky action explosion/yelling/horror/war man-movies without disturbing me. Needs to have at least a half bath and a refreshment area with a wet bar with a small fridge for drinks/snacks. This room can also double as a game room for Steve's Pin-Ball machines and what-not.
Garage/Workshop:
A real Man-Cave area for Steve with that nice interlocking foam type garage flooring, wood working bench, ample storage and an area for working on the motorcycles and cars and built-in storage for all his tools. Wired for sound because my man loves his music. Also, Storm shelter built underneath it.
Guest Bedrooms:
Probably at least 2, so we can have multiple guests. En suite baths. Nothing fancy....just room for the kids, family and friends who visit.
Back Yard/Porch area:
Screened porch.....possibly even a sleeping porch (could be a daybed, maybe?). Arbored or partially covered Patio area with built in outdoor kitchen with grill, smoker, sink, fridge, counter space and storage space. Table and chairs for dining, sitting area built around an outdoor fireplace. Lots of raised beds with herbs, flowers, vegetables. Koi Pond with a small waterfall and landscaping. Lots of trees and lots of bird feeders and bird houses. And out-building....a green house/garden shed/retreat with lots of windows and a sitting area (decorated in Shabby-Chic style). A potting bench. A hot-tub that's built in would be wonderful....and a pool would be such a bonus in the hot summertime....but the upkeep and maintenance would be a big bother. If there was a way to pull off a very private outdoor bath/shower area...that would be heaven on earth!
Wine Cellar:
Old-World Brick and Reclaimed wood and wrought iron with shelving system and a tasting area. Chiller to keep the wine at the right temperature.
I'd like the style of the house to be Old World (Think....Tuscan meets French Country meets American Farm-house...but with modern amenities). And I'd like for it to mostly be on one level....(the media room can be upstairs or downstairs) because we're going to be getting older and this house would be for our retirement years. A basement for storage and the extra rooms would be lovely though. I'd love for the house to be on a good bit of property.....enough room so that we can have out-buildings, gardens, orchards and even a few chickens if we so desired. We don't necessarily need a FARM, per se....but a few acres would be nice. I'd love for the land to be pretty. I'm thinking of the rolling hills of Tennessee or North Georgia with hardwood trees, evergreens and perhaps a little stream or pond. There's just something soothing about water.
The materials for the home should all be warm and inviting: Stone, brick, wood, tile....reclaimed if possible. Older, natural materials seem to have such character! And windows!! Mercy, I do love windows! And nooks and crannies!!! Built ins in all the nooks and crannies! Window seats, storage tucked under stairs, closets and pantries....no space wasted! Fireplaces, molding, carving, little decorative touches. Openness ....but still cozy and inviting. Pocket doors, vessel sinks, antique fittings, plantation shutters, arched doorways, skylights, sun rooms, desk nooks, hidden storage, glass doors on cabinets. Sliding barn doors, industrial style antique pulleys and hardware.
Maybe some day, we will build our dream home! Well, at least a house with some of these elements! Hahaha!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment