Dream Home

In my last post, I talked about remodeling and creating a dream home. So what is my dream home?

Well, it would be a cross between a log cabin and a ranch house with a touch of southwestern for good measure. It would be all on one level (my knees don't like a lot of stairs!) with lots of natural woods. It would also be a "green" house with solar panels on the roof, low energy appliances, radiant heated floors, air conditioning, central vac system and wherever possible, re purposed materials would be used. I'd use Ott Lite's wherever possible and the good old incandescent bulbs for ambient lighting.

The kitchen, dining room and living room would be one large open area with high, beam ceilings and hardwood floors. In fact, almost all the rooms would be hardwood as there would be no carpeting in the house.

The kitchen would be done with oak cabinetry with lots of cupboard space and a walk in pantry off to one side that also had a big deep freezer. Appliances would be stainless steel: a large, electric, self cleaning oven (the one I have now won't hold two - 2 Litre casserole dishes at the same time!) with four burners, a grill top and an overhead exhaust fan; a big fridge; and even though I've never really used one, I'd like a dishwasher. I'd want a nice size island with one side suitable for two bar stools to sit under the counter top. I want lots of counter space so that I have room to do baking and cooking.

The dining room would be between the kitchen and dining room and thus be the connector for entertaining. There would be a dining room suite for 6 or 8 with a sideboard cabinet/buffet for storing extra entertaining ware. There would also be a built in bar area along the wall.

The living room would be open and airy - yet intimate and very relaxing. There would be a stone fireplace with a mantel (real wood, not gas or electric). The furniture - sofa, love seat, ottoman, two arm chairs/recliners - would be leather. The accents would be cushions, throws, framed photos and minimalist ornaments as accessories. The colours would be either black with accents of silver and jewel tones or a dark chocolate with creams and southwestern shades of turquoise, lapis (dark blue) and malachite (dark green). I'm not a fan of florals or prints, so the pieces would be pretty much solids. Coffee table, end tables, entertainment units and such, would either be wood or metal, depending on the colour scheme. The room, would also have a large plasma screen TV and all the latest sound/video technology!!

There would be two bedrooms. The master would have a large walk in closet (or a wall of closet and cupboard/drawer space) and a half bath. It would be nice if the window(s) did not face east so that I am not wakened by the bright morning sun! A queen or king size bed with a bookcase headboard would be the main element, but there would also be a love seat by the window and a cedar chest at the foot of the bed, to store the extra bedding in.

One design that I did see on Extreme Makeover that I did like was for a bedroom ceiling. It was painted a dark blue and had a series of tiny pin lights installed to illustrate one of the night sky constellations. The lights were on a dimmer switch so that you could adjust the brightness of the "stars"! That idea would fit in beautifully for me, as I have always loved night skies and am rather partial to shades of blue in my bedroom. I would probably choose shades of green for the second bedroom.

The bathroom would be fairly basic. A large tub/shower enclosure - with low-flow plumbing features would be a must! It would also be nice if the bathroom had one wall to the back of a laundry room so that you could have a small shoot/door that allowed you to dump laundry without carrying it around the whole house. As for colours? Probably in the peach or sea foam green shades with lots of soft creams.

There would be the aforementioned laundry/utility/storage room with efficient appliances and a built in ironing board and a rod to have some clothes on hangers as they dry. There would also be shelving for storage and cleaning supplies. Both the bathroom and laundry room would have a linoleum or tiled floor.

The house would have a den/computer room. A full computer center on one side and floor to ceiling bookshelves for a library on another wall. There would also be a nice big comfy armchair by a window for reading.

My home would not be complete without a fitness room. It would feature my gazelle as well as a treadmill and some sort of resistance equipment like a Total Gym and/or Ab Lounge. Maybe even some free weights and a pilates mat if there was enough room. Of course the room would also be equipped with a good sound system and a Plasma TV on the wall!!

Outside of the house there would be lawn and some small shrubs out front with a couple of evergreens or other trees - maybe a Weeping Willow. A small stonework accented flowerbed along the front of the house would be great. Out back, there would be a patio area with a bar-b-que, table and chairs. I'd like some lilac bushes along one side of the property and maybe even a big old elm tree or at least something that will look great as the leaves change in the fall! Even though I am not a gardener, I'd like a small garden to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions and herbs. Would be nice if there was room for a love seat swing somewhere to sit and contemplate life while watching the sunsets and the stars. If there was room, I'd also like a gazebo near the back of the property.

Okay, I know this dream house of mine would cost a fortune, but what is life without a little dreaming? I wonder if a dream man would come with that dream house? Okay, maybe that is asking a little much!

dn