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Here's a fun question for this Monday: what does your dream home look like? Do you want something cozy and small, like one of those adorably tiny homes? Would you want something sprawling, with wings? Open concept? All white everywhere? Would it have substantial grounds — a pool — a boat dock?
Might it be a houseboat (or, hey, while we're dreaming, yacht)? For purposes of the discussion, let's take location out of it (so, for example, you can say you want a midtown Manhattan home with wings and a ton of outdoor space, which probably will not exist even for the wealthiest), as well as price.
For my $.02, I am always happiest when my family is all hanging out together in the same room — so I'm not sure I would necessarily say I wanted something crazy with different wings or grounds. In fact, I would say cozy is one of the biggest touchstones for me — think bookcases with books everywhere and the kind of dining room/breakfast nook that has banquette seating.
Lots of low, interesting lighting like along baseboards or other mouldings and the like. Ok, maybe an indoor pool for laps might make its way to the list (or one of those crazy hot tubs with the oppositional streams so you can swim laps against the current).
Readers, how about you — what does your dream home look like? For those of you who have lived in a lot of different houses and apartments, what have you learned the hard way that you hate but thought you'd love (apparently this is a thing with open concept homes!) and what were you surprised to find you love?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Husband's 40th
My husband’s 40th birthday is coming up. We’ve had a rough month or so with winter sickness so I hadn’t done much planning ahead of time. I recently planned a surprise party at our home and friends/family (including little kids) will be coming from near and near-ish. Logistically, I can’t think of how to make a big SURPRISE! entrance happen without driving myself nuts (would be hard to get him and keep him out of the house, my little kids, friends arriving various ways and potentially encountering traffic, etc.).
I’d still like to have a surprise moment though. I was thinking of giving him gifts in the afternoon and one of them symbolizes the dinner/party people would be arriving to shortly. Anyone else have ideas?!
Separately, any other ideas for a casual catered party itself? I’m bringing in some good food I know he’ll love, balloons, some blown up picks of cute baby hubby…
Thanks!
mascot
I think the surprise can be that you planned an awesome party for him and he didn’t have to do anything. By 40, I didn’t want to have people jumping out at me from behind couches. What I did want was a heads up that hey, I asked some people to come over tomorrow night for dinner, you don’t have to lift a finger, but maybe you should be presentable by 5pm.
Husband's 39th
Last year for my husband’s 39th birthday, I threw a surprise dinner party. I mailed him the invitation that everyone else received about a week in advance. The look on his face when he realized what was going on was priceless without trying to coordinate a true day of surprise – he had a week to look forward to it.
You could also put balloons up/ street signage the day of. Not as subtle!
Check out Amazon and Etsy for all sorts of cute 40th birthday themed goods at pretty reasonable prices.
Good luck!
Vicky Austin
Aw, the invitation is such a cute idea!
Anon
If you want a big “surprise!” entrance, then you enlist a friend to take him out somewhere (drinks or somesuch), and the friend will return him at the appointed time. (“Hi, Steve. I would love to see you for your birthday, but we’re going out of town for two weeks on Sunday. Would you be able to do drinks on Saturday? I’ll pick you up.”) During your husband’s absence, get the balloons and catering set up, and welcome friends and family.
Do NOT worry if some people are stuck in traffic. If they come after the “surprise!”, BFD.
Oh, yeah, keep it simple. Really, really simple.
Panda Bear
I don’t know what my fully integrated dream home would look like, but key elements would include a large front porch, solarium, upstairs laundry, walk in pantry, double oven, outdoor garden greenhouse, koi pond, and natural swimming pool. Plus a bunch of cats and a pony.
Vicky Austin
Yes yes to double oven and front porch. I never thought of a walk in pantry before now but that sounds kind of wonderful and old-time-farmhouse-y in a way that I love.
Anonymous
I’ve been thinking a lot about moving to take over the unofficial family hosting duties from my parents. What do you think makes a house an awesome hangout house? I’m thinking open kitchen and room for everyone at the dining room table.
Lana Del Raygun
I sort of disagree about the open kitchen. At least in my family, you want enough space that more people can hang out than are actually working there, but if it’s open to the whole rest of the house things get really noisy, and it loses its value as a place to escape from the rest of the house (and vice versa).
Anon
I think it depends on your family’s style – when it’s my extended family, we end sprawled all over couches (we are big loungers). When my parents have big parties with their friends, everyone always ends up hanging out in their too-small kitchen even though there’s lots more space in the adjoining rooms.
DLC
As my kids get older I really appreciate having a separate playroom/ rec room where all the kids can go hang out and not feel like they are at an adult gathering.
Other things: multiple bathrooms. Bedrooms on a second floor, or somewhere that feels separate from the entertaining space (our first house was a 1600 sq ft ranch and it felt like the living room was on top of the bedroom- this is more about my comfort level rather than the guests’), outdoor space is nice too for summer gatherings.
Anon
I think this varies by family. For my side of the family, open concept with a kitchen that’s large/open to allow people to hang out in the kitchen without it being too crowded to actually cook is key because everyone ends up in the kitchen no matter what.
I also would aim to have an outdoor area
LaurenB
My ideal house doesn’t have a kitchen at all – or just enough to be able to store / heat up food. No one in my family of origin (mother, grandmothers) ever “liked” cooking – it was just a chore to get through because it had to be done. No one ever bonded over chopping the potatoes, baking the brownies, and stirring the spaghetti sauce as a family. I have to say, I feel like an idiot sometimes, but I just don’t get “cooking as bonding,” at all. I also don’t “get” special family recipes handed down. For that matter, I don’t particularly get “food as love.” Food can be yummy, but that’s not love. Finally, I don’t get the idolization of home cooking people have. Any good restaurant is far better than someone’s home cooking, IMO. I’ve gone to the homes of people who are supposed to be oh-so-wonderful home cooks and I think – is that all there is?
Lana Del Raygun
I want high ceilings, large windows, a deep wraparound porch, and laundry on the same floor as the bedrooms.
Portia
3 bd, 4 bth, 3 story brick Victorian (two full stories, plus a lofted tower) with a wrap-around front porch and gingerbread trim. High ceilings, lots of woodwork and built-ins, and front-and-back staircases. It would have at least six gas fireplaces (kitchen, dining room, living room, library, master bedroom, master bathroom). The second/third story tower is where the library would be (Disney’s original Beauty and the Beast set some very realistic expectations, haha).
Anonymous
Of homes I’ve ever seen in person, I’ve only liked historic homes. I read something once about how they used to follow precise formulas for proportions and were very thoughtful about air flow. In other houses, the shapes of the rooms and the vantage points often feel a little off to me, and apparently I care?
Anonymous
I have an old home (1910). It’s a fairly small home but the proportions are nice. The lack of closets and a master bath are harder to remedy than you’d think though.
Belle Boyd
My dream house is a log house along the river near my family’s camp. A BIG log house. Unfortunately, log houses require a lot of maintenance, so I’ll settle for the house, not necessarily log. What it needs, though are:
A huge kitchen with a double oven, a walk-in pantry, and a walk-out to an outdoor kitchen on a back porch with an outdoor fireplace.
A big, almost wrap-around front porch.
Space for a large, completely fenced-in garden.
A carport. My current house has a 2-car garage with a 2-car carport built on. The carport has been heaven! Best thing we ever did to that house! It’s so nice to not have to clear snow off the car or carry groceries in from the car in the rain. It’s a nice spot to work on projects outside, and it has helped to cut down so much on the amount of dirt that gets tracked in the house. When we had a woodburner, it was a dry place to keep firewood, and now that we use a pellet stove, it’s a good, dry place to store the pallet of pellets we get every fall. I wouldn’t care if I lived in a tent, so long as it has a carport attached!
And finally, the big, BIG thing I want in my dream house is a soundproof room to build a voiceover studio. I’d love to get into voiceover work or even be able to get back into part-time radio work whereI could voicetrack my show from home (my friend does this for a station in Florida,) but my current house does not have an area that where I can build a studio, and it would take some serious work (and $$$) to make it soundproof.
BB
I’ll take a totally different view here…my dream home is a penthouse in a high rise in the middle of the city. It would have a water view (river/lake/ocean), a big roof deck, and all the amenities (gym, doorman, indoor pool, parking). Doesn’t need to be that big though. I only want 3 bedrooms and a giant kitchen.
Equestrian attorney
Yep, I also am a city person. I would like a rooftop patio or large balcony, on a relatively quiet, tree-lined street, but close to fun city amenities including restaurants, shopping and a great park for running. Second the water view (ideally ocean), nice kitchen, lovely bathroom with a large bathtub, and a walk-in closet. Gym and pool in the building and indoor parking. A guest room for friends to come over. Giant windows with tons of natural light, high ceilings, white walls, and either a crisp modern look or old-school with moldings etc (but those places tend to be dark in real life).
BB
If I remember correctly, you’re also in Montreal, right? My dream-dream is the above in Montreal…someday! :)
Equestrian attorney
I am in Montreal! No ocean view, but there are some really nice places along the river…if I get promoted :)
Ellen
I am also a city girl now that I am tied to NYC for my job, so you’ve described what I want, though there really is no quiet street in Manhattan, so the only thing I can do is go UP to a very high floor where the noise is somewhat muted. Dad wants a wraparound balcony or penthouse, but they are to expensive in the places we are looking at, even with his help. I am now looking at HUDSON YARDS, which is near the river, so that could have some possibilities, though it is built over a railroad yard, with all kinds of tracks and engines that probably give off smoke and carbon, which is a bad thing, so I am hoping Dad will find some other place for me. For now, I am only looking b/c the place is still under construction, and I will NOT move in where there is mud all over the place. Myrna says I should seriously consider it, but she will not have to live there. She wants to stay on the UES and proably will b/c she has a beautiful 2 BR with a balcony already. I do NOT want to loose her as a friend if we don’t live near each other. FOOEY!
Anon
A house with mostly windows for walls, on a cliff overlooking the ocean with a forest to the back. Cathedral ceilings, second-floor walkout balconies and porches, and a long winding driveway that isolates it from the road and from neighbors.