My Dream Home

Every few years I get the itch to move.  Since I've lived in my current home for 5.5 years, I've definitely got the "it's time to move" feeling.  I like my current house and it works well for my family.  My neighborhood is great. There are kids everywhere and my girls are always running to and from friends' houses.  I don't feel like I need a bigger or better house, just something different.  Moving is not a reality right now, especially not moving into a dream home, but we all like to dream right?

I've thought a lot about what kind of home I would like.  The beach is one of my favorite places.  Should I choose something on the beach?  I have lived in France and fell in love with the old country houses in the South of France.  Maybe one of those? 

Source: luxuryretreats.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: luxuryretreats.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Nope, that's not it.  Like many of you, family is the thing that is most important to me.  Thus, my dream home would be close to my family in Minnesota, where I grew up.  Here are some homes in Minnesota that I am drawn to:

Source: sothebysrealty.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

This house is located just a few blocks from my parents.  I drove by it everyday on my way to the Mall of America and my job at Abercrombie & Fitch about 20 years ago!

Source: homesofminnesota.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

This house has some similarities to the house where I grew up and my parents  still live...all brick, traditional, probably built in the 1930's:

Source: homesofminnesota.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: homesofminnesota.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

This one might be my absolute favorite.  And, bonus!, it is on the same street where my uncle lives:

Source: homesofminnesota.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

I would definitely need a large grassy yard with outdoor entertaining areas.  Perhaps an indoor/outdoor kind of room with seating and a fireplace.  Here's the back.  It's a good start, but I would need to add some sort of outdoor room and maybe a pool as lying by a pool is probably my all time favorite activity.  I love the curved windows and tile roof too :

Source: homesofminnesota.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

A pool like this would be nice along with the little pergola on the left:

traditional landscape design by houston landscape architect McDugald-Steele Landscape Architects

And, just for fun, here's the "Father of the Bride" house...love the house and the movie:

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Suzanne on Pinterest

I wouldn't want to live in an isolated location.  I like being able to be outside and talk to my neighbors, let the kids play with other neighborhood friends, and even walk to get an ice cream cone, a cafe, or a bookstore.  I like older, established neighborhoods with lots of leafy green trees, pretty gardens and architecturally diverse homes.  Most of the homes I picked here are located around one of Minneapolis's many lakes.  The lakes are great places to run, bike, and just hang out.

Source: sothebysrealty.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

So, all of these houses are traditional and OLD.  While I love older homes, Big K and I are not very handy.  I don't want a house that we have to be continually fixing.  Plus, I'm scared of old basements. There are rooms in my parent's basement that I'm still too scared to go in as an adult.  And, old houses don't have many of the amenities I like in modern houses, such a large closets and bathrooms and open floor plans. Thus, I might need a new home designed to look old, like this one:

Lots of old-fashioned molding and architectural details, but features an open floor plan.  This home was recently featured on Home Stories A to Z, if you are interested in learning more about it.

If you've read this blog for more than a day, you might know that I love color and pattern.  While I like the curb appeal of a traditional home, traditional decorating is not for me.  But, I think classic homes are a perfect canvas for fun, bright decor, such as this:

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Aqua and pink, one of my favorite combos!  In fact, all of the interiors in this home are pretty amazing.  Check it out at House of Turquoise.

Here's what I would NOT do.  Way to traditional, but again I love the curved windows and style of the fireplace:

I hope you liked my little dream home post.  I have some great guest posters lined up for the next few Wednesdays, so be sure to check back.  I also have room for more dream home guest posters.  Just send me an email if you are interested.

Here's a fun blog I stumbled upon while wasting time doing important internet research for this post.  If you like looking at homes, go check it out.  She even has a little section on homes featured in movies, such as the Father of the Bride house pictured above.

Source: sothebysrealty.com via Suzanne on Pinterest