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If money was no object, what would your house look like?

post #1 of 38
8/2/10 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
I visited the home of one of my daughter's friends this weekend and it got me thinking. We are pretty middle-class, DH makes a good living, but we're not wealthy by any means. This family is. Walking into their home, there wasn't one square foot of open space, or at least that's how it felt. Not a small home at all- 5 nice sized bedrooms, probably 3000-ish square feet. But it's crammed full of furniture (beautiful, very nice furniture) and stuff. Not junky stuff at all, but stuff nonetheless.

Our home is sparsly furnished- I don't think that would change if I had thousands of $ at my disposal for decorating. Some stuff would be different, but my overall style wouldn't change- I like open spaces and I get really nervous if there are so many things around that I can't see past it all, if that makes sense.

So- if budget wasn't an issue, would your house look the same? If not, how would you change your decorating style?
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post #2 of 38
8/2/10 at 4:53pm
pottery barn catalog, lol
post #3 of 38
8/2/10 at 5:00pm
If money was no object my house would be of similar size to my current house and furnished with some of the same sorts of stuff.

The exterior would be much different. Lots of space for veggie garden, herb garden, butterfly garden, bread garden (plantings of wheat, oats and other small grains) I'd also have PV cells for electricity and solar hot water. I'd also have a masonary bread/pizza oven.
post #4 of 38
8/2/10 at 5:13pm
I would have an old small farm/cottage home that was renovated but still with old style features and charm. It would be located on a farm with no other homes in sight with plenty of animals, garden, orchard, barn, etc.....
post #5 of 38
8/2/10 at 5:19pm
I'm pretty traditional inside with Windsor chairs and a pretty crock of flowers. Lots of books are my main clutter. If I had a ton of money.. I'd have a fully landscaped backyard with a pool.
post #6 of 38
8/2/10 at 6:10pm
It would be decorated similar to what it is now with mission style furniture. My kitchen would get an overhaul for sure with new cabinets and appliances. OR I would buy an old house that could be completely renovated (by someone else this time) and keep the craftsman styling, but update the wiring, kitchen, plumbing, do as much eco friendly updates as possible.
post #7 of 38
8/2/10 at 6:18pm
I would live here. But with a larger backyard so I could urban homestead. Although living in Sonoma (where this house is) you wouldn't really have to.
post #8 of 38
8/2/10 at 6:44pm
What would my house look like?

hmmm one of those Greek Revivals in the garden district in New Orleans if money was truly no object. Built in bookcases. Wrought iron everywhere, especially fencing and in the garden. Gas lights outside and in the formal dining room. A combo of Caribbean and French style. A chaise in the master bedroom and the library. Lovely floral fabrics. Overflowing gardens with crepe myrtle, lantanas, hydrangeas, bananas and oaks with climbing roses and fountains. A nice formal herb garden. A brick oven outside. A modern kitchen with Viking gas cooktop and double convection ovens and a huge pantry for all my kitchen stuff.
post #9 of 38
8/2/10 at 6:54pm
If money was no object, we would still have very few things as well... they would just be NICE things. All natural/organic/chemical free furniture including the sofa (yeah, I'm sure couches are just as bad if not WORSE than traditional mattresses!) and really nice eco friendly EVERYTHING.

We'd actually buy some land (maybe 2-5 acres? maybe up to 10?) and build our own house. We'd love 4-5 bedrooms and 2-3 bathrooms and a more open layout for the kitchen/dining area/living room. better closets! right now we are in a 1100sqft house that feels smaller because the layout sucks. Its an old house so the closets are TINY. It works, but we'd like a bit more space especially to expand our family a bit and be able to host christmas most years.

but yeah, we still wouldn't have much stuff. We are definitely the minimalist type people. Nice zen airy space with simple lines and form. Yep, thats us. I just want healthy and necessities. We don't do pretty stuff just to have it or knick knacks. I hate dusting! bahaha
post #10 of 38
8/2/10 at 7:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arduinna View Post
What would my house look like?

hmmm one of those Greek Revivals in the garden district in New Orleans if money was truly no object. Built in bookcases. Wrought iron everywhere, especially fencing and in the garden. Gas lights outside and in the formal dining room. A combo of Caribbean and French style. A chaise in the master bedroom and the library. Lovely floral fabrics. Overflowing gardens with crepe myrtle, lantanas, hydrangeas, bananas and oaks with climbing roses and fountains. A nice formal herb garden. A brick oven outside. A modern kitchen with Viking gas cooktop and double convection ovens and a huge pantry for all my kitchen stuff.

*drool*

That has always been one of my dream homes. You've described my fantasy perfectly.
post #11 of 38
8/2/10 at 7:20pm
If money were no object then we would have a house. I hate our apartment!

We would have stuff that matched, and wasn't second hand from family or other generous people. We would have a yard so there wouldn't be clothes hanging from strings draped across our living room all the time (to dry).

I probably wouldn't have much different in decorations, but I want once in my life to have at least one set of matching things, somewhere in my house. My OCD hates the chaos of everything being different.
post #12 of 38
8/2/10 at 7:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Usually Curious View Post
pottery barn catalog, lol

Exactly! I was just wishing for this the other day when looking through the new catalog. I'd be happy if each of the kids' rooms were decorated with their furniture.

We don't have much for furniture, yet. I don't think I would want to add much, and I definitely don't want more '"stuff' cluttering up the rooms. But I would love to furnish the inside of our home like I've seen others in the area. Someday!

If money were no object, I would be paying an interior designer to decorate. I am clueless about that, and wouldn't know what to buy.
post #13 of 38
8/2/10 at 7:45pm
I think our home would be the same.

Maybe, I would buy some hand-crafted baskets that I always see at craft fairs to use. They are always so expensive, but so beautiful. I might also buy pottery for our dinnerwear -- also the kind I see at craft fairs. Ours is looking worn and many pieces are chipped.

That's about it, though! I'm pretty content with what we have.
post #14 of 38
8/2/10 at 7:50pm
For those who like pottery barn furniture... check out knock-offwood.com.

She has free plans up for TONS of furniture pieces (beds, shelves, entertainment stands, tables, chairs) and many are based off pottery barn pieces and other similar stores. She has things in every wood building catagory from beginner to expert too.

Her only drawback is that all her plans are designed for money saving so she does plywood and mdf but she DOES talk about how you can make pieces into full wood in one entry... its just a bit harder and more labor intensive haha.
post #15 of 38
8/2/10 at 8:15pm
I am a miminalist and with that in mind, I would like the size of my house but a different layout. I love open space! I want the living room and eat in kitchen all one room. This the style of house I would like. The layout in this plan is different than what I am looking for but love the style!! I see this style a lot in the South.

As for the inside: Hardwood floors, possibly bamboo, concrete countertops w/glass pieces in it. I would use low oder paint, lots of plants, some neat area rugs from either LL Bean or Eddie Bauer. Furniture and bedding and curtains from either LL Bean or Eddie Bauer.
post #16 of 38
8/2/10 at 8:16pm
My style would be very similar but we'd have a house with a better layout & much better storage areas.

More important I would definitely have a maid so our house would always be clean. I just cannot seem to keep up.
post #17 of 38
8/2/10 at 8:23pm
Style would be the same, but we'd have about double the square footage (we only have 650 now). We'd have some outdoor space for a garden, a few activity areas, and general running around space.

The bedrooms would stay small... maybe not as small as the Master bedroom is now (it was great for baby cosleeping because there are walls on 3 sides and a nice big window--with child safety bars of course)... but still small and just for sleeping/reading/quiet.

Then there would be a separate playroom for all the toys, a separate small homeschool room with french doors or something similar to the playroom, and the living room could just be for right this minute play and hanging out. I'd really like to be able to close off kid junk fast and have a presentable living room in a hurry.

The dining area and the kitchen can actually stay as they are.

Now, we're in an apartment building, so to do this, we'll have to move, obviously! Outdoor space is the major deciding factor right now though.
post #18 of 38
8/2/10 at 8:41pm
If money were no object, my decorating style would remain the same. Our main furniture (couches, chairs and beds) are all new to us, but the rest has been carefully selected from thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales, and I wouldn't change that.
I would, however, have the yard professionally landscaped, do a major kitchen overhaul (with someone else doing all the work), expand the master bath, bring allof the plumbing and wiring into this century, have the exterior painted, and have all of the doors and windows replaced.
post #19 of 38
8/2/10 at 8:57pm
This sounds exactly what I would have!
Quote:
Originally Posted by treeoflife3 View Post
If money was no object, we would still have very few things as well... they would just be NICE things. All natural/organic/chemical free furniture including the sofa (yeah, I'm sure couches are just as bad if not WORSE than traditional mattresses!) and really nice eco friendly EVERYTHING.

We'd actually buy some land (maybe 2-5 acres? maybe up to 10?) and build our own house. We'd love 4-5 bedrooms and 2-3 bathrooms and a more open layout for the kitchen/dining area/living room. better closets! right now we are in a 1100sqft house that feels smaller because the layout sucks. Its an old house so the closets are TINY. It works, but we'd like a bit more space especially to expand our family a bit and be able to host christmas most years.

but yeah, we still wouldn't have much stuff. We are definitely the minimalist type people. Nice zen airy space with simple lines and form. Yep, thats us. I just want healthy and necessities. We don't do pretty stuff just to have it or knick knacks. I hate dusting! bahaha
post #20 of 38
8/3/10 at 12:47am
Hmm, it's nice to dream isn't it?

I would have a big house looking over the ocean, with windows along the front with uninterrupted views...

I would have a big open plan kitchen with a bench that everyone could sit at while I prepare food, like the ones you see in ads!

There would be room for my own art studio, a bathroom with a spa bath, and an indoor pool as well as an outdoor one.

We would have a nice BIG master bedroom that doesn't get freezing cold in winter, with an ensuite....sigh!

Too much dreaming can be unsettling.....
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