Combining the Dreams

As mentioned in my last post, I kinda collect pics of things in files on our computer that I save for inspiration. I can't believe I'm itchin' for another house project. Ken just looks at me with wide-eyes going, "Are you crazy?" Probably. And the reality is, there are no projects on my horizon and who knows if there will be... I just like to dream. I realized, too, that while Ken & I have a fairly easy time blending our styles and interests, we actually individually gravitate towards fairly different things. For instance... Ken is super outdoorsy. Thanks to him, I have become more interested than I was before, but you probably won't ever see me summit a snow-capped mountain or climb granite walls in Yosemite. Nor will I probably ever bungee jump or skydive. But when it came to house styles -- he's pretty open to a lot of things & the things he does like, I tend to like too. As I was looking back through/cleaning out some of the computer files saved, I came across some inspirational home photos we've had for years. Here are some snippets of what he has liked, and what I have liked and saved for the "creative inspiration" folder. It'll be interesting to see if over the years, any of these ever morph or become inspired into our own living situation... until then, it's just fun to dream & be ever thankful for what we have been so blessed with.

This is Ken's dream home; the size looks enormous (I think it's around 2,400sq. ft if I remember right from the website, but it has high vaulted ceilings and amazing detail work.)  It just looks masterful & with the cedar-shake siding & those European style windows, I can see why he loves it.  I do too!  Funny though, because Ken would be far more excited about the family of 4 with a lab to boot, who live in a 422 sq. foot apartment in France.  He likes the appeal of small, well-functioning homes.  So you can see why this somewhat transcends that norm...  beautiful, no?

I love-love-love, LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Craftsman-era homes.  Always will.  There is a charm & personality about them that just speaks warmth & welcome-home in ways hard to beat if ya ask me, not to mention the seemingly endless possibilities.

 

Often in the old, craftsman homes, the rooms are tiny.  So I get inspired when I see creative ways people have made the most of tight fits.  Like this dining room that accents the built-in charm with a fresh twist. 

Ken loves this reading nook.  Me too.  I can soooo picture him sitting there, cup of coffee steaming by his side, and maybe a fire going nearby while he just enjoys a good book and catching up on reading after a long work week.

I have a lot of kitchen pics saved... but in going back through many, I realized what I seem to love most, are white kitchens & variations of those.  This is my favorite... I think I must like that it'd be replicable in most galley kitchens that you find in craftsman homes with small layouts, it looks happy & comfortable, well done, and yet totally budget-friendly.  I also like how they have some open sheliving along with the cabinets, the white subway tiles for the backsplash/wall... and that fantastic pendant over the sink. 

How cool that they chose to paint the ceiling with stripes to add interest to this nursury?!  This too, was happy & cheery to me.  Maybe some day I'll use this pic for inspiration in changing one of the kids' rooms.  Poor Logan - still sleeping in the pac n' play in our room. hahah.

I can't wait to do paper lantern poms (what exactly are these things??) in Maggie's room.  When I found this pic, I've mentally been dreaming about re-creating for Mags.  I know you can make poms out of tissue paper -- and there are a handful of sites online I've found that sell paper lanterns...  anyone know what these are called pictured here?

Check out this total D-I-Y headboard.  Heck yeah!  You could pick up the wood free on craigslist if you watched for people getting rid of old wood from a barn/garage/ect. ... sand 'em down, work some woodworking into your day, and voila!  I like how it's rustic but not country.  And you could easily add some Ikea lights mounted to have customized reading lamps... how perfect would this be for a guest room?!

Ken thought this was a great use of utilizing wall space for function...  we seem to always have more books than we know where to put, and creating shelving like this (if you had the right space for it) would be awesome! 

I saw this quilt and love the idea of making one for Maggie's room some day.  I just like the fun colors and wouldn't it look cute with those lanterns hanging above?

I totally dig this vintage robot.  It makes me want to create a room for Jack that stems from this... though I've also got visions of surfing swimming in my head (no pun intended) for the day I can work on his room.  He would be stoked about either - or both.  Somehow though, robots & surfing don't quite go together.  I'm thinking it'd need to be an either-or thing, not that I want his room to be matchy-matchy... just more fun for him to be in. :)

Last but not least, I thought it'd be fun to share this house with you.  This was a house we looked at & really loved... we even put an offer on it before we found our last house.  (offer not accepted)  It was so charming.  It was only a 2bd/1bath house, but we had hopes of finishing off the basement to make it a 3/2.  In retrospect, it all worked out the way it should have, but can't you just picture the potential here?... I've never seen a porch like it with the curved cement hand rails leading to the front door.  So, here's to dreaming!  **and do I even need to add the disclaimer that yes, I do dream about other things --- far more important things, too. :)  This is just "for fun." :)