Your dream house sounds a bit like mine - just put it seaside :) And yes, I too dream of a little greenhouse just like the one Serena has! And I've always thought it would be fun to have a peacock wander my property.

I live in my dream home! Growing up in Miami, I always dreamed of those 100 year old NYC apartments with molding everywhere and gobs of white paint, and glass doorknobs, and cupboards that stick, and crackled subway tile and French doors....and I am in an amazing, rent stabilized apt. on the Upper West Side that is almost exactly what I dreamed of.

I have a deep, passionate love affair with New York. But alas, human love is pulling at me and I'm moving back to Miami. I was disgusted with the idea, until I decided to create a beautiful life there, taking advantage of all the good stuff, and making peace with the bad.

So we are buying a newish house, and to my fiancée’s horror, I am going to set about making it look old. Kind of like my UWS apartment, but with a pool and bougainvillea...

Maybe it's not so bad after all...

; )

What a lovely post:-)

this was a very nice, thought provoking post! it's interesting to think about how one's living space defines them, or doesn't at all. maybe i'm a delayed-gratification sort of gal, but i sort of dig the idea that i don't live in my "dream house" because there is always that to look forward to and plan for.

very timely discussion for me as i just purchased my first home which is quite the fixer upper. it will never be my dream house, but for some reason i am totally ok with that. it's enough for me now that i can paint the walls any color i want!

"I may never again live in a tiny little place with marvelously shiny wooden floors & singing neighbors, a block from excellent coffee and a short train ride away from the ocean. "

Enjoy the moment, a great post!

I am in a situation where my dream is suddenly coming true and I haven't fully wrapped my head around it yet. My dream was similar, but included a big dog and some chickens on the prairie.
I have lived in the same downtown city apartment for 8 years, but my husband and I just bought a 1965 bungalow on 1 acre with gardens and fruit trees, on the prairie, and 20 minutes from the city that we work in. We take possession in three weeks and all i can think is what the heck did we get into?! I know it will be great when we start to fully experience the dream, but at them moment it doesn't feel real.
I was thinking of starting a blog based on our adventures with the garden, future animals, and generally being new at the country living thing. What do you think?

I've had dreams about my dream house - and it turns out that it's my great-grandparents' house. Built in 1917, hardwood floors on 2 levels, central heat and air even though it's an old house, 2 fireplaces...
My uncle currently owns the place, and recently moved out. It's unoccupied. Had I 1 more roommate that my current roommates can get along with, I'd be moving there as soon as humanly possible.
I had my first Christmas memories there. That house is so cemented in my mind that I can't not try as hard as I can to move in there.

I've always thought it would be fun to have an outdoor shower, so that's listed on what I like to call our DIY Wish List, along with some other things we'd like our house to have.

I'm currently having the issue of two separate dreams. One is a little cottage with enough land for a cow, some chickens, and a garden big enough to grow all my own food. The other dream is of being able to easily walk into town and have access to a theatre, farmers market, some trendy little coffee shops and maybe even a mall. I'm currently trying to figure out a way to have both. Right now I'm thinking of having my cottage in town with only a tiny yard out back and then having some farmland within driving distance...

For nearly a year I lived in what was pretty close to my dream house:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157626025545992&mode=together

If it had had another small bedroom and had been in Morro Bay, CA it would have been perfect.

I've given it up to move into my mom's house in AZ to help care for her.

Someday....

i absolutely do this, too! i'm still quite young and in school, so i'm still living with my parents because it makes the most financial sense. i love my mom and feel so grateful to still be with her, but i cannot wait to have a place of my own and make it mine! i save images, magazine clippings, and bookmark sites on a daily basis. unlike you, i don't have one final dream house imagined just yet. instead i have lots of different scenarios... my inspirational images are all organized by their type. then i also have one folder for smart ideas for small spaces, whether it's an apartment or a boat! another folder for inspiring kitchens, or apartment decorating (with limitations of not being able to paint, etc). so right now, i pretty much dream of anywhere but here.
your dream home sounds so comforting, welcoming, and safe! i hope you can find it and make it yours as soon as you're ready.

One of the better AT posts...a nice change from the usual recycled content. Thanks!

And, I too, have dreams of my "someday" house, but am content with my "today" house. :)

I love this post! I've always cut out photos from magazines and catalogs that I find inspiring. It's fun to reflect back and think about how my style has changed over the years. I totally agree with the dream of having a little house and a little land. Growing up in the tracts of the suburbs, I've always wanted the space for more privacy.

Love this post :)

My dream house is filled with huge windows and terraces, surrounded by palm trees and bougainvillea. With lots of guest rooms so my family and friends can vacation there!

Come to think of it, my current home is a teeny tiny version of that, just with no furniture, too many neighbors and a miniscule kitchen haha

I just recently started living my dream. I've lived in DC proper for four years. I've been dreaming of getting back to a country home with a barn like the one I grew up in since.

A week ago, I moved out of my DC townhouse and into a farmhouse in rural Maryland. I'm finally beginning to live my dream: pigs, a pickup truck, chickens, room for my dog to run, stars in the sky, and no neighbors for miles.

I loved elements of my city life - the proximity to coffee, good food, friends - but some things, like a sense of freedom, safety, opportunity, and the feeling that I'm really making things happen for myself is worth more to me than a good cup of coffee (and I love coffee). I still have the same job - I just had to sacrifice time (commute) and the niceties of city life to make this dream a reality.

If you want to follow my country dream progress, see here: www.homesteadyear.com

tara1979, Ditto.

Fantastic post! I have a feeling lots of us are dreamers here on AT.

My dream is a 1905-1930 bungalow with built-ins, tiled fireplaces, a butler's pantry, and other period details. It would be in a classic bungalow neighborhood: in what is now a medium to big city, but nonetheless inside a neighborhood of narrow but deep lots in close proximity to a public garden. You can keep chickens in some of those neighborhoods!

We got so close to a job that would put is in a city with one of these neighborhoods AND let us have just enough money to buy a 3BR 1BA adorable bungalow. But we didn't make it into the final round, and the dream has to go back on the shelf. Back to our basement apartment for another year.

@awallnut - write that blog!

Dreams change...

My first dream house wuold have been all country style.

I outgrew that, and my next one would be all hand crafted contemporary-- hand made artist furniture, hand woven blankets, all that... I still love, but will never be able to afford, that idea...

As I matured, my dream house became more Zen -- a single floor Japanese influenced contemporary with lots of hand-crafted details and furnishings, with a courtyard garden enclosed by house and garage, a large art/crafts studio, a wood shop... If I won the lottery that's what I would build now, ideally with a water view (river, ocean. lake -- something large and wet!)

But. Reality set in and when we built we had to live within financial and other constraints. It turned out we decided to customize the last house in a builder development, partly because buying land to build on around here was cost prohibitive and only available in huge lots we didn't want to maintain. So we had to work with the style of house (colonial) and the starting floorplan/footprint on file with the city. We made a bunch of changes, we are pretty happy with the design and it's a nice house. But my "Dream House"?? Not at all. And it's unlikely I will ever move from here...

Life is full of compromise, but that Zen contemporary will always lurk in the back of my mind...

For further assistance with dreaming:
http://www.readings.com.au/product/9781920989125/

This is a wonderful post. When we begin to tell a different story about our future we learn to appreciate what we have now. Mazel.

Unless I win a very very large lottery, I will never have my dream house. Lucky for me I've nailed the 'wanting what you have' mindset so whilst it's nice to dream, I appreaciate that what I have now serves exactly the same purpose and also is a lot more than other people have.

Note to self: Remember to put your numbers on tonight.

i live in a tiny studio and my dream is not to have a house but just to have a real bedroom :) ive come to appreciate what i have now, it's cozy and i dont have to buy much to make it feel "complete" and home-y. and the few purchases that i do make, i can afford to spend a little more on for stuff that i like, so i look at it as a positive for the time being.

Shawnamuffin, I share your dream. :)

SherryBinNH, like you, my life is full of compromise (good school districts, husband's taste, saving for retirement and college funds). I will likely never get my dream home.

But, on the plus side, I can sleep at night in my rather ugly, 1978, harvest gold house knowing that at least the insulation is good, the paint isn't full of lead, the tiles and walls are asbestos free, and the mortgage payments won't kill us if one of us loses our job. While my home will never be a feature on AT, I've got peace of mind knowing that I'm living my life responsibly if not "beautifully". :)

I also want to add something I've heard financial planners and mortgage lenders say... "You can either look rich or be rich but *very few* people can be both." Oh boy, do I ever agree with that!

@paperkite - You are so wise! I remember reading a real estate article that put it rather bluntly. Roughly: "What do you think is better for children? Having a beautiful, perfect home and stressed out parents worried about money, or having a livable home with happy parents?"

I love that, shawnamuffin! Thanks for sharing. :)

For now, I'm enjoying decorating/fixing up our first home-- a suburban ranch with some midcentury charm.

Someday, though... someday, I want a hobbit house.

Aw, what a sweet post... I really enjoyed it. I'm not currently living in my dream home, however I do feel blessed to have a home period. I just drew up the floor plan of my dream home a few days ago and, "Someday, someday", is exactly what I was thinking as I sketched the last window onto the paper.

Thank you for this post. One year ago my husband and I moved to a tiny village in France (for work, not pleasure). When we first bought our house (I’m a first-time buyer) my husband loved it, but I had a bad feeling in my gut. While I counted myself fortunate to be able to buy a home at all (particularly one in a foreign country, which I never imagined I’d be able to do) I could not for the life of me connect with the new place no matter how hard I tried.

As someone who is very sensitive to space, my world was turned upside down living in a place that I didn’t like and that didn’t make any sense to me. Over and over I saw signs that told me I should have never agreed to the purchase; a lying seller who did not reveal structural problems, bad contractor who took our money and ran, cheating local businesses who charged us extra because we are expats, etc. etc. I was convinced we'd made a serious mistake and I just wanted out.

One year on, I feel I've experienced a sort of rite of passage. Despite the difficulties, I have, little by little, accepted this place. No, it's not my dream home, but I've come to see it as something even better because it's my actual home and one I’ve worked hard to understand. I've adjusted to living in it, adjusted to its limitations and it's quirks. Slowly I've been able to see the good things and love them for what they are, even find inspiration in them. A bungalow or a mid-century modern it will never be. But, it has something to say nonetheless. The more I understand it, the more I can make it work for me and my family. I’m lucky to have it, and everything in it, beautiful or not. I continue to dream but less and less so about that bungalow or mid-century modern. I dream about this place, what it is now and what it can be in the future. A real home.

I'm comforted to know that I'm not the only one who makes collages on Paint. I have made so many that looks just like yours.

I am a long ways away from getting my dream home. Well, actually my husband just got a much better job, so now at least it is in sight.

I made a collage in 7th grade about my dream home, and it hasn't really changed. Modern-country style. Lots of white, rustic wood, and bright colors. Plenty of sunny windows, always open with a breeze. At least one bay window and one window seat. Hardwood floors. The air is filled with the sound of music and smell of baking. A vegetable garden out back, grape vines, lots of climbing trees and flowers. Kids and dogs running around, with a cat watching out the window.

More recently, I've added a bit more land to my vision. Along with a cow, chickens, a couple goats, sheep and pigs. And a big pond with ducks. And lavender fields.

Annnd, it's 20 minute from San Francisco or New York. A girl can dream, right?

Thanks for the reminder to be happy where I am, though. Sometimes that's a hard thing.

I dream of a tree lined gravel lane leading to my home where it is not visible from the road. Then, as you approach, the dappled sun coming through the trees becomes full rays as it shines down on a meadow of wildflowers with the house nestled among them. The house itself is post modern architecture using simple materials, metal, wood, concrete, with many windows letting in as much light as possible.

Oh, and I have several binders and boxes with magazine clippings and my own drawings. Not to mention the myriad of online bookmarks.

agree - what a lovely post =)

The "Dream" feels like a Loooooong way off, sadly. and yes, i do have a STASH of clippings (haha) (but i delete them from time to time - opinions change =))

lovely idea.. i have always wanted a dream house.. but never could complete the picture.. every time i saw a pretty picture or home I felt this should be in my dream home.. i should sit down and imagine it completely only then i wud be able to work & get on it.. as for my current home it 1/5th teh size of my dream home, is an apartment & is modern.. whereas I want a traditional brick house with a huge garden, huge verranded & all exotic old wood work.. with traditional Indian furniture & furnishings.. balance of bedroom pastels & vibrant exteriors..