A Custom Home for a Family of 6 Is Patterned, Colorful, and Full of Fun Inspiration
Name: Ann Lacouture, husband, and four kids
Location: Florence, Oregon
Type of home: Custom family home—our family built it together!
Size: 4200 square feet; we took advantage of every nook and cranny of what would have been the attic.
Do you rent or own your home? 3 years, owned
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: After years of scribbling and refining floor plans in my mind and on graph paper, my husband and I finally had the opportunity to build a custom home for our family of six in 2016. Every family functions in and uses their home differently and after living in several houses previously, I had a very good idea of what home features would be most important for ours—an office/craft room right off the kitchen, kids’ bedrooms separated from the master, a large play room, and lots of extra space to accommodate guests.
My kids have friends over almost every day of the week and our guest rooms are open year-round to friends (and friends of friends!) who are traveling up and down the coast. I love to decorate my home and keep it tidy, but nothing makes me so happy as seeing it filled with people!
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Colorful eclectic transitional.
What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room in our house is our office/craft room. In it, there are always a million projects going on and it’s where my kids use our family computers. Because it is right off the kitchen, I can easily keep an eye on things and answer spelling and math questions. Even though this room can get pretty messy, I love that the mess is never in my way nor visible from the main living area. My kids’ and husband’s favorite room is our upstairs play room, which includes a climbing wall, swing, rings, and monkey bars!
If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? If I could magically change something about my home, it would be the neighborhood in which it is located. We live in a neighborhood of almost entirely retirees—many of whom are unnerved by our having such regular company in our home. We would love to have other families with children move in!
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last thing I bought for our home was a tourist map of our city that I found in one of our local thrift/antique shops. I think it will be such a fun addition to our guest room!
Any advice for creating a home you love? The key to loving our home has been creating an environment where others feel comfortable and welcome. What’s a home worth if there’s no one to share it with??
This submission has been edited for length and clarity.