Wallpaper

Wallpaper can be a bit polarizing. People tend to have strong feelings about it. Currently, the tide seems to be in favor of hating it. It can be hard to install, even harder to remove, and the patterns tend to get dated. But, as risk of being unpopular, I'll admit that I like wallpaper. Not on a wall-to-wall, every room of your house way. But, used judiciously, I think that wallpaper can add something very unique to your home. And, at the risk of sounding completely insane, I like Asian panel wallpaper (Chinoiserie. ) I'm talking about the handpainted designs that were popular in Europe in the 17th century that, rather than feature a repeating pattern, represent a single image (e.g. of a landscape.) I particularly like ones that feature branches, flowers and birds, with a bit of gold leaf accents. When I say that I'd use this judiciously, I mean that I'd use it as if it was a work of art (and, given that they are still handpainted, they basically are works of art.) I'd do one wall of a dining room or the area over my bed. Or, I'd do the interior of a closet, which I think is a fun place to surprise people with wallpaper, as if you've wrapped it up like a gift.

Here are a couple of manufacturers:
http://www.griffinandwong.com/
http://www.graciestudio.com/

Susanka's Home by Design

It finally became my turn to check out Sarah Susanka's book "Home by Design" from our local library. This was suggested by the builder with whom we are most interested in working. I can see why he recommended it. In many ways, her approach mirrors some of the discussions Mike and I have had. One of our issues is balancing flow and more formal, private space. Susanka addresses this in her book, suggesting the making use of small spaces for alcoves (including window seats and nooks under stairways, which I love), flexible structure (e.g. moving walls and sliding doors) and framing spaces in interesting ways. I couldn't find the images from the book online, so I took a few photos of my favorite entries.



These pictures are of an entryway that is defined as a separate space by wide, framed doorways with framed glass around the top. In essence, there isn't a lot there, structurally, separating this entryway from the rest of the house, but the frame around the doorways defines the space and gives it a sense of being a "room" without really being one. Also, I love the white trim and the look of the stairway.
Here's an interesting alcove idea--defining the space with hanging, stained glass panels. Not sure if it's the best idea for a home designed to house two little boys.

This one is one I've always liked: using pass-throughs in kitchens. I prefer to have the kitchen closed off a bit, especially around the top of the room (to keep "cooking air" from dirtying the rest of the house.) A pass-through is a nice way to keep it open but closed.

This isn't an idea that I can recall seeing before. An opening between two rooms is double framed and a built-in bookcase is placed in the space in between. I love the idea of sneaking a little extra, built-in storage into a room, plus the beauty of this double frame.

More built-ins! I think using a hallway as a library is a fantastic use of space, and gives a real feeling of being substantial and useful.

Hidden Doors, Mysterious Things, Magic in our House

One thing that Mike and I can agree on is that we both love the idea of a few secret, curious, mysterious features in the house. Things like hidden doors, secret staircases, special hiding places, a dumbwaiter, that kind of thing. Clever, fun features that aren't found in more standard homes. I was searching on the internet today to find a photo for this post, and found a company that actually manufactures all kinds of hidden doors! http://www.hiddendoorsdirect.com/hidden-door-photos.html
Isn't that cool?? Mostly, when I imagine these features, I envision creating a sense of magic in the house for our kids. I want them to remember the home they were raised in as being a special place.

Dad's Suggestion

My dad suggested that I consider talking to my builder about adding extra circuits and outlets to the house, to make sure that the house functions at its best (e.g. avoid circuit overload.) Good idea! Something I wouldn't have thought of.

The Style Divide: The Chandelier Debate

So, I tend to like style that people would walk into and use adjectives like "graceful," "classic," "elegant," "old-fashioned" and "beautiful." I don't want a house that is so formal and elegant that it feels intimidating, uncomfortable or "too big for its britches." But, I do like elegant touches that make a house feel like it's a bit grand. So, I really liked the 12" high ceilings in the houses that we looked at today. I'd love to couple that ceiling height with some pretty crown moulding, at least in my dining room (which is where feel most free to express my desire to be formal and fancy.) I'd like to have a smooth, curving staircase with that ends in a swirly snail shell shape (you know what I mean?) Here's the problem: my husband thinks that stuff is going to make our house seem too formal. When I mentioned my desire to have crystal light fixures, he balked. Okay, maybe I used the word "chandeliers" which I, later, retracted. I don't really like chandeliers, per se. It's more small to medium sized light fixtures that have pretty crystals hanging from them. Like these (which are actually sconces, but imagine them in 360 degrees):
They are pretty little details. They refract the light in beautiful ways. And, in a small size (like the size of a normal light fixture), aren't too formal or intimdating. They do seem old fashioned to me, especially if you could find antique or vintage ones to reclaim (a hint to our potential builders!) The Schulz's house (the KSU Presidential home, on campus) is a really good example of this. They have at least two crystal light fixtures, but I think their home feels warm, nostalgic, and comfortable. Noel Schulz said that I can come by and take photos sometime. That may be what it takes to convince Mike to see my point-of-view. I'm not giving up on elegance! And, I think we can find a way to incorporate those elegant touches without making Mike feel like the house is too fancy for him.

Met a Builder/Architect Team in Topeka

Mike's mother met a builder/architect team in Topeka that she thought we might like. This morning, we went over and toured a few of their houses with them. We really liked their work. I just want to put down, stream of consciousness, some of the things that we liked (so we don't forget!) In referring to the houses that we saw, I have written "first house" and "second house" to refer to the two houses that were finished and to the "builders house" which is under construction.

1) Okay, start with 12 foot high ceilings. Gorgeous! Really gives a grand sense to a house (which, if you've been reading the blog, you know is important to me!)

2) The thing that impressed me most was the use of reclaimed materials throughout the homes. I hadn't ever made reclaimed flooring a priority, because I didn't think we'd find a builder willing to work with those materials. This team makes an abundant use of reclaimed wood, both for flooring and for their handmade/designed cabinetry. Amazing! The flooring really gives a lot of character to the homes. I also think that their use of reclaimed materials says something else about the team: mostly, a willingness to go the extra mile for quality and character. That's something lacking in most builders, at least around here! Mike felt that the reclaimed wood (and custom woodwork) gave an authenthic and substantial feel to the houses.

3) Use of transoms. I had forgotten that I like a window above doorways, like in the house my mother was raised in. They used transoms (fixed, not moving) above doorways and windows to extend the height of windows, giving a really historic feel and helping to match the height of the room (see #1).

4) Use of both "stained glass windows" and colored glass. They have some beautiful, simple stained glass work, mostly as transoms throughout their homes. Also, on one exterior wall, they used squares of colored glass, separated by wood moulding, to give a stained glass look.

5) Big closets with lots of shelving. And, as a bonus, a laundry room off of the master closet, that includes a table for folding clothes! The laundry room was sunken (down a few stairs) from the closet. Very nice design!

6) Mudrooms and pantries. The first house had a very open kitchen (something Mike loves and I don't, because he likes openness and I like structure, but anyway...) It seemed a bit small for my needs, until they showed a pantry that ran behind the entire length of the kitchen, with a wall of shelving. Wow! That really expands the storage of the kitchen! I'd like to combine this type of feature with a mudroom (which is what they had in the second house) so that it would include: storage of dry goods, chest freezer or even extra fridge, place to hang coats, place to put shoes, cubbies for purses and school bags, recycling center, a prep table, and maybe even a little desk for our home laptop.

7) Cool nooks/built-ins. They had some nice little built-ins. I'd like a whole lot of that: built-in shelving and cabinets. Secret little doors that open up to small storage places. In the home that they are building for the builder's family, they have some cool loft features that their kids are going to love! I'd also like a secret staircase, but I'm not sure how practical that really is. :)

8) Great bathroom design. We liked the master bath in both houses. They separated the bath, shower and toilet which I prefer (it's one of the features that I like about our current bath). The second house had a beautiful view from the bathtub. If I were to change one thing about it, it would be the placement of the toilet (which was also open to the windows) or raise that window a bit!

9) Mike really loved the way that the staircases looked in the second house. They curved around and you could look down through the center from the top floor to the basement. I also liked that arrangement. The changes that I would make would be to add a carpet runner down the stairs (fear of falling!) and to change the stylistic details from the Craftsman approach (very squared off) to something more circular and flowing (of course, that probably adds a lot of expense, so the latter isn't that important.) It reminded both of us of a staircase that was in a small hotel in Nice, France (pictured below)

This staircase adds an element that I really like: black and white tile. This type of tile design (with a diamond between square tiles) is one I really like. I also like small, hexagonal tile (white with a black accents) for bathrooms and large (12") black and white squares (in kitchens.) Though, we had horrible luck with this type of flooring in our first house (the nails from the underlayment popped up and make the floor all bumpy.) Guess who got a refund.

10) Lots of counter space in the second house's kitchen.

11) Using a fireplace to separate two living areas, with a wrap-around hearth.

What I would add/change in my own home:

1) More window seats. I really like this feature, particularly in bedrooms. This could be accomplished by flanking windows with built-in cabinets or shelving (so that the seat wouldn't just jut out on its own.)

2) Other flooring materials. The reclaimed wood is amazing and gorgeous, but I'd add tile in the bathrooms (cool if that could be reclaimed!) And low-pile carpet in the bedrooms.

3) More structure. I like my rooms to be a bit more separate (I know this is an issue that Mike and I differ on.) Our compromise, so far, has been to say that we will have large doorways separating rooms with pocket doors.

4) Darker wood flooring.

5) Wood burning stoves instead of gas fireplaces.

Something the tours gave me to think about:

1) Color of woodwork. I have wanted white mouldings and built-ins for a long time. I like the way that white gives a totally pure accent for paint colors. I love houses with vast stretches of shelving and built-ins, which would be dark and imposing if done in stained wood (especially given that I like darker woods, like cherry.) I also like having chair rails in white, and those white picture frame like things in the bottom half of the wall (I don't know what this is called, it's like wainscoting but not really. Or maybe it is wainscoting, as I found this photo with a Google search for wainscoting. This is what I'm talking about:

Anyway, these guys do beautiful work with reclaimed wood that really gives a old house feel. I liked the way the reclaimed wood looked around the window casings. But, I don't think I'd like a whole wall of built-ins in wood, just because I think that would look too dark. Hmm....

To this builder/architect team: Thanks for giving us your time. We're very interested in working with you!

Garden Show/Home Show

Today, it was both the Garden Show and Home Show in Manhattan. We met lots of professionals in the area. I had a nice talk with the owner and the landscape designer at Horticultural Services who seemed interested in my plans to use edibles and "nostaglic" flowers in my landscape. However, they don't do irrigation systems, so we'd have to work with them and another company. We also met representatives from Blueville Nursery, Master Landscape, Rothwell Landscape, Howe Landscape and Lee Creek Gardens.

We talked to Christopher Shaw, who sells the Quad-Lock system of insulated concrete forms. It's an interesting option, which substitutes concrete and rebar inside of sytrofoam forms for the traditional wood framing on a house. It's more insulating and stronger than a typical house. It also costs more. We will need to research it more to see if it's a good choice for us.

Not all of the builders came prepared to show examples of their work. That was a bit disappointing, since that was our reason for attending the home show! I realized, however, that it is probably best to select our architect, get the plans ready, then shop for builders. At this point, it feels a bit too abstract.