Kitchen

Throughout most of the house, I'd like to have dark cherry wood floors, white trim and built-ins, with dark (slate or black) quartz countertop on surfaces that might be home to plants or drinks (e.g. low, hip-height bookcases that I would like to have along the south (window) side of our living room.) But, I've been thinking of inverting this in the kitchen: doing dark wood cabinets with white quartz countertops and black and white tile floors. The pictures below (taken from the February 2009 issue of House Beautiful) show the dark cabinets light countertop look. So, it would be something like this but with black and white floors: I like the wall color. I'm not a fan of the recessed ceiling or the marble backsplash behind the stove. I like how the upper cabinets go all the way to ceiling, eliminating that odd space above most upper cabinets that just

Nice French doors in the eat-in area of the kitchen.

Furniture Styles

Okay, I have another confession: I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to furniture styles. Yesterday, we tried to shop for coffee tables, and I found myself utterly unable to describe what I wanted. So, I'm trying to remedy my ignorance today by reading through a primer on furniture styles:
http://www.efi-costarica.com/Antique-Furniture-Styles.html
I like some aspects of the Sheraton Style (1751-1806) The website describes it as "remarkable for its refined elegance, excellent proportions and balanced distribution of ornaments. It also mirrored the influence of Robert Adam and the Louis XVI style, which Sheraton greatly admired." These chairs, an example of the style, are pretty:

Hmm.... going through the other styles, I some styles that I both like and dislike. Some styles are easily in the dislike category: Arts and Crafts and Mission styles are too plain and heavy looking. Gothic is too severe and imposing. I don't like English Country or Windsor styles.

I like some aspects of Chippendale (chairs) and Federal (tables) but don't like the larger cabinets/secretaries in either style.

I'm a little embarassed to admit that I kind of like mid-Georgian style (particularly Chinoiserie cabinets). It's a little frou frou and would be hard to fit into a home in KS. Late Georgian Style, apparently, includes the Sheraton style featured above. Another good website: http://www.furniturestyles.net/

Okay, so far I don't feel any closer to identifying my own style of furniture. More research is needed!

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.

Landscaping

Ah, exhale. It's been a really long and busy week. Last night, I felt my personal tolerance for stress slip gently over the edge, during the clean up of our chest freezer's meltdown. As it turns out, our toddler had found the temperature control on the freezer, turning it up to "rotten meat" mode. After extensive clean-up, our house went from smelling like a back-alley slaughterhouse to simply smelling like a dead pig in a swimming pool (Mike's words.) This, coupled with a very busy week at work has led me to need some "la la" time. By that, I mean time to stick my fingers in my ears, say "la la la la" and escape reality for a while.

What better way to do this than to indulge myself in fantasizing about landscaping our future home? La la la! So, where do I start? Let's start with what I like. I like "old fashioned plants" (peonies, bridal wreath spirea, hollyhocks, lilac, iris, lilies) that give a feel of an older garden, ones that you might see on an old farmstead. I love the idea of including as many edible plants into the landscape as possible. Not just in a garden set aside for edibles, but sprinkled throughout the landscape (herbs, asparagus, rhubarb, plum bushes, cherry trees) I like the idea of using plants and hardscaping to make outdoor "rooms," dividing up a yard into usable spaces. I'd like to have mysterious places, secret spots, and a little magic in my yard. I prefer perennial, or self-seeding, plants. One-shot annuals feel like a waste to me.

Now, on to what I don't want in a landscape. I really don't like landscapes that feel sterile and corporate. If it would be appropriate for a golf course, I don't want it at my house. This includes shrubs groomed into ball shapes and large tufts of grass. I don't like surrounding my plants with rocks (both because it looks "cold" to me, and because it's a pain to dig up in the future.) I'm not into landscaping that is meant to blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment. I realize that sounds bad, maybe even offensive to some. How do I explain this? I want a garden that, while it's in tune with the environmental and soil conditions of our area, stands out from the prairie landscape. Something that feels like a human creation, rather than a slight shift from what is already there. I want a garden that would look at home near an English cottage or an old American farmstead. Something with gorgeous color, wild and untethered. I'm not really a fan of subtlety.

Ah, exhale. Nothing like a little trip into la la land.

Flooring

One of the biggest questions I've had about building a green house has been about flooring. As we plan to use a ground source heating unit and a passive solar design, there are certain issues for flooring. With radiant heating (from ground source) we need to consider the r-value of our flooring choices. If a floor covering is too insulating, the heat won't be able to transfer from the system to the room (or, for cooling, from the room to the system.) As far as I know, they recommend an r-value under 4.0 for radiant heat systems. For passive solar, you want flooring that can soak up the heat from sunlight coming through southern windows, then release the heat as the sun goes down.

For both of these systems, tile, stone or concrete work well. But, it's also my goal to make the house have a "historic feel" and "have a lot of character." In my aesthetic, these ideal materials fall short. Also, I really like having carpet in some rooms, both for its coziness but also because it keeps dirt from swirling about the house and causing an outbreak of dust bunnies.

So, I've been doing some research. Turns out, I may not need to sacrifice my style for the environment. A low pile, synethic carpet (r=.7) with a thin, slab rubber pad (r=.32) doesn't have a bad R-Value (total just over 1.) Linoleum (which I like for kitchens) has a typical r value of .4. Specifically, Marmoleum has a 2.45 value for the kind you install with adhesive and a 1.7 for the floating floor type. Hardwood floors tend to be around r=.7. Engineered wood flooring around .4.

At the same time, I'm shopping around for ceramic tile. Ceramic tile has a typical r-value of .25 (so, non-insulating) and is good as a passive solar mass. My hope is to find a tile that I really like and use that in the room(s) with the most southern exposure, while using flooring that I prefer for aesthetic or functional reasons in other rooms.

Just to keep myself organized, I'm pasting an e-mail from Marmoleum here:
"It will be fine to install either the Marmoleum sheet goods or the Click(our "floating" floor) over radiant heat. We do recommend having theheat shut off or turned down for at least 48 hours before installation,during and 72 hours after installation. It should then be raisedgradually, so adhesive and material can cure/adapt together. Thesubstrate temperature should never exceed 85 degrees. The R-Value of theMarmoleum sheet goods is 2.45, and the Click with a vapor barrier (whichwill be needed when installing over radiant heat) is 1.70.Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Jennifer Malloy Technical Services"

My Favorite House in the Little Apple

This is my favorite house in Manhattan. It's just north of the intersection of Juliette and Poyntz. I love the symmetry and balance of this house. I love the double layer porch with its the simple, substantial columns. I love how how the porches are topped by those slight arches (more rounded corners than true arches.) I also like the solid, weighted look of using limestone on the bottom of the porch. If you could look more closely, you would see that the front windows are decorative glass (not stained, but cut and leaded in a simple design.) It looks like a home that was lovingly built for a large family. It's beautiful, but simple. It has style without being fussy. It seems warm and welcoming, to me.

How Green?

On the way to work today, Mike asked me how green I wanted our new house to be. He pointed out that I have, in the past, dreamed of being "off the grid" (energy independent.) I still feel that this would be a wonderful goal. I definitely hope to use geothermal to heat and cool the house. I want to orient the house, the windows and the eaves in such a way that we are warmed by southern light in the winter and avoid harsh light in the summer (i.e. passive solar design.) As for active solar technology, I plan to look into it and see what the costs and benefits would be. We need to be sure that our local electricity company is willing to "buy back" any extra energy we produce during sunny days so that when we use energy on cloudy days, we aren't paying for all of it. I'd also like to use a whole house fan and plan the windows in such a away that we are able to capture breezes on warm days.

So, how green would I like the house to be? Very green. But, I'm not willing to sacrifice much in terms of comfort, convenience and style. For example, I'd love to capture rainwater to water the yard, but I really like the convenience of an automatic sprinkler system. So, maybe we can just say that I'll have a sprinkler system but I'll try to landscape in such a way that excessive watering isn't necessary? Maybe my rainwater could be funneled into a pretty water garden?

Let's face it, some "green" homes are just, fugly. Yeah, I said it. They are plain, odd, and asymmetrical. Some of them aren't as much fugly as they are just far too modern and angular for my tastes. Check out these examples.
No offense intended towards the owners of these very green homes. It's just that this isn't my style. I want a beautiful home; a home that is lovely, formal and a little bit opulent. One that shows my style and my personality. And, is as green as can be (without needing to be fugly.) In fact, I would go so far as to say that it would be good for the world for us to build an exceptionally beautiful home that is also green, just to show others that you don't have to sacrifice style for the environment.

What's My Style?

When I try to describe the style of house that I'd like to have, I use words like "historic," "cottagey," "farmhouse," and "Craftsman." The truth is, I know what kinds of houses I like when I see them, but I'm not exactly sure where my style fits in terms of architectural lingo. So, I set out to help myself define that. HGTV has some information on architectural styles that I found helpful. I'll go through each (of the styles that are remotely related to what I like) to describe what I do and don't like about it.

Craftsman Homes

Key Elements of Craftsman Homes
Built of natural materials. I actually don't want a house that is too woodsy looking. I don't want to use unpainted woods or stone. I prefer siding or painted brick.

Built-in furniture and light fixtures. LOVE built-ins.
Fireplace. A wood burning stove and a warm, inviting hearth area are things I like.
Porches. LOVE porches. I really like the porches to have solid columns, that are wider at the bottom than at the top. I think this is why I've always said that I like Craftsman homes.
Low-pitched roofs. I do really like the overhangs and wide eaves of Craftsman style.
Exposed beams. I like seeing the beams supporting the eaves, but don't want to see them inside the house.
Open floor plan. Actually, I don't like an open floor plan. I really like a formal, symmetrical floor plan. But, Mike loves openness. We hope to deal with this by having wide doorways between public rooms with pocket doors that can be opened fully for a more open look and closed for more formality.

Summary: I love the simple exterior elements of Craftsman, especially the porches framed by columns that are square and thicker at the bottom. I love the wide overhangs, both aesthetically and practically (for heating and cooling.) I don't want a house that looks too woodsy or "natural." Or a really open floor plan.

Victorian

Key Elements of Victorian Homes:
Two to three stories. I like 2-3 story homes. That's something that differs from the Craftsman style, which tend to be 1 1/2 stories.
Complicated, asymmetrical shape. Nope. I prefer a more symmetrical shape. Prefer simplicity, without plainness.
Decorative trim. Nope. Nothing decorative in a cutesy way.
One-story porch. I love porches, one or two story.
Towers. Towers seem a bit costumey to me. Overall, the Victorian style is a bit too ornate, too much like it's pretending to be a little gingerbread castle.
Vibrant colors. I like rich colors in interiors (offset by white moulding) but I don't like a vibrant colored exterior.
Summary: I like the height and formality of Victorian homes. But, overall, too fussy for me.

Colonial

Key Elements of Colonial Style: "These homes are often marked by a centrally located front door, evenly spaced double-hung windows and simple side-gabled roof. " I really like a central front door, but would prefer one that stood out from the exterior, containing a foyer with windows. I like the simple roofline on Colonial homes.

Square, symmetrical shape. I really like the formality and symmetry of Colonial homes.
Flattened columns on each side of door. Don't like this. In fact, I don't like any columns that are "wannabe" Greek looking. Much prefer the more substantial and humble columns on Craftsman homes.
Shutters. I like the look of shutters. I wonder sometimes if they are "real" or just for show. I'm the kind of person who is practical enough to want the shutters to have some kind of use.

History of Habitation

Both Mike and I grew up in ranch houses in suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest. While Mike really liked the style of his large, rambling ranch with a sunken family room, I was less inspired by the brick ranch that I grew up in. I always admired older, two-story homes, like the one that my grandmother lived in. It had a parlor behind pocket doors, a beautiful wood staircase, built-in cabinets and a cozy kitchen with black and white tile floors. This is the kind of home that feels like home to me.

In college, Mike lived in the dorms. He loved it and the food. Unusual. I lived in a second floor apartment in an old, run-down house. But, it had the tall, double-hung windows with wide window ledges that you only find in older homes. It was light and bright, and had a nice kitchen. If you ignored the fact that the exterior staircase to my apartment was likely to disintegrate or detach from the building at any minute, it was a great place.

From college, we moved together to Kansas City. Our apartment was another second-floor apartment in a very old building. How old? Old enough that, one night, one of the bed legs broke through the hardwood floors. It was cold, and kind of dark. The kitchen was tiny. The upside? Well, we were right next door to a chocolate shop. The other upside was the beautiful balcony. I'm a sucker for balconies. And chocolate. Eating chocolate on a balcony. Does it get better than that?

Our next apartment was a duplex in Charlottesville, VA. It was probably built around the 1950s. It was two story with hardwood floors throughout. It had gorgeous southern light pouring in through the front window. Our other light source was on the east, from a series of windows with ledges wide enough to put potted plants (a feature that I really like.) The kitchen was cute, with knotty pine cabinets and a little peak-through to the dining room.

For the next two years, we had two separate places. Mike continued to live in Charlottesville, splitting an old house with two classmates. From the outside, it was cute. Inside, it was too dark. And, dirty. Three busy graduate students does not equal a tidy house. I lived in Washington, DC, in the basement of my friend Amy's parents' house. It was a tiny little apartment, but had a nice kitchen and windows on the walkout side.

Once Mike finished his graduate coursework, he moved up to DC to live with me. We rented an apartment in a nice highrise building near my campus. While it wasn't charming, it was very comfortable, even luxurious, in its own way (e.g. dentist, hairdresser, convenience store, all in the building.) If something in the apartment broke, the maintenance men were on the scene within minutes. The best part was a giant picture window that took up half the living room. Once again, let me reiterate, I love light. Light, light, light. I also love a house that isn't plagued with maintenance problems.

We moved from DC to a small village deep in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. There were no roads in or out of the village, only air (or foot) transportation. No power or running water. We lived in a small, two room house that Mike had built with the help of the village, the summer before. We had lots of windows and a nice front porch for socializing. There was a metal roof that amplified the pitter patter of raindrops (or the roar of a downpour.) I liked that little house, and the noisy roof. It would have been nice to have indoor plumbing and fewer uninvited guests (e.g. rats, geckos, bugs.) But, it was home for that year.

Ugh, moving back to the States we lived in this ground-level apartment in Fairfax, VA. It had bad light, a narrow kitchen. Nothing really redeemable about it. Our upstairs neighbors smoked and littered our little cement patio with cigarette butts. And, we spent the whole year writing dissertations. Whew--glad that's over.

After completing our dissertations, we both got jobs at Kansas State University. We rented an apartment on Houston St, behind the bank at 14th and Poyntz. It was a little two bedroom in an older home. The kitchen was adorable--knotty pine with cabinets that could be opened from both the kitchen and from the dining room. It also had one of those little peak-through joining the kitchen and dining room. I should clarify that I'm not actually such a huge fan of knotty pine that I's want it in my own home, but in that apartment, it was cute.

So, next was our first time as "real" home owners. It was a little 1 1/2 story house in St. George, KS. It was built sometime between the 1920s and 1940s (it was moved to its current site from another location, so it's hard to say for sure.) I was utterly charmed by this house. Screened porch, sunroom, hardwood floors, built-in cabinets, large windows, a walk-out basement, and all the difficult to quantify charm of an older home. I painted the kitchen a cool blue-green color and put in black and white tile (to remind me of my grandma's house.) Unfortunately, the house was very drafty. It needed new windows and a new roof. By the time that our son Wilson was born, we realized that the neighborhood was not one that we wanted to settle in. So, we searched for a house that would be more comfortable.

We settled upon a two-story house in the suburbs. It's about 20 years old. It's comfortable and easy to heat and cool. It has established landscaping including automatic sprinklers (which, I love.) It has a nice, fenced back yard that includes a paved basketball court that is great for our son to ride bikes on. The downsides? Most of the light comes from west windows, which is just blinding in the afternoons. Almost no light comes from the south. I elected to get rid of all my houseplants, because I couldn't find enough light for them. The house is in very good shape and many people would find it quite beautiful. But, asethetically, it has kind of a 1990's oak cabinet kind of feel when I'd prefer a 1940s vibe. It just doesn't feel right to me.

I realize that many, many people would look at my current house and think that I was crazy for not loving it. Here's my analogy: pretend our two houses are boyfriends. The first was a relationship with great passion. Unfortunately, he had fatal flaws (e.g. smoked crack.) The second boyfriend is perfect from everyone's perspective: he's a high paid doctor, who is handsome and takes me to Paris for weekend trips. But, call me crazy, there is just no spark there. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to commit to a long-term relationship when there isn't any passion between us.

So, what have I learned from the 11 places that I've lived?
1) I love light. Southern light. Don't like light from the west.
2) I love big windows with wide, window ledges. I'd also love a window seat, but I've never had one.
3) I love balconies, porches, and sunrooms. I'm not too thrilled about decks, due to high maintenance.
4) I love those touches that are unique to older homes: unique woodwork, grand staircases, built-ins, pocket doors.
5) I like formality and symmetry. Mike loves an informal, open floor plan. One compromise that we've considered is using pocket doors to give a more structured look when closed, or give more open flow between rooms when opened.
6) I like my maintenance to be easy. Love that my current yard waters itself. If it could weed itself, I'd be in heaven.
7) I want a house that is comfortable and energy efficient.

More about all of this in future posts.