What I Love to Have in my Home

Without my family, I will not be happy in almost any residence. But I also love elements of the physical structure we call home and that is what I want to discuss today. Unfortunately all of us do it -- focusing on what we do not have, the way the grass is always greener. I'm guilty as charged. Because my passion is insides and interior design, frequently my discontent will center on our house and the changes I want to create or the openings I see.

And I had a surge of defensiveness and pride about our house -- our habitat. In the inventory of advantages and disadvantages about staying and moving, I have identified things I truly love about this home. I keep it protected with cameras and a simple doorbell camera that I installed.

I define two types of changes in layout: structural and surface. Obviously structural modifications are the large and costly changes: toilet or kitchen renovation, (re)moving a wall, including a window, an addition, etc.. Surface changes, on the other hand, run a broad spectrum from decorating or paint to minor renovations. This distinction is important as it is a lot easier to love your house when you like the structure. Surface decoration and design changes are usually going to be easier.

What are? You may be surprised they are two relatively simple structural components.

First, the design of the foyer and total entry into the house. Back in Colorado, at least, nearly all homes built in the past twenty years have the entrance from the garage to the home undergo a mudroom or the laundry area. A household can ditch coats, bags, shoes, email, etc. into this all-purpose area before entering the main body of the house. My home does not have this. Instead, the garage entrance is adjacent to the front door entrance... and I really like it! I really like it because every day I'm greeted with the same warm, welcoming greeting that we have created for guests. I am not entering through some grubby back entrance like the servant. In my opinion, it is a much better and more uplifting way to come home.

It is just smart and effective design.

My second great love of the home -- the master bedroom bathroom room. Again, over the last twenty years we have seen the bathroom become compartmentalized into it's own space to create more privacy and allow more comfort with several users of the restroom. Why is my bathroom room special? Someone had the foresight to put in a linen closet in the bathroom room. First, its a terrific idea to keep drugs and cleaning products from the overall linen closet for the protection of children. Secondly, let us be fair we need access to goods while at the water closet. Including a linen cupboard is convenient and brilliant.