I grew up and live during the summers in a small town in SE Minnesota.  The main city I do shopping in is Rochester.  It’s a good size city with lots of parks, schools, shopping areas, restaurants, and is home to the Mayo Clinic, so it is definitely a good place to live.  I don’t know where I will end up after graduating college, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I moved to Rochester.  Because of this, I have subscribed to an MLS email listing of houses under $200,000 for a couple years now.  I feel dorky admitting that, but I love houses.  What do you expect from me?!

Lately, I have come across a couple that have made my heart rate speed up and a little squeal to escape from my mouth.  I am obsessed with old houses, so when a search comes up with one in my imaginary price range, I get really excited!  Maybe I will be able to own my dream home right away!  Most of the searches come up with split level homes and older ranches that do appeal to me for the most part, but there is something about those old American Four Square and Dutch Colonials with their crown molding and/or hardwood floors that do something to me.

My imaginary house hunting requirements are:

• A yard larger than .15 acres
• At least 3 bedrooms (so there is room to grow and not have to move right away)
• Preferably 2 or more bathrooms
• Can’t be too perfect – I want to do a little work on it
• Enough square feet so that the bedrooms aren’t completely tiny
• Preferably dark stained or white trim and cabinets
• Preferably wood floors in most rooms

Let me show you two of the houses that fit the requirements and make my heart go pitter-patter.

The first one is a beautiful Dutch Colonial with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths that sits on just .15 acres (which is a let down).

Check out some of the interior shots – look at the character in this home!

I spy a window seat and a built-in bookcase.

For more shots of the house, head over here.

The main letdowns are the yard…

…and the basement.  It doesn’t match the rest of the house at all, but at least it is finished.

The best part, though, is that it is listed at $179,900, so it fits into my imaginary budget.  Yay me!

Okay, now on to the one that I have literally been having wonderful dreams about lately and have even stalked on Google Maps (I hope all my dignity is not being lost in this post).

It’s a gorgeous yellow American Four Square home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths that sits on a nice lot of .23 acres.

Now, the inside has great potential but just needs a tiny bit of work.  For more pictures, head over here.

Are those dark stained pocket doors?  Are they trying to give me a heart attack?

The kitchen is less than ideal (the ceiling, outdated cabinets), but with some elbow grease and some cash it could at least be painted and the ceiling possible sheet rocked until I could afford (with my imaginary money, of course) to update the whole thing.  It’s quite large, though, and potential is key in my imaginary house hunts.

I definitely can’t complain with gorgeous wood floors in the bedrooms!

And the yard is a perfect size (this is only part of it).  But something has really imaginarily sold me on this house.  I am a HUGE fan of third story attics.  Well…

Here is one just waiting for me to finish and turn into a craft room!  Yay!  And it’s listed at $169,900!  Please excuse me while I go sign the imaginary contract and get handed the imaginary keys….

Okay, so am I crazy or what?  Please tell me you do this on occasion as well.  I hope that the practice-makes-perfect saying applies here. If so, real estate agents are going to love me when it comes time to buy my first house because I know exactly what is out there and how much of a house I can afford in the area (as well as in the Twin Cities – where I do other imaginary house hunts).  Do you have any house crushes on homes in your area that you could see yourself living in?

I do not discriminate against indoor ladders, which you will see by the photos below – I love them in all sorts of rooms from the traditional library, to kitchens, and even in bathrooms!  I hope you find as much joy in these photos as I do!

Houzz

House Beautiful

Little Green Notebook

Peter Pennoyer Architects

House Beautiful

This Old House

Architectural Digest

Brabourne Farm

House Beautiful

Serena & Lily 

Design Sponge

Source Unknown

Fabulous, right?  I can see why they would be helpful when reaching for items on high shelves, but I have a feeling I’m going to be a family with a little stool floating around the kitchen to reach the top shelf since ladders can be dangerous, and even regular height cabinets cannot be reached by me easily since I am short.

If you could put a sliding ladder in one room of your house, which would it be and why?

You see, these images keep popping up in my browser of amazing dining rooms and in-kitchen dining areas that use something a bit more unconventional than chairs.  Benches seem to be a great alternative to matching dining sets and I am definitely on board to try this out…that is, as soon as I have a dining area!

Here’s some inspiration photos.  Try to pay attention to how these can work in every style of home.

Houzz

My Home Ideas

Coastal Living

Houzz

Decorpad

Houzz

Decorpad

Source Unknown

Houzz

  Michael Partenio

Houzz

My Home Ideas

Country Living

Southern Living

Houzz

Whether they are built in or freestanding, these benches make a statement and turn even the most elegant room into something cozy that invites gathering and conversation. I find benches to be the perfect alternative for someone who may not want the uniform look of matching chairs but at the same time don’t want all their chairs to be mismatched.  Throwing a bench in to the mix allows for different fabrics, colors, wood tones, etc. to come into the room without being too startling or planned.  They are also perfect for kids who love to cram themselves right next to other people and also love anything out of the ordinary.  I grew up with my mom always having a settee against the wall but pulled up the the round kitchen table.  I never thought anything of it then, but now I have realized how innovative and creative that really was!  Props to you, Mom, for inspiring me!

What do you think – would you like to be benched?

Need some examples?

  House Beautiful

Lonny Feb/Mar 2010

Raphael Designs via House of Turquoise

Houzz

Source unknown

HGTV Dream Home 2009

Elle Decor via Brabourne Farm

Domino

House Beautiful

Better Homes and Gardens

Source Unknown

Better Homes and Gardens

I’m swooning!

I have been dreaming of these new favorites of mine.  They are flowers called ranunculus which looks sort of like a peony but with more petals tightly packed together.  They are described here as being “a small camellialike bloom that ranges in color from red to yellow to pink and white and grows here in the Western United States during springtime.” 

I’m usually out of the loops, so I’m guessing many of you have heard of these flowers, but if you have not, check out these gorgeous pictures!

InStyle Weddings

Kaboodle

InStyle Weddings

The Bride’s Cafe

InStyle Weddings

The Knot

Flicker by queene of tartes

Handful of Treasures

HSN

Boston Blooms

Yumsugar

Aren’t they the perfect flower?  I just can’t get over them.  They come in so many colors and sizes, I could never be satisfied just picking a few.  I can’t wait to buy some some day to have on my kitchen counter.  I have a very good feeling that they will make a large appearance when I get married.  They’re perfect!