Icons of "Home"

idyl·lic
Pronunciation: \ī-ˈdi-lik, chiefly British i-\
Function: adjective
Date: 1856
1 : pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity
2 : of, relating to, or being an idyll


When making checklists for all of the things we want to do to our (soon-to-be) new house, I realized how many things have been ingrained in my mind over the years as to what the idyllic home (to me) would have. Not necessarily stylish things, but more romantic ideals or icons of the perfect home. Some of them are things I will probably never realistically have, but they've been with me for years & I thought I'd share some of them with you. I'll start outside & work my way inside............


I've always wanted a white house (image from Martha Stewart.com)



A front porch with a porch swing is so welcoming & relaxing!!



A wisteria-covered pergola (image from here)

Image below (and top image of post) from House Beautiful. How amazing is this?!!!
Window Boxes: They makes houses look so cheerful & loved. (image from hooksandlattice.com)



A garden large enough to "walk through" and "sit in" as opposed to edging the yard or house (image from indigolandscapes.com) I like a little mystery in the garden & it would be such a luxury to have enough space to do this:



A beautiful back patio (image from one of my favorite Cottage Living houses)



There are a lot of plants I've always thought belonged in the perfect yard or garden. Here's a list of some of them: A magnolia tree would be amazing (image from here) and I could just sit there & smell the blooms for hours!! :)



A lilac bush to cut blooms from and again, smell for hours (image from gardencorner.net )



Forsythia bushes (image here from Dumbarton Oaks)



TONS of hydrangea bushes (image from http://www.youcanlearnseries.com/)



Peonies -- how beautiful are they in arrangements?!! (Image from marthastewart.com)



And finally, it used to be rose bushes until I put them in my townhouse garden & managed to kill almost all of them, (image from http://www.sloatgardens.com/) but if I could do better, I'd still want them... (Actually the bushes themselves were in such bad shape that I felt absolutely no guilt for cutting off every single bloom & taking them inside for arrangements!!  Maybe it's better that way!!)



A tree swing for the little guy & me too!! :) (image from http://www.ntoddblog.org/



French Doors (Image from that same Cottage Living house) leading to some great outdoor space... They'd be amazing in the bedroom...



A big hood over the range (image below from House Beautiful) A hood makes a kitchen look like such a functional yet homey space:


A window seat (image from Cottage Living)... We built one in our old house & it really was the perfect spot for chatting on the phone, cuddling with the dog, getting warmed up by the sun, reading & relaxing

A banquette or window seat for an eat-in kitchen (image from Country Living)

A grandfather clock (image from mantecalighting.com)... When I was a little girl I loved the mystery surrounding them. They made me think of huge houses you could get lost in & have adventures in & always wanted one when I grew up... Think The Borrowers... But sadly, now I really don't even like to know what time it is & would have to go with a Mora clock if I did have a huge clock in my house.

A fireplace with two chairs that can face each other with an ottoman in between for reading with my husband... The two chair & ottoman thing would also be amazing in the bedroom...


A guest bedroom (image from Country Living) is truly a luxury to me. To have it ready & waiting for friends & family to come at any time... to not have to unfold a bed/ mattress & not have to hide anything away... Just an easiness...


A sunroom/ conservatory that could act as a family room or dining/ breakfast room (image from here)


A huge living room/ great room where lots of people can be at one time doing different things (images from Cottage Living & House Beautiful)


A round table for intimate dining (Pic from House Beautiful)


And finally, a four-poster bed (Bed below from Restoration Hardware) ...

 
We had a sort of British Caribbean mahogany styled one in our old house and it's in storage now. Because the lines of the new house are so modern, I can't really picture it in our bedroom but the lower level feels a bit more traditional, so we'll be putting it in the lower level guest bedroom. (I think it'll be fun for guests too :) The bed below is from Country Living's 2008 Idea House:


I think we all envision a home and a life in which we have the time and space to be with our families & friends. Some call it the "good life." It's a home with simple luxuries... where things are made easy so we can spend our time doing what we really want to do. It's a life & home with the perfect balance of function & beauty. These are just some of the iconic things that come to mind for me when thinking of the ideal home... how about you?

25 comments:

High-Heeled Foot in the door said...

Imagine you wanting a white house. :)

Yes, yes, yes, yes. I just kept agreeing with you the entire way. You picked out all the things I have on my dream checklist as well. Add some sort of water feature in the backyard and a 3 car garage for Jon and we have the same dream home.

When do you guys close on the new house?

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

Perfection. I love EVERY image that you posted. They all would add up to my dream house.... daydreaming now....

from the right bank said...

You have such a clear vision of where you are going with your house. I envy that because I'm just all over the place! But aside from being visually pleasing, I agree that an ideal home is comfortable, relaxed and that it both reflects and accommodates your lifestyle. Great post, Lauren! There are so many lovely images here to take in . . .

DesignTies said...

I'm going to enjoy watching you decorate your new home, Lauren... with inspriation pictures like these guiding you along the way it's going to be beautiful!
Victoria: EdinDesign Interiors @ DesignTies

Smitten Design said...

that looks like the perfect, cozy/romantic home. Have a blast designing it all!

Anonymous said...

peonies are my favorite

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

A woman with a clear mission...Love it!

Sounds like a beautiful oasis you will create!

Haven and Home said...

Yes, so many of things I want, especially the grandfather clock and large garden!

Unknown said...

Such gorgeous images. You are going to make your new house into the most amazing,comfortable, stylish home for you and your family. I'm so happy for you that you now get to transform at least some of your dreams into reality and I for one, can't wait to go along for the ride!

Porter Design Company said...

Just found your blog! Love it!

Chanda said...

Hello, found you by way of Google by asking for pictures of painted hutches. I just painted one and I am second guessing the green mpart of my decesion and was just looking around. I enjoyed my visit here. You and I have a lot of the same home ideas in common.

Hope all your dreams come true with the new place, Blessings, Shanda

shi(f)t said...

i want to party in the first picture and fall asleep in the last:)

janet said...

oh these pictures are absolutely gorgeous, i could see swinging on the swing on that beautiful porch and the bedroom with the french doors, aww so dreamy. I feel beauty does lay in the most simple things. thanks for sharing
hugs
janet

Maria Killam said...

Love the images you found. I'm still thinking about how your house can be white with that stone now. . .

alice said...

These are all such pretty and ENJOYABLE design ideas!

Sarah's Fab Day said...

My ideal home is pale yellow. I have always wanted a home this color for as long as I can remember. My great grandmother had the perfect shade of yellow and in fact if I could take her home move it somewhere else and tweak the floorplan a bit it would be my ideal. This was fun!

Porchlight Interiors said...

I hope you get everything you wish for Lauren - it all looks gorgeous! Tracey xx

jo said...

I found your blog a few weeks ago and when I had a chance I read some of your older posts. It struck me how many of your pictures I had in my "dream house" file. Then I read this post today and nearly everything you wish for in your home I wish for too.
We're going to start building our new house later in the year and I'm beyond excited to begin!!
I'm so glad to have found this blog. It's very inspiring. Thanks.
jo

Ness Lockyer said...

There is no reason why you cant check all those things off your list. I have had 8 notebooks over 13 years with my Idyll home ideas in them and now I am actually crossing things off...yay! Good luck with yours.
Ness xx

LindsB said...

I dont think I could add one thing to that list, it is perfect!

And your list of flowers for outside, I love them all. My grandparents used to have all of those flowers and plants at their house and when I have a house of my own it would not be complete if I didnt have the same.

What a great list? Any idea when you are closing?

niartist said...

Oooo oooo ooooo! All of the pictures are just lovely, but I'm especially fond of the first one. That herringbone brick patio and gorgeous al fresco table is just to die for! :) Oy ve! I need to borrow that image for my inspiration file ... I hope you don't mind. :)

home before dark said...

How lovely for you to begin to live out your dreams. When things go amuck, you'll be able to have for your mantra, "I think icon. I think icon." Wishing you bundles of happiness.

DesignTies said...

I really enjoyed looking at the pictures of your ideal home :-) The swing hanging from the tree is my favourite -- how awesome would it be to grow up in the country, with lots of space to run and play?? :-)

I'm not sure what my ideal home would look like on the inside. Or on the outside, for that matter!! But it would definitely be somewhere secluded and right next to water :-)

Kelly @ DesignTies

pve design said...

Fun to see how others envision a dream home.
Looks idyllic.

Marilyn said...

I adore all of these! I dream of a large fireplace although at the beach they are hard to come by!