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Dreaming of a bungalow/cottage…the guest room.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015
I know that I have written of our wish to downsize before.  Every time Dave and I talk about this people try to talk us out of it…telling us we need our space with teens.  Well, the fact of the matter is Will goes off to college in a year and Harry will be gone 3 years after that.  Also, I don't really think we need as much space as we have.  I think we will be fine with less. I actually crave less stuff and less space. I am also craving a creative design project.

If the perfect cottage/bunglaow came up in our neighborhood we would grab it.  But they never come for sale or builders buy them and tear them down.  So, we are looking in surrounding neighborhoods with the intent to rent the house out for about 3-4 years and then remodel it to suit our needs.

Currently, I feel frustrated because I love remodeling/designing/building.  Before I ever blogged, Dave and I bought an old home in a fabulous neighborhood and we gutted and designed a new kitchen.  This was 14-15 years ago (I was pregnant with Harry:). It was stressful but I loved the creative process.

Then, we built our house in Virginia.  These were the pre-pinterest days and I had an artists sketchbook full of ideas and photos of what I wanted in that house. I had been collecting those images and ideas for years.  I took them to the architect and challenged him to design the house.  He did and it was a fabulous house.  I loved choosing all of the details for that house.

The market in Houston is tough.  Things go quickly so we have missed out on some opportunities.

So, I am going to get my creative urges out here through the blog and pinterest.  I've done it before but I intend to go room by room fantasizing about my dream home.  I want fewer room but not small rooms. We have giant hallways in our current home.  They are beautiful but they are completely wasted space.  Kate does have her balance beam set up in one hallway;)

Today I will start with what I will call the guest room.  In all likelihood our next house will be a 3 bedroom that we move into when both boys are in college so it will be their room when they come home for summer/Christmas breaks or a guest room when they are gone. Therefore, it makes sense to me to have two twin beds.



TidbitsTwine-Guest-Bedroom-Inspiration-14

I like that this has both masculine and feminine touches.
But it might be a little too feminine for the boys.


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I like this simple masculine look above.  I think I'd use much more streamlined sconces though.
The cords and wires bother me.

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Source

This Sarah Richardson design is also clean and simple and can be changed easily with accessories.
Plus it seems very gender neutral for the guest room/boys room.


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I love this one above but I would use a different light fixture.  Something more modern and less feminine. I'd also have a dark gray  chest in the middle instead of white.  These are full beds which would be too big for most of the cottages we're looking at but I love the idea of two full beds in a guest room if they fit.


TidbitsTwine-Guest-Bedroom-Inspiration

I think this is from Martin Bullard but could not verify the original source.

This one is my favorite which kind of surprises me.  I am not usually a fan of this bed style. I think I like the light and dark with touches of coral.  Plus the draped fabric over the beds visually separates them a bit.  I like the clean simplicity of all of these. I think this is the look I am leaning toward.


What Dave and I really need is either The Property Borthers or Chip and Joanna Gaines to come help us makeover one of these original bungalows.  We saw one today that we know had potential but everything needed to be re-done. Seriously, it had a pond/fountain in the dining room y'all!  It also needed more repairs than made financial sense. It seemed too overwhelming even though I could visualize it down the road.

8 comments:

  1. I like the first and the third room. The second one seems a little too stuffy and uncomfortable.

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  2. Bob and I will definitely downsize in a few years, too. I love the idea of a little cottage by a lake.

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  3. How fun - keep pinning and dreaming - when the time is right it will be yours. p.s. I love your style!

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  4. That first picture is swoon-worthy! I am preparing to downsize in the next year too... can't wait!!

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  5. Ooooh love those rooms! Also thinking of downsizing in another year or so when Maddy starts high school. I don't think we need 5 bedrooms! :) Have a great day! Today is our family day anniversary --12 years since we met our sweet girl!

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  6. I love all of these, but especially the bottom one! The dark, glossy floor is so masculine with the oriental rug. I also like the bed shape and those lamps are perfect for reading!

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  7. Hi Kim,
    Oh how I dream of Chip and Joana coming to my new/old home. We just moved in October from new construction (that I put my heart and soul into) to a beautiful Dutch Colonial built in 1968. We moved for school reasons and a smaller community feel. We love the area, LOVE our yard and our 300 year old oak tree, and really like our house. It has a lot of character and I have the most gorgeous fireplace and sun-room with a brick floor! While it was well maintained, it is old. Like you and Joana, I am a visionary! I know exactly what I want it to look like and what it can look like. I knew the moment I walked in the front door. Executing my plans is the difficult part. Financially, we are able to do "one project at a time, and I get frustrated.
    About downsizing - My parents did the exact thing you wrote about above. My brother left for college when I was just beginning high school, and they just didn't need as much space. So, they built a beautiful, smaller ranch. The years have passed... Like you, my mother adores her family (dinners, gatherings, and especially carrying out our holiday traditions). There are 12 of us now when we are all together (6 grandchildren), which is only a couple times per year. However, for more than a day or two... it is tight and a bit stressful. Because my mom wants everyone to be comfortable and feel very welcome, they have built on an additional bedroom, family room, added a screened porch and extended the garage for additional storage. Just something to think about... I love all the rooms you posted, especially the one with the coral colored pictures.
    Amanda

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  8. We recently finished a master suite addition and I LOVED designing the space! I dream of being a designer, wish you and I could join forces and start a business for fun!!! Loved the pictures.

    Robin

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Thank you for your kindness.