Size DOES matter

So it’s been crazy in our house since mom left.  Because when mom left, so did the maid and the yard guy.  The last place we had just to the two of us was 850sqft.  This house is 2700sqft.  That’s a HUGE difference. Upon returning from our wonderful vacation in Lake Tahoe it has been admittedly hard to get back in the groove.  Not only do I have over 600 emails in my inbox to go through, we’re also trying to get back to our daily cleaning grind.  Oh, and there’s our giant yard to contend with as well.  And remember our remodeling projects?  We haven’t even started… or talked about starting.

Needless to say, the last few weeks have been a bit overwhelming and it’s made the Hubs and I seriously question this whole home ownership thing.  Not that we don’t want to own, we totally do, we’re just rethinking exactly what we want to own.  Originally we wanted a fairly decent sized house… 1-story, with a large formal dining room (because I love to entertain), at least 3 bedrooms (master + 2 offices) and 2.5 baths and ideally with a 2.5 or 3 car garage.  Oh, and a small front yard but large backyard.  Yup… that was the dream.  And we nearly found it.  A while back we found a house that we LOVED.  It had basically everything we were wanting except for the extra half bath and the larger garage.  One of the huge selling points?  Insanely high ceilings.  It made the house look HUGE.  The house was 2400sqft… not much smaller than the monstrosity we’re dealing with now except that the yard was waaaay smaller. 

Now, however, we’re seriously wondering if we really want something that big.  Instead, we’ve been considering the pros/cons of purchasing a townhome/duplex.  There are several in and around our area and all of the ones we’re looking at are 2-story, 2.5 baths, 3 bedrooms, 2 car garages with a backyard.  We reeeeally didn’t want a 2-story but like I told the hubs, I’ve lived in one all my life so it’s not as though living in another one would be a huge adjustment.  The upside (or downside, depending on your point of view) to the townhomes?  They’re about 1500sqft.  That’s a little bit more maintainable when we both work full-time and we can’t afford to hire a maid or a yard guy. 

I’ve never really considered owning a townhome and the more I think about it the more I realize that owning one would change the way I’d decorate.  I don’t mean the throw pillows, I mean the more permanent (not to mention expensive) things like flooring and cabinets.  Generally, I like really dark floors (think espresso colored), with white cabinets and light grey walls.  This gives a really neutral palate that can go with any other color I want to throw in.  This color scheme was the plan I had for the 2400sqft 1-story we’d been eyeballing.  However, I’ve been wondering if things would have to change if we got a townhome since the ceilings would only be 8ft (versus the 12+ in the other house).  I’m afraid that the super-dark floors will make the townhouse feel more closed in which is something I definitely don’t want.  So, my ‘townhome option’ would be to do white floors in order to make things more light and airy.  What do you think?  Is this a necessary step? 

Here are some ideas of what I’d like in a large house with high ceilings:

i can’t find the link to the original source of this photo but… Interior renovation of Spanish Town historic residence completed by Ty Larkins Design, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

I’m not a huge fan of those black countertops but this is the general idea

click on picture for source

I ADORE this kitchen.  I think it’s my favorite.  Except for those pendant lights. 

i can’t find the original source of this photo but if you know it, please let me know.

I love the addition of other materials in this home such as the marble top table, the wood wall art and the wicker ottoman.  I think adding textures in this way is what can make or break your design. 

this is the same house as the first picture, again i don’t know the original website source. Interior renovation of Spanish Town historic residence completed by Ty Larkins Design, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This house is lovely.  A tiny bit too modern for my tastes but I love it.  Unfortunately we could never have white furniture what with a bull-in-a-china-cabinet for a husband and dogs. 

click on photo for source

Don’t you just love these floors?  They add just a hint of rustic charm to the house.  YUM.

click on photo for source

Do you see what I mean about it looking dark?  This kitchen has high ceilings and even still, this room seems dark to me.  Would this be even more magnified with lower ceilings?

Here are some white on white ideas.  I would incorporate some more color but this would be my base.  What do you think?  Is this better for a smaller home that has lower ceilings and less windows?

click photo for source

You’ve gotta love the cat.  Tee hee.  Sadly, it appears that this kitchen has a skylight which we obviously wouldn’t have.  A girl can dream.

click on photo for source

This photo shows a little of what I fear could happen in a white-on-white environment.  It’s pretty, but it’s not interesting. 

click on photo for source

Doesn’t this bathroom just seem relaxing?  It’s so spa-like to me.  There’s a lot of natural light in here though that I seriously doubt we’d get in a townhouse.  One window over the bathtub would be about it.

click on photo for source

A little random I know but isn’t this flooring cute?  I’d love this in a shower.

I don’t have the original web source but this is another Ty Larkins home

This is probably the most realistic picture of what we’d have in our townhome.  Low ceilings and one large window on one wall.  Those accordion panels and the drapes provide some great height to the room.  Isn’t that herringbone floor to die for?  That would probably be my #1 choice of flooring options.

Another Ty Larkins, of which I don’t have the original web source.

Another white herringbone floor.  Yum.  That brick archway is just gorgeous.  I love how they’ve softened it up with the long white curtains.  Texture galore. 

Another Ty Larkins. I’m pretty sure this is the same house as the photo above. Yet again, I don’t have the original web source.

Look at that aged wood on the walls!  Amazing!  It looks like they might have tiled the walls in the breakfast area which is not something we’d be doing.

Another Ty Larkins. I’m seeing a trend here. Again I’m fairly sure this is the same house as the two photos above. I don’t have the original web source.

This room is drool-worthy.  I’d love to add some seasonal color here.  Can’t you just see this all done up for Christmas or with some fun pastels for Easter?