Vivez Bien * Live Well

Monday, March 25, 2013

My Dream Home



Cindy Hattersley from Rough Luxe Perspective asked a group of bloggers including myself to do a post on creating their dream home. I have been creating my dream home in my head since I was a teenager, so naturally, I jumped at the chance. I thought it would be so easy! I would just visit my inspiration file and search out all my favourite images and voila! Well, it turned out that, as much as I love so many interiors that I see, when it comes to a home for myself, I am fussy, fussy, fussy!! So after many, many hours of deliberation, what you see here, is as close to my dream home as I am probably likely to get.



My entryway would look something like this, lots of grey weathered wood, a feeling of spaciousness and fairly sparsely furnished.



I would have one beautiful piece of furniture placed in this area, displaying a few of my favourite things.



My family room would be spacious, very comfortable and geared for easy living (picture lots of boys sprawled on every sofa, a couple of dogs following suit, a coffee table filled with the remnants of family life, empty glasses, pizza boxes... you get the picture!) There would have to be a large flat screen hidden in one of those gorgeous cupboards, a sound system in the other. As much as I appreciate technology, I don't like to look at it!



My living room would be a quiet, elegant space, where I could escape the chaos of family life from time to time and read, drink tea or chat to a friend.




My dining room would be big enough to accommodate a large table,  a fireplace for winter, and french doors to be opened up for summer.



I, somewhat surprisingly, ran into problems when looking for my dream kitchen. Nothing I saw matched my dream in its entirety. So I had to improvise.  I would like an island along the lines of the one above....


....a weathered wooden floor like this one....


....exposed trusses and a chandelier like this....



...and a colour palette like this one above.... If anyone sees a kitchen like.... please send it to me.... I need it to complete my dream!





I would have a beautiful courtyard leading off my kitchen for morning coffee, or a pre-dinner glass of wine.



My laundry room would be quite rustic, with a brick floor like this.


My study cum art studio would be along these lines....


... and my husband's study, something like this. (I didn't consult him on this one, I suspect he might have other ideas!). 



Our bedroom would be spacious, airy and comfortable....


....with a dressing room to match....


...and a calm, elegant bathroom where I can soothe away the troubles of the day.




My guest bedroom (above) and bathroom (below) would be romantic and inviting. Would you like to come and stay?


For my boys' bedrooms, I turned to Restoration Hardware because that it one thing they really do well.


This one above, for my 15 year old...



.....this one for my 13 year old....


.....and this one for my 10 year old twins. (Just for the record, I didn't consult them either...they like the type of bedrooms you see on Extreme Home Makeover...Say No More!)


This remains my all-time favourite boys' bathroom.



I would love to have a sunroom like this leading out onto the swimming pool area.



I love this swimming pool that can be turned into a water feature when the fountains are turned on.



I would need an outside dining area close to the house...



...as well as one under the trees at the bottom of the garden.



The garden would be largely informal and a bit overgrown, mostly featuring green and grey. 

So there you have it, my dream home..... no jacuzzi's, no media rooms, no wet bars... only simple family living..... just the way I like it. 

Please visit the blogs below to see all of their wonderful dream homes.








Till next time


Sharon x

Image source:  1. Ottima Cibo via Lanalou 2. Tumblr 3. Apply Hoare via Eclectic Revisited 4. Linen and Lavender .net 5. Living Rooms 6. Tovves Sammesurium 7. Hickman Design Assoc 8. Garnier Kitchen 9. Casa Decorada 10. Pinterest Brooke Gianetti 11. Barnes Vanze Architect 12. David Bowen @ Salisbury Artisans 13. Design Chic 14. Best Home Decorators.com 15. Searching for Style 16. Decor de Provence 17. eclectic Revisited 18 Velvet Palette 19 Kelly Harmon 20-22 Restoration Hardware 23. Providence Design 24. Blue Room lady Tumblr 25. The Foo Dog ate my Homework 26. France Vacation Villa 27 Tumblr 28. Shoot Factory






23 comments:

  1. Sharon your dream home is so stunning that I'm afraid if I came to visit you in it I would never leave. I love everything you picked out!

    XXX
    Debra~

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  2. Sharon i'm packing my bag, on me way to stay in that guest bedroom! how divine... xo sandra

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  3. Hi Sharon

    This is hysterical...you, Kelley, and I have some very similar ideas! We even have a couple of the same photos! You sure called it! I thought this was going to be so simple as well...yikes it was way more time consuming than I thought. I bet you were all ready to kill me!! I could move right into your dream home...do you have room for another?

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  4. Sharon..I think we need a garden party! I loved following your train of thought through each photo. You created a lovely and elegant home...enough space for four children. As a mother of four, I know that well. Mine have moved on...with one remaining..I am thinking much smaller. You have given me more food for thought...I love the pieces you selected. I will be pinning..thank you!

    Jeanne xx

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  5. Sharon....I love your dream home...I could live in yours too.

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  6. Hi Sharon!!! So beautiful, I love all of your ideas and they all seem to work together even though each of the designs is just a little different.

    I agree this was a really hard post to write but I was so happy to be included in this group of talented ladies! I have been following your blog for quite a while and need to comment more often for sure. Thanks for the wonderful ideas. I will be adding lots of great things to my pinterest boards from this one

    Cheers, Kelley

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  7. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and LOVE ...
    Ok when we'll go to the new house???
    I love every single pictures, great job!
    Bisous, Babi

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  8. This post was so much fun! I loved everything you chose! I really loved that shower for the boys room!

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  9. Well you have the vision and the pictures! All you need is the lottery! I'd take just about EVERY thing you posted!

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  10. Very Dreamy!!I feel like Im transported to Europe through those images!
    Best,
    KArolyn

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  11. Sharon I am coming to visit! Love each and every room...now I can add you to my list of designers that I would not question if they chose to take over/make over my home;)

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  12. *** Dear Sharon...

    I absolutely A*D*O*R*E the way you "DREAM"!!!!!!!!!

    Warmest regards & Happy Easter wishes,

    Linda in AZ
    bellesmom1234@comcast.net

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  13. Hi dear,
    Amei seu sonho casa. Combinamos em muitas coisas. Até hoje ainda não fiz minha cozinha dos sonhos. Aqui tudo esta divino.
    Tenha uma feliz Pascoa.

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  14. ok sharon, i knew i liked you, but now, i realized we have identical taste! LOVE each of your selections. what a dream it would be
    debra

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  15. Hi, Sharon. Just adding my accolades to those you've already received...loving everything. Though I decided to focus on my dream home/business in Italy (rather than show specific interior design), my design style runs right along with much of your picks too...the Garnier kitchen is one of my favs as you know. I think my home in Italy will have to be a blend of influences from Italy, France and Belgium to get everything I want...hopefully the Italians don't kick me out. (!) Cheers, ~LeAnn, linenandlavender.net

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  16. Sharon, what is so impressive is that your dream house actually looks like a single home. The images you've provided creat a cohesive ambiance that is comfortable and inviting.
    Karen

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  17. When can I come to stay (if only)love it.

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  18. Sharon every room and nook
    in your dream home is lovely and is such a dream.
    I've enjoyed my visit
    even if it is just virtual.
    Hope you get to really build that dream house of yours,
    I mean it is already in your head
    time will come you'll see it in your eyes.

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  19. Thank you Sharon, love al the gorgeous images you sourced for us to see your " dream home"
    I could def live here as well! Love to you and enjoy a lovely Easter break and holiday.
    Colette X

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  20. Magnifique !!!!
    I love your dream home ....
    Thank's for this "superbe" visit
    Et Joyeuses Pacques !!!

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  21. Hello !
    Fantastics interiors !
    Thank's for sharing !
    Céline, french watercolorist.

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  22. This is a beautiful house, and it could be even better once your dream comes to life. You have great taste! Most of your options are very comfortable and elegant at the same time. If you achieve this, the courtyard will be the main highlight of your house. Anyway, thanks for sharing your ideas. This inspires me to start creating my own dream home for my future family.

    Calvin Mordarski

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  23. Thanks for sharing. This was very interesting. I love your dream home :)

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