In Transition: Small House, Big Dreams

Murphy & Co. Design

As a kid I always wanted a ginormous two story house, sprawling acreage in the back, and a golf cart so I could drive to my parents house on the VERY far end of my property. I was always enamored by the big houses my friends lived in with their intercom systems and movie theaters inside. At ten years old I began to equate my future success and happiness to the amount of square footage of my future home. Now that I'm older I realize how shallow and clueless this notion was.

Growing up, my family and I lived in a modest 2,000 square foot house with a sizeable backyard. Because we lived in tight quarters compared to most of my friends, we were almost forced to hang out in the living room together. It sounds terrible, I know... :)) But the older I get, the more I realize how much I value all of that time spent together, whether I appreciated it at the time or not.

When I entered the blog world I began to discover all of these amazing interior designers living in modest houses, not unlike the one I had grown up in. Their houses were so warm and lived in and inviting. Intimate spaces that said something about the people that resided there. It reminded me that what makes a house a home is not all of the expensive furnishings and sprawling square footage.

Now that I'm older I dream of a similar childhood to my own for my kids. Lots of time spent together in the living room and kitchen, playing board games and watching tv. I want an intimate home. The perfect home for my own future family. Of course, I've been virtually searching for this dream home ever since...

And...surprise...I found it!

via It's Always Something Blog

I saw this picture on Pinterest and I was immediately smitten. I love the separation between the kitchen and the living room, but still the feeling of an open concept. And the windows! Oh they're breath taking. I mean seriously everything about this kitchen is stunning. But of course when I clicked on the link to see more pictures it was attached to the wrong link. Don't you hate when that happens on Pinterest? Drives me bananas. Luckily, after some intense googling, I found this blog's post on the house. She was lucky enough to visit it in person...

via It's Always Something Blog

It's called the Park Avenue house and is by Witt Construction. I don't know if life will ever take me to the East Coast, but if it does, I'm calling on Witt Construction to build me a house. No, not a house, a home. They make such great use of space. There's so many nooks and crannies that are fully used. Built ins everywhere... And the perfect way to get away with a smaller home if you have tons of storage space.