I love planning my future home as much as the next person. In the past, I used to walk around Pirch stores and flip through Pottery Barn magazines like there was no tomorrow. Even now, I check out their website on a regular basis as I prepare for my future home.
Here are some of the great ideas I have found that I’d like to share with you!
1. Coffee Bar
I would like to say that I love drinking a cup of coffee first thing in the morning but to be honest, I love to drink a cup of coffee any time of the day. If I had a cute coffee command center such as this, I might never leave my kitchen. How about you?
The picture, along with ideas, can be found at Lonny.
2. An Organized Pantry
One thing I think is essential to making any housework, is organization. This pantry is the perfect example of a working house and would work well for us because we live close to stores which sell food in bulk.
Beyond that, the containers with names for each item make it perfect for knowing where things are. It honestly shouldn’t take more than a dollar store purchase for the boxes and some fun with a vinyl cutter.
The idea for this along with more organization tips can be found over at House Beautiful.
3. Those Doors Though
In 2011 I began looking at a house in Philadelphia that was beautiful. On the third floor, this was how you got into one of the rooms. I fell in love with the sliding doors. It’s such a creative, fun idea. Definitely, the one I am putting on my list.
4. Craft Room Organization
I will probably designate a room as a craft room in our home. My husband will have an entire six-car garage for himself, so one small area will be okay for me.
The key to this room, though, is organization. I am not a particular type of crafter, you see. You can guarantee that one day a week I will be working in my planner. After that, there is a wide range of crafts I may be doing – from sewing and embroidering to using the Cricut and making cards to making bath bombs or bubble bars. There is no shame in my craft game.
So having storage like this is perfect and the chandelier adds to the cuteness of the room.
5. Loft Beds for My Tweens
This is exactly what my little one’s loft bed would look like. She’s super girly and would want a vanity to do her makeup. The lights make it extra cute as well.
This bed would be good for my older daughter too but I am well aware that she would use the space differently. She is into gaming (Animal Jam is her preferred game) and she makes videos on YouTube. Therefore I am sure the vanity area would actually be used for her computer, Blue Yeti, and whatever else she needs to work on her rule of the world!
The post where I got this picture from, which can be found at Cottage in the Oaks, has some really great ideas if you are wanting to do a makeover on a girl’s room or even a start from scratch like we will be doing.
6. The Dream Oven
If you told me you were going to take away all but one of my crafts, I would first ask you how you define crafts. If cooking and baking were included in that craft, I would pick it above all.
Naturally then, this stove is perfect for me, with a place to cook, a place for flat items (pancakes, anyone) and two different oven sections. Plus I love the industrial feel. This is a post where a girl can dream, and this oven is one of my dreams.
7. For the Chickens
We all want our own cute space in the house and while this chicken house is not inside, it is still the ladies place. A place where they can lay eggs and feel at home while being safe from predators.
The Bluebetween blogger over at Backyard Chickens does a great job showing the full details of their chicken coop and it is as cute as it is efficient.
If that isn’t your style though, Morning Chores has this great post on different coop ideas.
8. A Swimming Pond
Similar to the sliding doors, this has been something I have thought about over and over again as the years have passed.
A swimming pond can be made naturally, such as this one, or it can be made from a standard pool like most people have. The difference is that the filtration system is a separate nearby pond (though it can be smaller) with plants that will naturally filtrate your pool and keep it clear and safe to swim in.
This picture came from Total Habitat, a place that makes natural swimming ponds. If the idea interests you, Morning Chores also has this post with several different reasons you might enjoy a swimming pond.
9. Here’s Your Sign
Corrugated Steel has recently become a fascination of mine, mostly since we started forever-home hunting about a year ago. It is beautiful as a roof and I love the vintage look it gives when being used inside a home.
I love the sign in the laundry room. Pair it with a dark colored front load washer and dryer and I would be in laundry heaven.
10. A Temporary Fort
This is something I plan on doing fairly soon and, yes, it will probably be taken down before the day is over; however, I do think it’s important enough to put it in this post.
I made forts a lot as a child, mostly putting two or three chairs out and then draping a cloth over the top. Likewise, my younger daughter has made quite a few forts in her life. The problem is she doesn’t make them with me because I get frustrated when it falls.
I saw a bucket list item on Pinterest that said: “Make a Fort” and thought, I really need to do that with her while she is young. So I have been doing my research and within the next few weeks, I plan on turning one room of our home into a fort for the day and having an “indoor campout” with my girls.
The idea for the not-falling-down fort can be found here.
11. This One’s for the Dogs
I love this idea in a back entryway. This gives the dog a space that is truly his or her own as if they have their own tiny bedroom. It also keeps your mind at ease since they are not stuck in a tiny pen or even outside.
This idea is good for both a dog that is an inside dog and a dog that is an outside dog who may need to come in when the weather is too cold.
12. Not Too Cold
I’m grateful that we live in an area where it doesn’t get to the point of freezing very often. It’s January and we are supposed to hit sixty-two degrees today.
That’s not to say that we don’t have cold weather in the evenings, as a matter of fact, there are quite a few times in the winter that I have to scrape frost off my windshield.
In moments where the lows are in the mid to upper forties to about seventy at night, having an outdoor kitchen with a fireplace to keep us warm would make this a perfect addition to our home.
13. Distance Arrows
I love this idea. I want to own a country home in Texas and a city home in New York City. Plus, as our girls get older, we can add where they live as well and any other place that we have grown to love as we have lived our life together.
My husband wants a long driveway, so I would put it about half way up the driveway with an arrow pointing up that says home. Even talking about the sign makes my heart happy.
This was an Etsy picture but it would be so easy to make. Meg over at Green with Decor shows us how.
14. Mud Room Ideas
I love this idea- the girls, the man of the house, and I would all have a place to put our stuff, including the shoes that we wear on a regular basis in the drawers down below. This way everything really does have a place when you first walk in.
To the side of the sitting area, at about shoulder level, I would add a key hook as well, so we have a place to put all of our keys as we walk in.
Hopefully, this area will prevent clutter and “I can’t find my XYZ” as we are walking out the door!
15. Windows That Go In and Out
This article, written by Laura Kostelny at House Beautiful, gives you this picture to show you how much they like the sink; however, the first thing I noticed was the window that moved inside and outside instead of up and down.
For our country house, I would love this because it will be easier to clean and because I think the feeling of being more connected to the outdoors would happen easier with these windows.
16. Command Center
We had a command center in our previous home and I am sure we will again when we get moved. They are so nice to have because there is no confusion as to what’s going on when. I can simply remind my husband that the event has been on the calendar for the entire month. We even have an area off to the side that says “Future events” so if something big is coming up early in the next month it is marked.
I like this particular command center because it has a lot going on and a lot going for it. For example, it has a place to put coupons. I am a big fan of receipt hog, an app that allows you to scan receipts in exchange for points that eventually can be turned into money. Having the receipts that I have not scanned left in that bag would be perfect.
If you like the idea of a command center but this one doesn’t meet your needs, head over to Unoriginal Mom for more ideas.
17. The Odd One
I love the eclectic look of this table and chairs set. The mismatch of the chairs and the colors being different really brings in some character. Adding different color to the legs over the main part and the topping adds a pop to the brown as well. It really all meshes well despite the fact that it shouldn’t and that’s what I love about it.
I have an odd fascination with chandeliers that are multicolored, I blame it on my drama teacher from high school who has beads from Mardi Gras hanging from hers. Anyways, add a funky chandelier above this table and chairs set and I would be a happy entertainer!
18. Outdoor Shower
When you live on acreage and you know you are going to get dirty, having an outdoor shower before you go inside is a great idea. It helps keep the house cleaner.
If you’ve never showered outside before, I highly recommend it. It is a freeing experience. This being close to the house and covered means you don’t have to worry about being seen either. Simply put a “Being used, Open for Use” sign outside and enjoy the scrub down in the open air.
For more ideas, check out Woo Home.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my ideas for a fun and interesting home, filled with laughter, love, and lots of great ways to have good memories and still be organized. I would love if you could share your ideas with me. Let’s turn our houses into a home!
