Monday, February 20, 2012

The A-List: Five Things Every Dream House Should Have

Most everyone I know has a picture in their heads.  Their dream house.  It's the perfect size.  It's the perfect color.  It's just plain perfect.  Most of all, it is extremely cheap.  Free is pretty cheap, right?  We can have it all in the corridors of our imagination, and it doesn't cost us a dime.  And daydreaming is healthy for brain function, I read somewhere.

I have a dream house in my head, just like everyone else.  It is usually painted a cool white on the outside; something that I would never do in real life in this Texas sun.  It sits high up on a hill, overlooking fields of green grass.  Never mind that I would die of boredom out in the middle of nowhere--it's a dream house!

Over the years, I've decided that there are things that all dream houses should have.   Non-negotiables.  Things that I don't currently have.  The lack of these particular things is irritating enough that I notice their absence.  If I were Empress of the Universe, I would decree that all houses had to have these things.  Since that will never happen, I am just going to share today and leave it at that.

1. Walk-in shower with a bench  We have a nice walk-in shower.   It has good hot water with enough pressure to do what a shower was made to do. I love it most of the time.  I do not love it when I am trying to shave my legs.  I have to essentially hold my leg at a certain angle that defies my general gravitational field in order to do what I need to do.  If I had a built-in bench of some sort in the shower, I could just put my foot on that bench, and shaving my legs would not involve complex yoga poses.

2. A porch  Every house should have a porch.  It's a place to play on rainy days.  It's a place for telling ghost stories.  It's a place to sit with your sweetie and hold hands.  It's a place to watch the world pass by on summer evenings.  A wrap around porch, or a porch that extends to the side of a house, allows for some privacy when a person wants to curl up with a book or take a nap. 

3. Built-in bookcases/shelves  I don't know why builders don't do this.  As far as I know, setting shelves into the walls does not significantly add to the cost of the house, and it increases storage space.  While I have enough books for a small town library, other people might choose to use their shelves for other things.  A collection of Lego mini-figures, maybe.  

4. Large picture window with a window seat   I envy people who have these.  The best window seats are those that are sort of recessed, with a curtain to hide behind.  They are perfect, when cushioned, for curling with a book or other quiet activity.  Or just for daydreaming. We adults don't do enough daydreaming, I think.  We've fallen out of practice.  Maybe if we had this spot in our houses, we would be reminded.

5. Garden room/Play room/Rumpus Room  I want to have a patio that is enclosed in some way with glass.  That way the sunlight can come in, but not the bugs.  I would fill up this room with plants that I cannot kill, and I would probably have exercise equipment in there.  I am not sure, but I have lots of fun thinking about it.  While I would like a garden room, other people might want to create a space for their own amusement.  Way back, such a place was called a Rumpus room.  I am not exactly sure what 'rumpus' is, but maybe the equivalent would be what is called a "Man Cave" these days?   

If in the dream world, houses represent our personalities, perhaps the dream houses we build in our head represent what we would like our personality to be. Although I am not really sure what having a Rumpus Room says about an individual's personality.

Anything anyone wants to add to the list?


  1. I just want a clean house!!! No seriously, I have a bench in the shower and guess what??? I have never once sat on it. The kids use our shower and jump off it, its where all the product goes and it now looks like a shelf at Walmart. Please come and take my shelf!!!

  2. I do not have a very good imagination, so I think I will just move in next door in your universe!

