Same structure...different look...

Last night I toured one of the houses in our subdivision.

My kidlings were playing and the couple & their two girls were just returning from their evening (post-dinner) walk. The husband went for a quick run while I chatted with the wife. Their baby got restless so the Bear & I walked them towards their house.

Let me tell you that their house is SO different from ours. Not only the furniture. The options they selected.

We chose to have a den, powder room, and large laundry room downstairs. The arch into the den is just opposite from the living/dining room (photo below - den entry to left). The entry hall divides the space between. They chose to have a bedroom downstairs. The entry to the bedroom is on the opposite wall where ours is located -- in the hall that leads from the garage. Because they chose a bedroom, they've got a 3/4 bath and a smaller laundry room. We chose to get bay windows in our master bedroom. They chose not to. I didn't realize that the room would seem so much larger with the bay window. But it really does.

We chose to put a gas fireplace in the family room. This results in two tall openings on either side of the fireplace (see photo below of the model). They chose to forego the fireplace which results in one HUGE opening. They've put a 62' screen television in there. The Hubs would be floored by that set-up.

We chose to have a loft upstairs just above the family room. They chose to make the loft into another bedroom. They use that space as their office and workout space. Because they made that room into a bedroom, they have a wall going where we've got the banister showing. Because they chose to have a bedroom, they've got a halfwall where we've got the oak railing on the 2nd floor.

I have to say that the colors in our house are pretty neutral. It's mostly warm colors (see flooring photo below) Browns. Beiges. Their house? The tiles are a reddish-brown color. Very dramatic. I guess they had light tile in their previous house and it didn't work out. They have dogs and they said their grout ended up being pretty dirty after a bit. So they've got those dark tiles & grout downstairs. They also chose a reddish-brown shade of cultured marble for their master bedroom. However, they did select the light sandstone color for their upstairs & downstairs bathrooms.

Even little things like putting crown moulding on the kitchen cabinets. We have them. They do not. They have lots of accessories above their cabinets. The crown moulding is so tall the accessories wouldn't be visible. They've already got knick-knacks in their nooks and on their plant shelves. Photos and mirrors and candle sconces on the walls. Us? Nothing.

Don't get me wrong. I do love our home. But their house is very nice too. We've got 4 bedrooms, a loft, and 2-1/2 bathrooms. They've got 6 bedrooms and 2-3/4 bathrooms. Their colors are darker and more dramatic. Our colors are light and bright. It's just funny HOW different the two homes are. It shows how different our styles are. It also makes me realize how important people need to be in making selections for a new home. Choose things that work for YOU. Not someone else. Choose what makes you happy. What makes you smile.