If I could have anything....

[ysobelle]

I'm watching another of my endless stream of home shows, and thinking, as usual, of what I'd want if I could have absolutely anything.

Rivendell.

No, really.

I want floors with huge, irregular flagstones. I want lots and lots of natural elements in the space: plants, fluid lines, fountains, sunlight, dark corners. I want it elegant and art nouveau, not kitchy and 70s inspired. In fact, I'd get the designers from WETA and tell them to take it even further: more whiplash lines, higher, airier.

I want a stream running through it. And a pond. Maybe even with fish in it. Maybe it could run through the garden, too.

I want privacy. I had a gentleman tell me once he wanted to live where he had neighbours, he just couldn't see them. That sounds good. I want enough land for an intricate garden, and so they can't see me, nor I them. but I want to know I'm not in the back of beyond: I need to be able to get to the store and back without having to stock provisions in the car. Enough secure space for the dog to be able to really run, but not so far in the 'burbs or beyond that none of my friends will come visit. Also? I have to be able to get sushi delivered. That's a deal-breaker, I swear.

I despise 70s colour schemes: orange with brown or brown with pink or aqua with orange or...gah. Or their circles and polka dots and faux-futuristic plastics. I hated it all the first time around, and I do not need it all back. Ever. Watching Barbarella once gets it out of my system for decades at a time, thank you.

Lots of space for books.

An enormous tub. I do not need a television in my bathroom, but oh, a fireplace might be nice.

I want to be able to hide the electronics, but I do want wireless cable, and wireless internet. I do NOT want the TV staring at me like some great, void eye when I'm not watching it.

A kitchen with chops, but which looks like a hobbit could cook there. Or a Tudor. Or maybe Elrond could whip up some pesto.

Ceiling beams. Yum.

Tall, arched windows. Some with stained glass and tracery. Skylights I can open and close, because I see this as a shadowy, cool, dark place, but I tend to change my mind on that a lot. I want trees all around, at every window, and I want to see the sunlight dappled on the floor.

Sunken rooms, multi-level floors with fluid edges.

Comfortable places to sit. Places to nap. Places to have wild carnal adventures where no one else can see or hear. Places to run to when the world gets really, really annoying. At the same time, several guest rooms for people I actually like.

Subtle lighting. Places for candles. Enough lights so that if I wanted to, I could really flood the place.

A workspace drowning in natural light, and with enough storage that even I can keep it organised-- which is saying a lot.

A roofdeck.

Ambient sounds-- birds at the feeders, wind chimes, whole-house speakers.

Windows in unexpected places.

Storage. Storage, storage, storage. Oh, and did I mention storage? Sometimes I think I could almost stay here if the space could just be managed better.



I know there'll be much more. I've been thinking about this for so very long.

So tell me: what about your secret space?

Comments

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

In many ways, the very opposite of yours.

I want old, industrial space. DUMBO is fine, South Bronx makes me happier. Cavernous. Give me the whole damned floor of the building. Large windows, with LED glass so I don't have to have curtains. Wood floors are acceptable, polished concrete is preferable. Enough height to split half the space into 2 levels, so I need 20' (to make room for the plenum for the mechanical systems.). Industrial elevator- I want it to be able to fit anything. Enough space to live and work out of one location.

There will be no water features(fountains, ponds, etc.), save the fish tank. 2.5 bathrooms. I can lay out the rooms however I want. I want an empty space- the only rooms I'll actually bother to partition are bedrooms and bathrooms anyway.

Wire the place technologically with everything you can throw at it, including a really good security system.

No brown. Anywhere. No earth tones. Anywhere. Just like it is here, the trim color of choice would be black.

[ysobelle.livejournal.com]

Heh-- I had a feeling you'd be amongst the first to answer. And ironically, the place I saw a few weeks ago was very much like you've described: old, industrial, utterly empty. I fucking loved it. But like I said, part of the reason I want out of here is the neighbourhood. I'm just tired of it: the stolen cars, the vandalism, the drag racing in the streets, the bullet holes in my neighbour's car....

Still....

http://www.lasdonrealestate.com/sewing-factory.htm

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

I'd rip out the kitchen and bathroom immediately, cause man, that's hideous.

Other than that, wrong city, right idea.

[transversecity.livejournal.com]

My secret places only live for two, perhaps three days a year.

Yet I give the whole rest of my life over to them.

[ysobelle.livejournal.com]

Oh, wait til you see my booth in a few years.

[transversecity.livejournal.com]

-grin- See? This is why you should buy your booth now, for...

...nah, nevermind, even I can't always muster a shameless plug.

[ysobelle.livejournal.com]

Naughty boy.

I probably will, hon. But the next few weeks are going to be utterly horrendous for me and will probably wipe me out entirely: I start construction soon, G-d willing.

[transversecity.livejournal.com]

Egads. Boy, do I pick a bad time to run a one-week special.

Is there anything I can help with?

[ysobelle.livejournal.com]

Oh, G-d. Only this week?

Yikes. See, I'm picking up the plans from the engineer this week, and he's only told me it won't be over $1500. Nor will it be less than $1,000. Then, I start to buy lumber. Most conservative estimate starts at 5 grand.

Let me see what I can do, k?

[transversecity.livejournal.com]

I am sorry. The hotel needs TWO big deposits from me at once, AND a staff member needed serious help.

Possibly, I could get you a discount on some lumber.

[ysobelle.livejournal.com]

$150 I can prolly swing.



Lumber discounts? How?

[transversecity.livejournal.com]

A mere $150! A pittance! Put it on your credit car...

..wait, I guess I shouldn't actually encourage people to take on more than they can chew. CAN you swing it? I don't want you to get hurt.

I have access to some barter groups, and I have some extra barter dollars. If they have lumber of appropriate type and quality, I can probably get it for you discounted. Maybe not the whole $5k, but hey, even getting $1000 worth of lumber for $700 is a good thing. And it gives you $300 to spend on a double Wicked space. ;)

I am off to bed, but a pair of questions:

-Would it help you if the Faire was Friday night as well as Saturday?

-Will it help you that we're cutting the number of vendors by 30%?

[autumnyte.livejournal.com]

If I could have any home in the world it would be a small-to-medium victorian house, narrow and tall, and free-standing. Lavender with black and white trim and shutters.

In the front, there'd be little patches of garden scattered about: wildflowers, an herb garden, and a vegetable garden. There'd be a little frog pond and a path of stepping stones leading to the front door. A willow tree and some type of flowering tree somewhere on the property would be a big bonus.

The rooms inside would be decorated in a way that is slightly weird: whimsical with an underlying macabre. I'd want it to be warm and cozy, with a nod to VIctorian decor but more contemporary and not necessarily all in that style. Lots of darker, bolder colors and warm lighting, very light on the pastels. I'd want it to be comfortable, welcoming, livable and kid-friendly--not overly feminine, not cookie-cutter, and not antique and stuffy looking either.

I'd want to renovate and modernize the kitchen with all of the needed accessories so that I could whip up gourmet meals for guests and parties. I'd want a nice, substantial dining room so that we could have people over often.

Fuck, it's a bit embarrassing how domestic my fantasies are! But it's the honest truth.

This deserves its own post

[ladylyonesse.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this; I haven't done the "if I won the lottery, where would I live" daydream in a while. Yay!

PS -- yours and Elf's spaces both sound marvelous.

[42redmonkeys.livejournal.com]

Nik, you simply MUST come here.
I have most of what you want and I kind of hate it most of the time.

It's a huge log home, open stair cases in both the north and south wings. two car garage, loft level that I used to use for an office, that now holds a computer desk that no one uses and my mac desktop computer. sky lights that open, huge kitchen which we are getting ready to redo the floor of, beams...yeah we got those and plenty of them... Family room is a GREAT room with 22 foot ceilings, fireplace in the center of the house that opens in both the family room AND the library - yes I said library. floor to ceiling book shelves. the whole house is wired for speakers to attach to a main stereo system that we no longer have. huge work room, living room with tons of windows, lots of light, 4 bedrooms, 2 car garage, 6 acres of land in the back off the 20 foot vinyl deck fenced in back yard area for the dog, further fenced in for the horses. 4 stall barn with attic, front porch - covered and runs the length of the house. soon to also have a complete living area taking up most of the basement which also runs the length of the house and has it's seperate enterance. I do have 4 bathrooms, three with showers, one has a double basin sink, and I hope to get a clawfoot tub in the next couple of months. I am 15 minutes from 2 malls, and about 5 minutes from the nearest starbucks. I live at the end of a dead end street.

I long for an industrial warehouse space where I could rollerblade in my living room....think flash dance! and way less furniture and chachkie to dust!!! oh and nature makes me sneeze!!!

[tempest-gypsy.livejournal.com]

I'm right there with you.

How's about we get a half dozen or so friendly people and make our own Rivendell. Big enough we can stay out of each other's way. But with a big oval carved dining room table where we can all get together and eat Elrond's pesto!

[brattgirlz.livejournal.com]

my dream space would be split into the facets of my life. Each with a secret door. The feminine Space, the outdoor space, the bike shop and let's not even talk about what's in the basement LOL. It would all be in a city like anchorage where there's an actual city, but with the great outdoors just out my window.

BTW did you know there's a Bicycle company called Rivendell?

[myfanawy.livejournal.com]

Right now, my dream home is simply a small HOUSE. I have been living in apartments for about 10 years now, and I'm sick of noisy neighbors, who don't seem to care that other people around them would like peace and quiet at least once in a blue moon. I'm sick of having to find $2.50 in quarters to do one load of laundry, and walking a heavy basket to the laundry room. I'm sick of parking my car in a lot that never seems to have enough spaces. I could go on, but you get the picture.

The one truly specific thing I long for in a house is a room which I can turn into a music studio. It would have hardwood floors, beautiful wooden filing cabinets for all my sheet music, rosewood or cherrywood music stands, with matching pegs and stands for all my clarinets (currently 5 total, plus a saxophone.) I want a set of Wenger's music posture chairs, the really nice ones that cost almost $400 apiece that most major orchestras use. This room would be flooded with tons of natural sunlight, and my diplomas for my B.A. and M.M. would be beautifully framed and hanging on the wall. It would even have a small baby grand piano, so I could have an accompanist come over to play with me. Best of all, my students would come to this gorgeous room for their lessons, instead of me driving all over hell and creation to go to their houses.

Someday...

And also--sometime, I'd love a small movie theater in my home. Nice big projection screen, complete with curtains, plush movie theater seats (maybe a dozen or so, just enough to have a group of friends over for movie nights), and a killer state-of-the-art sound system. And, of course, every movie on DVD that I've ever wanted.

[delynfirebrand.livejournal.com]

That sounds like exactly what I would want (other than the dog part)... If you ever decide to build a Rivendell city... may I move into the house down the street? *wistful*

[imafon.livejournal.com]

Well hell, this is a loaded question Nikki. On one hand, I am able to say that I live at the most perfect location possible, this is due to the fact that my family and my pets are here. (On the other hand, my f*cking neighbors are insane.)
My dream house sounds a lot like 20+ wooded acres with a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home with a laundry room. 4 car garage, and a bank barn for the horses that I would SO have on that type of space. It would have to have a HUGE kitchen for my little army to eat in, and a wrap around porch for me.
It would have to be out of town, but not too terribly far out because having a family this size requires frequent shopping trips. I would have to be within an hours drive to a good hospital or rehab center of some type...not because we're accident prone or loopy (although we are...) but because I would need a job. DUH!
I would love to let the kids and dogs on the loose without worrying about cars or crazy-a** neighbors. I am so longing for an additional 2200 square feet...does that make me greedy?