Recurring Dreams of Houses
I have recurring house dreams. I know exactly what they are about. When they start cropping up I know exactly what is going on. This has been going on and off for decades, depending on where I am living and what I am doing.
The houses are always different-sometimes the house is a train, or a cave, or treehouses, an undercity sewer system in New York, castle, a mansion, or shanti-shacks in the tropics… or something equally odd, but usually they are an old rambling farmhouse with many rooms, and I am always looking for MY ROOM.
I find secret rooms and odd spaces and always wonder if they are my room. I know I will know my room when i see it.
I was wondering I was alone in getting recurring house dreams? Does anyone else have these?
Filed under 10x12, All About Me, mind clutter | Comments (2)About 10×12
Rooms. And a house built to our own specs. That’s the goal of 10×12. No permits needed. A main building and outbuildings, mini-rooms made of bump-outs and decks on skids. Crows nests, lofts, bathhouses, art studios in sheds. Our ecologically sound, off-grid hobbit hole slash castle in the woods, desert, or mountains.
Filed under 10x12 | Comment (0)Not Fond of Carpet
I don’t like carpet. Carpet holds dirt, blood, vomit, wine, urine, dust mites…all manner of germs, in my book. Carpet holds onto bad smells like smoke, doggie scent and even cooking odors. I don’t like having to maintain a stock of various cleaning fluids and powders to clean my carpets and I loath the idea of used carpet on principal ( I’ve seen what older carpet looks like under ultraviolet lights - it’s not a sanitary sight).
All this is by way of saying the house we design won’t have carpet in it. I don’t mind throw rugs, which are easily replaced. But the floors that appeal to me are coated concrete, soft woods that gain character as they age (hard wood flooring is too much work), maybe a bit of tile or slate in spots, and those new environmental wood substitutes. Or possibly bamboo.
I have pages ripped from magazines of flooring ideas in our House Binder.
Filed under 10x12 | Comments (4)Updated blogs
I updated Involvaholic and 10×12 last night. In our actual bedroom. 
it’s so exciting to have a bedroom again.
A House of One’s Own
Rooms. And a house built to our own specs. That’s the goal of 10×12. No permits needed. A main building and outbuildings, mini-rooms made of bump-outs and decks on skids. Crows nests, lofts, bathhouses, art studios in sheds. Our ecologically sound, off-grid hobbit hole slash castle in the woods, desert, or mountains.
Filed under 10x12 | Comment (0)Rooms - Nook and Cranny Design
I like rooms and walls and windows, all with architectural detail. What I dislike is this current rage of the “open floor plan”. That means the space is necessarily homogeneous, and all clutter is on display. There are less windows, less nooks and crannies to explore, less walls to hang pictures on or otherwise decorate. I don’t like the open floor plan.
Rooms I am thinking about for the 10×12 home:
PERSONAL SPACE
- Bedroom. Large enough for a queen bed with room on all sides to walk around the bed. An east facing window for bright sunny wakeups, and a tree view for privacy. A place to put reading lights, candles and bedside accoutrements. That’s all it needs. If my bed is 80 inches long and 60 inches wide, that makes 6 feet in each direction, plus room to walk around the bed and a bit of wiggle room for nightstands. So a room around 8×8 at the minimum. A morning sitting could be added, as a bumpout with windows.
- Boudoir. This would be a walk in closet slash vanity area. For clothes and accessories, plus a small table with chair and mirror for makeup, jewelry, doing hair…stuff for being a girl. With creative use of space, only 4×4 feet would be needed, in an otherwise wasted internal wall area.
- Master Bath. Window can face any direction, hopefully with private view, maybe trees. Will be upstairs next to bedroom to prevent running downstairs in the middle of the night. Walk-in shower, plants, maybe a skylight.
- Bathhouse. Not in the main building, but situated immediately adjacent along a “secret pathway.” Will need a deep but not wide tub, think like a Japanese bathing tub. I have some paperwork on where to find these things. Closet sauna - I have info on mini-sauna ideas. Seating chair and bench outside the sauna. A water feature. Bright SAD-type lamps. Orchids. Planting areas - maybe a greenhousy feel. Windows not needed, but a wall can possibly open in the warmer months to become a partly outside room.
- Book Nook. Slender shelves of books in any available area. Could be lining the staircases and hallways, over doorways and under staircases. The actual reading area could be a bump out, maybe 4×6, in a sunny south/southwest facing area with the best possible view. Probably upstairs, maybe even a crows nest. This would be a private spot with two chairs and a small table to set down beverages, binoculars and books.
OFFICE SPACE
- Dan’s Office. Around 7×7 with a built-in cockpit cubicle. One north-facing window or none - an interior room could work for him. He needs lots of outlets, walls to hang posters and his dozens of monitors. {Okay. At least three monitors, but why limit him?}
- Jill’s Office. Mainly I need a long desk with a lot of horizontal space for projects, my computer, printer and laptop. Lots of cubbys - shelves, bookcases, drawers, pigeon holes, etc to put papers for my various endeavors. Sunshine - south or west facing windows. A view of something nice, either the surrounding area or trees. Maybe 4×8, along an external wall near Dan’s office’s internal wall.
- Jill’s Art Studio. Probably an outbuilding of it’s own, something bright and experimental. A place to paint and create art. Should have an inspiring view. Room to do yoga.
- Dan’s Workshop. Part of a garage, if there is one, or an outbuilding. Lots of outlets, rafters to hang stuff.
PUBLIC SPACE/STORAGE
- Media Room. Likely ground floor or even subfloor. Internal room or north facing window only. Tree view is fine. Media screen on wall, nooks for storing media, comfy couch, set of chairs, coffee tables. Treadmills. Probably a shrine to Geekdom while we are at it. Star Wars, Halo, Firefly, Trek, X-Files, Xena, Buffy. If a subfloor, can take up most of the pad - maybe 8×12? That would leave room for a root cellar/cold storage pantry/storage room in the long extra 2×12 space to the side?
- Kitchen. Small, no more than 6×6 with European mini-appliances. East of west facing window, possibly back entrance to deck.
- Laundry Room. This room is non-negotiable. Should be near kitchen and pantry, can be internal wall. Washer, dryer, large utility sink, lots of shelving for cleaning supplies. Counter for folding clothes and potting plants. Dog bowls and “dens” can go in here.
- Public Bathroom. This only needs a toilet and a sink/counter - can be as small as leftover space permits. Northfacing is fine.
- Pantry. Adjacent to kitchen, internal wall, maybe under staircase. Shelves galore. Can be as large or small as leftover space permits.
- Landing Zone. A hallway entry areas to get bearings, put things for doing errands, mirror to check self on way out, coat closet and some kind of console for storage/keys/scarves/purses, etc.
- Airlock. It would be nice to have a mudroom in front of the entry. Possibly on skids.
- Front Porch in front of airlock. Place to sit down with coffee with some curb appeal. On skids.
- Living Room. Merely for entertaining, no TV. Loveseat, comfortable chairs, small tables. The best view or most sunshine on the ground floor. Most likely southwest. Woodburning stove. Just a place to hang out. Perhaps a breakfast nook to eat in in a bump-out along the side.
- Back Deck. Large outdoor room, mostly uncovered, made of eco-sound high-tech wood substitute. Facing south and west for maximum light and sun. Water feature - like a pond or waterfall…fire feature - like a firepit. Lots of seating, set up for outdoor eating and entertaining. Set up on skids.
