A Different Drummer
Jul 6th 2009
Claudia DainGoddess Grins
I hear a different beat on certain things. I want to think that’s okay. I want to believe that we all hear a slightly different beat, but it’s tough sometimes. My different beats don’t line up with other people’s different beats. Yeah, yeah, that’s the definition of hearing the beat of a different drummer, but I’d like a little company in my parade.
Here’s my list of different beats. Do you hear the same beat on any of these or am I really in a parade all by myself?
~I don’t like open floor plans. I don’t want the kitchen to be a part of the family room and for the dining room to be a table in the middle of it all. I like separate rooms. I like to be able to close off the competing noise between the kitchen and the television. A big open floor plan…why not just live in a gymnasium?
~I don’t like cathedral ceilings. How can I paint way up there? How do you change the light bulbs? How do you get the cobwebs? I don’t want to pay to heat and cool a space I can’t use.
~I don’t like chocolate. Do you know how hard it is to find anything that isn’t chocolate flavored or covered?
~I don’t like coffee. A coffee house on every corner, blends and grinds from all over the world, and I can’t partake. I don’t like tea, either, and I really hate chai tea.
~I don’t like ginormous master bathrooms. What am I doing in there that requires that much square footage? I don’t want to walk six steps from my toilet to the sink and another seven steps to the shower. I also want a bathtub. I like to take a bath. I also hate rainfall shower heads. How is that gentle trickle going to blast the shampoo from out of my hair? I also hate that the biggest, most elaborate window is normally right over the tub. I am naked in the bathroom! As you can see, I am very out of step in the bathroom.
~I don’t buy a house thinking, “What a great place to entertain.” I am not buying a rec hall; I am buying a house where I will live, quietly, for days and weeks and years on end and will only entertain more than ten people once in a blue moon. If I need to entertain on a grand scale, I will rent a place built for grand entertaining.
~I don’t like to live in a cul-de-sac because there’s no place to park when I’m entertaining on a ‘more than three cars’ scale. A cul-de-sac location feels dead to me; my neighbors won’t walk by, people won’t walk their dogs there, children won’t ride their bikes in front of my house. I am a realty aberration.
~I don’t understand the fascination with stainless steel appliances. Stainless steel shows every thumb print. A stainless steel refrigerator costs more, yet does the exact same job as a black refrigerator. And the stainless panel is only on the front! If I’m paying top dollar, I want the whole thing to be stainless.
So how alone am I? Are you walking in my parade on any point? Do you feel out of step with the rest of the world? Share your beat with me! I bet I’ll be in your parade. As long as it doesn’t include chocolate flavored chai tea. Or a cathedral ceiling.
72 Comments »
72 Responses to “A Different Drummer”
Freedom Writer on 06 Jul 2009 at 5:55 am #
Claudia I am with you on most of these points. Open floor plan equals noise in places that should be quiet.
Cathedral Ceilings? Have you ever tried to get Newf slobber off a cathedral ceiling? (Yes our male Newf could get it that high)
Chocolate and Coffee is where we differ I like these two items.
Bathrooms should be big enough to fit all the required plumbing, but not large enough to fit the whole family. I am with you on the large window in the bathroom, yuck.
I am also amazed at people who buy a house because it is a great place to entertain. Who wants to do all the work to entertain. Someone who enjoys clean and cooking like a fiend can invite me to their party.
Cul-de-Sac to me would be an extreme strain on my enjoyment of privacy.
And stainless steel appliances are great looking until you get your first fingerprint on it and find that it’s nearly impossible to get it off.
I guess that I am marching along beside you except when we pass the chocolate and coffee shops, but it will be just a quick break.
Karen Rose on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:05 am #
Claudia – um, well …. I heart you, Claudia!
I’m with you on buying a house to live in, vs. to entertain in. Mr. R and I have given fewer than 5 parties in 23 years of marriage, and just about all of them have been disasters. We aren’t the entertaining type.
Well, no, we are entertaining on our own face, but only when we come to your house, LOL. Come to our house and I guarantee you’ll be playing Jenga in 13.5 minutes.
The rest of the stuff – I love my cul de sac! I want stainless appliances because they’ll all match. I love cathedral ceilings. I don’t have them, but if I ever did, I’d love the feeling of SPACE. I’ve just drawn up plans with a decorator to knock down a bunch of internal walls to give myself an open floor plan. Chocolate and coffee – the world would be too dreary a place to comprehend without them!
My new plans include a HUGE bathroom. Now, until I actually get money, those plans will stay on paper. But in my mind, I can see all that wonderful space now!
Karen Rose on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:07 am #
Oh, but I do agree with you on the big window in the bathroom. That creeps me out. No rainfall showerheads either. I like the water hard enough to peel off a layer of my skin.
Lisa H on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:18 am #
Claudia, I so agree with you on the open floor plan. I too like my rooms separated a bit. Also, I think decorating an open type floor plan would be very difficult. Everything has to match, or at least go together.
I also don’t drink coffee or tea. I like my Coca Cola classic. But, I have discovered a most miraculous solution to my “What to drink at Starbucks problem” Mocha Light Frappachino. Although you may not like it because it is chocolate, they do come in other flavors.
I despise Stainless Steel, whether appliances or sink. When I look at them it makes my teeth hurt. I hate silver too. Whether silver faucets or silver cars. For some reason silver makes my teeth hurt and I am not joking. I know I have issues.
I do disagree with the big bathroom though. I am dreaming and planning for a big bathroom where I could have an antique vanity where I could put on make-up, a separate tub from the shower, a chair and a cabinet for towels and toiletries. I love space and light, so a large bathroom would be heavenly for me.
Lisa H on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:22 am #
I think I’m out of step with the rest of the world in that I don’t like alcohol. I don’t believe its morally wrong to drink, nor am I or anyone in my family an alcoholic, I just don’t like the taste and the thought of drinking something that might cause me to lose control is a nightmare. So, I avoid it, and sometimes I think people think I’m a bit nutty.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:34 am #
I’M NOT ALONE!
Thank you, fellow goddesses.
When I say a big bathroom, I mean a BIG bathroom. I’ve seen bathrooms in pricey homes that are about 400 square feet. Where there is more open floor space than in a dining room In fact, the newly built homes where I live will have a master bath that is more than twice the square footage of the dining room; of course the dining room is part of the entry, which is part of the family room, and the living room has become a tiny office…oops, I got started!
Susan M on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:36 am #
I totally agree with you on the bathroom. I don’t like huge bathrooms but my reason is because it will take longer to clean. I also have to have a bathtub and I detest showerheads that the water just gently sprays. What’s the point? It takes twice as long to get the shampoo out and you use up more hot water. And I have never had a window in my bathroom but I don’t believe I would like it. Too easy for people to peep in at you.
I also detest coffee and tea. I think both are gross. If I need caffiene I’ll grab a diet Pepsi…as I do most mornings on the way to work.
And when we were looking for a new place to live a couple of months ago we sure weren’t thinking of entertaining people.
As for the other stuff…I don’t really care one way or the other about stainless steel appliances. I’ve never had any so I suppose that opinion could change if I ever do. We have an open floor plan where we live now. The livingroom and dining room is one big long room with only a bar separating it from the kitchen and a cathedral ceiling in the livingroom half. I love it…mostly because the last place we lived was so enclosed and small. Now our home feels open and spacious.
Susan M on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:38 am #
Cont….
I love chocolate! Especially during certain times of the month. And I’ve never lived on a cul-de-sac so I don’t know if I’d like it or not.
Lisa H ~ I also don’t like drinking alcohol. Never have. I detest the taste, I don’t like being out of control and I really know I’d hate feeling sick the next day. I have always wondered why someone would want to get drunk when they know they are going to be sick and trowing up the next morning. Just not for me.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:38 am #
KarenR, I want my feeling of space to come horizontally, as in large rooms, not over my head in space I can’t use. I can see enjoying a more open floor plan in a house without kids. The fewer the people living in a house, the quieter it will be. It’s the competing noise that gets to me. And…okay, this is where I admit that I have no idea what Jenga is. I’ll bet it makes noise. LOL
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:40 am #
I’m also not much of a drinker. I don’t like the taste (I wonder what’s up with our taste buds?) and if I’m going to consume massive amounts of calories very fast, I’ll choose ice cream as my delivery system.
Lisa H on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:43 am #
Lol Claudia- If I am going to consume massive amounts of calories quickly, I choose Mexican food!
I can’t believe they have bathrooms 400 square feet. That is pretty big. My first apartment was only 800 square feet.
Mooslady on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:43 am #
With 7 people in my family I want all the seperation between rooms I can get. I love our big noisy family but some privacy is required to keep our collective sanity.
I am with you on bathrooms too. I feel entirely too exposed in a large bathroom and besides, how much of my day do I spend in the bathroom? What a waste of space! Give me a bigger kitchen instead, I actually cook and eat in there three times a day.
My husband and I would be just as happy to never have anyone but family over. We are a bit anti-social that way, not that we don’t like people, just that our home is our refuge from the world.
I live on a 1/4 mile long rural road. Yes, it is a gravel road. Fits right in with the refuge theme. Even so, neighbors walk down the road with their dogs so it is not that isolating.
Claudia, I am afraid you are on your own with the coffee and chocolate thing though.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:44 am #
I’m starting to hear that people with super open floor plans are having barrier walls put up, to separate the spaces more. Isn’t that interesting? Especially in homes where the ground floor square footage is over 2,000 sq feet. These are big homes.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:47 am #
Mooslady, yes!! If there is any “extra” space in the house, put it in the kitchen! I also don’t “get” the huge master bedroom (and again, I’ve seen them–including bath and closet–at about 1000 sq feet). How much time do I spend in my bed/bath? Awake? Forty minutes a day, tops.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:50 am #
I must, must, must explain where my out-of-stepedness comes from: there is a Parade of Homes here every autumn, a tour of spec homes ranging in price from the middle to the highest. Well, I always go see the highest. It’s my chance to see what a builder thinks a 2 million dollar house looks like.
The builder and I never agree.
For that amount of money, and for a lot less money, the things I want don’t line up with what he thinks I should want. That is when my drummer is beating very loudly.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:52 am #
SusanM, as the sole person responsible for cleaning my house, I look at EVERYTHING with an eye toward how easy or difficult it will be to clean.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:53 am #
This is my conclusion so far on the rainfall shower head situation: a bald man designed it.
LoriHandeland on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:00 am #
I like the open floor plan idea, because I want to keep an eye on everyone.
But no to cathedral ceilings.
Chocolate and coffee are two of my favorite things. I’ve always said that the reason I get up so early every morning is for the coffee. But not a problem, I’ll just eat and drink yours.
I would like a ginormous bathtub and a shower with two heads, so much bigger than I have. So maybe I need a ginormous bathroom. But no windows. Are people nuts?
The last time I bought a house #1 son’s crib was in the dining room in the one bedroom condo, so my only concern was GETTING OUT. So I have no idea what my concerns would be on house buying. But definitely not entertaining. Snort.
And I’m with you on the stainless steel. Not. I like white appliances. They go with my white walls.
Archer on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:10 am #
I wish I could agree with you on coffee and chocolate
I can’t stand kitchens that aren’t separate. The food smell would drive me nuts.
In Turkey a lot of women have separate rooms to entertain guests. Its usually the biggest room in the house and is always tidy and ready for anyone to drop by unannounced. I could never do that. If my house isn’t tidy enough for you well thats just too bad. Most of my friends don’t come over anyway because I don’t allow smoking in my house
The bathrooms here are in the darkest part of the apartment. I actually like a bathroom that gets sun.
I like alcohol just not beer and wine and not to the point of getting drunk. I wish things like cocktails and liquors were as affordable or had deals like beer and wine.
Cail on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:21 am #
the open floor plan… i’m ok wtih a kitchen dining room, or a dining room living room, but not all three at once. things need to be broken up a bit. i loving having my dining room table near my kitchen. It makes my life so much easier. Any room with a TV should have a door. or at least a doorway.
i love chocolate, but i don’t drink any caffeinated drinks.
i need a bathtub, and the shower head better be strong, cause otherwise i’d need hours to get the shampoo out of my thick hair.
stainless steel doesn’t bother me, but then i don’t have them. i would do anything for a gas stove though- electric sucks.
amy1242 on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:21 am #
I live in a tiny little house, with tiny little rooms. So I dream about a bedroom with more than a small walkway around the bed and closet to fit all my and dh’s stuff too. Our bathroom now is only big enough to fit two people brushing their teeth, so I also dream of a larger one. Don’t even get me started on the kitchen, where you have to completely clean up one job before starting another due to the lack of counter space. I also dream of a large deck off the back of the house. We’ve had some great parties in this tiny little house and just having a roof over my head is a wonderful thing. But a girl can dream. My kids have never been noisy (unlike the dog) so I think an open concept in a house would be supreme. But never having one, what do I know?
Never take my dark chocolate away. Just sayin’.
LisaK on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:29 am #
Oh Claudia, I SO hear you! I always feel like I’m like no one else.
Don’t like coffee, too. I drink a cup once a week with my best friend who’s absolutely (for some – for me – inexplicabale reason) addicted to that stuff, but otherwise I don’t think I’d ever drink one alone.
I’m not the partying kind. That doesn’t mean I’m some sullen bore or something, just that it’s not my thing. I’m usually enjoying myself when I’m going out but, you know, I don’t have to attend three parties every weekend. I also don’t understand why people feel like they have to celebrate everything. Most people of my age group had their last exam for this year last Thursday and went to two or three different clubs that very evening. And that’s something I don’t understand because, well, why should I celebrate that? Of course I was happy and relieved but that doesn’t mean I had the need to get myself heavily drunk.
And I didn’t read or see Twilight. But that I did on purpose because I refused to read books that didn’t overly interest me and watch a movie with an actor I find very unattractive (sorry, Lisa H, but it’s the way I feel!) just because everyone else does.
Lonesome rider…
Archer on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:46 am #
ooh I’ve got 2 more that make my friends gasp… don’t like Jazz or Star Wars (sorry Suzanne… I tried I really did)
Pesky on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:49 am #
I like a small cottage with doors. I fell in love with my Grandad’s cottage in Ireland and when I finally sit down and build my dream house it will be an irish cottage (but with a tile roof instead of thatch). Too much space means too much STUFF. I share a 5 bedroom house with he who shall not be named but to whom I’m related it seems other than the two bedrooms we use, the other three are storage. You don’t use the room STUFF piles up, so itsy bitsy living is probably best for me.
I love tea, but I also am not a coffee fan.
Entertaining…isn’t that what the back porch and lawn are for? If I can’t throw some things on the bbq and relax with my guests it’s no fun for me. I have the family Thanksgiving every few years (we rotate) and I host game night (fondly known as the kibbitzing hour) but there are no “grand entertainments”. I take clients out to lunch, I like lunch, it’s a finite time and when we’re done they go away.
Ginormous bathrooms, I am so with you there. If I’m spending so much time in my bathroom that it becomes a real estate sales point…I need to go see a dr.
Not a huge fan of chocolate either.
SuzyQ on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:51 am #
I agree with you on the bathroom and the appliances. A larger bathroom just means more cleaning, and that’s the one room I hate to clean. I also don’t get the idea of putting a large window in front of the bathtub. I don’t care if it’s clear glass or diffused, all your neighbors can still see your outline. When I remodeled my kitchen everyone thought I was nuts for not going stainless. Not only is it hard to clean but to me it’s too industrial.
As for the rest, it really doesn’t matter to me. As long as my home is comfortable, I really don’t mind the open floor plans or ceilings. It’s all in the decorating. When people come into my home I want them to feel at home, not like their in a showroom.
But Claudia, you did make me gasp at coffee and chocolate – it’s what gets me through the day!
Rachel Gibson on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:55 am #
Usually I think those 2 million dollar Parade of Home, homes are stupid. So much wasted space.
Having said that, Claudia, you pretty much described my house. Well, except for the open floor plan. I really don’t like open floor plans. Oh and my shower has two shower heads and six body heads. I’ve used all those shower heads once. It’s like standing in front of a freaking fire hose. So, after all that expense and time designing that shower and picking out all the plumbing, I use just one head that is turned to “shower.”
SheridanLA on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:25 am #
I am also in the “don’t like coffee” group.. though I am ok with tea, but rarely drink it…
my dream house would have a nice sized bedroom where there was room for my bed and a comfy chair to read in, a decent sized room that is both my office/creative room and a guest space. The living room doesn’t need to be huge.. but I do like the kitchen being somewhat open to the dining room. I used to entertain a lot more (when I had space to do it) and I liked being the one in the kitchen cooking and still be able to chat with my guests as they sat at the table – I wasn’t separated from everything.
here in LA, I always shake my head at how little a million or two million dollars will buy here. *sigh* won’t be owning my own place as long as I am here.
and for different beats… I don’t get the fascination with cars with every bell and whistle and doodad.. I need to to get me from A to B reliably and accommodate a bike, sometimes dive equipment and a couple people now and then. I don’t need a Denali or Suburban to do it. I would much rather spend those thousands on trips or other silliness.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:28 am #
Rachel! Oh, too funny. Your shower sounds wonderful! All that super jet action, but I know I’d stick with the old familiar “shower” feature, unless I’d spent the afternoon mud wrestling or something.
That’s my issue with super sized, super expensive homes: wasted space. I want space I can use! I once saw a super sized home that had a full kitchen, and I mean full in every sense, in the basement. There was one upstairs on the main floor as well. All I could think was that there would be two ovens to clean, two sinks to scrub, two refrigerators to check for moldy food, two dishwashers to unload, two kitchen floors to ignore. Couldn’t the kids using the ultra swank media room in the basement make do with a small microwave and a dorm fridge?
I’m so middle-class.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:29 am #
Pesky! LOL on needing to see a dr if the bathroom is the main event of your day. I’m sure there’s a Latin name for that affliction.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:30 am #
Oh, Sheridan, I know what you mean about LA. We moved from LA to the southeast and, boy-oh-boy, could we have whatever we wanted here! It was one of the reasons we moved, lower cost of living.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:31 am #
LisaK, let me join your parade on Twilight. Didn’t read it or see it, and don’t want to.
TrishD on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:37 am #
When my husband and I went house hunting 5 years ago, I was amazed at what people are now doing to houses… and what they want you to pay for the pleasure of living with a small kitchen, a bathroom the size of a closet and one big room they want you to think of as a “great room” but is really just a square with dining room furniture on one half of the room and living room furniture on the other. I don’t want to live in a box, I want my rooms to have a separation, their own personalities. We ended up finding an older house with wonderful woodwork, beautiful beams on the living and dining room ceilings and built in cabinets as our “wall” between the 2 rooms.
I hate to break away from the small bathroom parade, but that’s what I have now and I’d kill for a bathroom where you had to take at least one step from the toilet to the sink to the shower/bath. And stainless appliances? I’m pretty ambivalent about that one, but I know that’s what my husband wants. After hearing how hard they are to keep clean though, I may want to change his mind!
Karen Hawkins on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:42 am #
Good topic, Claudia!
I love floor plan with good flow. I want people to see people who know people to hang out with people … so ‘flow’ is important to me, though I don’t like the rec room aspect of an open floor plan. My living room/dining room/den/ kitchen are all connected by large archways, but they wend around, so they offer some privacy without a small door closing them off. It’s a great compromise.
I love company while I cook — be it actual people, or listening to the history channel while I’m marinating the salmon. So to me the tv doesn’t compete, but augments.
I’m also with you on master baths. I love/need a huge tub, but after that, so long as there’s enough counter space for my dryer et al, I don’t need a huge bathroom. They’re hard to keep warm.
Sheridan, I don’t go with the whole luxury car thing. Nor do I have a tv in my living room. We TALK in my living room, or read, and play cards or board games, but the tv is for the den and it’s not a huge one, either. Moderation in tv-ims
I’m not on the Twilight Train, either!
Whew, I’m a rebel and never knew it!
TrishD on 06 Jul 2009 at 8:49 am #
LisaK and Claudia…. I’m joining your parade too! I’ll even bring a float. I don’t get the fascination and I guess that’s why I don’t want to read the books or see the movies.
I guess that’s how I march to a different drummer… I hate doing what others are doing. My mom never had to ask me “If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you?” She knew I wouldn’t do something just because everyone else was.
Cail on 06 Jul 2009 at 9:06 am #
Archer- I TOTALLY agree with you about Jazz. Drives me nuts.
JudyPatooty on 06 Jul 2009 at 9:22 am #
I agree wholeheartedly with you on some of the items, Claudia, but not all. Gotta have my coffee!
Now that we’ve got our late parents’ 40-year-old house on the market, my sister and I have been bemoaning the fact that today’s home buyers’ expectations have been severely warped by HGTV and the like.
The master bathroom in the house is tiny. It contains a shower, toilet, and sink. Period. There is a larger bathroom on the hall with a tub and two sinks and plenty of storage space. That’s how houses were built 40 years ago.
There are no stainless appliances and no granite countertops in the kitchen. But Mom was able to cook delicious meals there for 40 years!
Oh well. We keep hoping that someone who hasn’t had cable TV for a very long time will see the house and want to buy it.
Karen Rose on 06 Jul 2009 at 9:36 am #
Claudia, Jenga is a block game where you yank out blocks, hoping the whole block tower doesn’t fall down. I knew my party was a huge FAIL when somebody brought out their Jenga game.
And when the blocks fall, yes it’s loud.
It was more a metaphor on my lack of entertaining skills…
Rachel, I’d love to try a six-headed shower, just once, but I probably would also leave it on just normal shower mode. I’ve always read about them in novels where the h/h make mad whoopee while all the jets pulse.
I think the pulsing jets was probably another one of those metaphors, LOL.
nancyg on 06 Jul 2009 at 10:06 am #
Claudia:
We have a 1-story house, just over 2K square feet. I have converted the dining room into an office – it’s open now, but making plans for French doors & new tile. We use every square inch of space here.
I hate carpet! I have systematically removed the carpet from room to room & added tile & hardwood floors. So much easier to clean with 3 kids & dog wonder…
My living room (only 1 living area) opens to a big kitchen. We *love* to entertain – my kitchen table has 2 leaves to extend it. Our friends are NOT formal dining room people-types. But we have date nights, poker nights, game nights – I love a house full of people & love to cook!
In TX, it’s TOO flipping HOT to have an outdoor party unless it’s after 8:00 or have a pool (which we don’t). But we do grill 10 months out of the year.
I *did* add a huge picture window over the master bath tub, but it faces the backyard (fenced creek lot) and has a shade that’s drawn 95% of the time, but it was TINY & claustrophobic, it makes the room look bigger.
Never read TWILIGHT either – my 2 teenage girls devoured them! Whatever gets them reading, that’s what I say..
Janae on 06 Jul 2009 at 10:10 am #
Claudia, I’m with you on just about every point. I can’t even stand the smell of coffee because it nauseates me. Same with fish, especially after 2 pregnancies. The last time I attempted to try fish, I gagged at the smell. Fortunately, that’s all that happened because it was close.
I love my “PV Charmer” with 1600 square feet. I don’t really need anymore space, but a 4th bedroom would be nice. I’ve a friend who built a $3 million home 6 years ago that’s on the cliffs, overlooking the ocean. She has a big window that is right next to her tub because she honestly thought that she’d be looking out at the ocean when she was in the bath. Well, someone bought the lot next to them. She now has neighbors who can look in her bathroom, and her ocean view is gone. The little cafe curtain and blinds now hanging in her bathroom, look awful. I hate her house. It’s not homey.
nancyg on 06 Jul 2009 at 10:20 am #
beat of a different drummer? yup, that’s me
I have very eclectic music & book tastes. My iPod goes from Joshua Bell to Metallica to Wynton Marsalis to The Black Eyed Peas.
I go from romance to mystery/thriller to biography.
*maybe* 1 cup of coffee in the am. Being 1/2 Chinese, more into tea, hot or iced. From Steel Magnolias, “Sweet tea is the house wine of the South”, lol.
Chocolate? can take it or leave it, mostly leave it – too messy & melty. I indulge on special occasions.
I can appreciate nice cars, but with ya on the point A to B. Have regular GM/Fords in the driveway. I’d rather spend my money on vacations/experiences with my family.
I’m not a collector. Never have been. I don’t have the patience or inclination to start (except BOOKS). Knick-knacks have to be dusted. I hated going over to someone’s house when kids were younger exhorting them not to touch anything.
My house is “picked up” but not a hospital. 5 people LIVE here & it looks like it. I try to keep up with the clutter, but it’s an ongoing daily battle. The common areas are clean, but don’t criticize my office (aka the dumping ground!).
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 10:56 am #
TrishD, I think of the Great Room concept as “ways builders cut costs and yet have convinced the buyer to think they’re buying up”. Okay, I need to work on that. Too long.
Anyway, it’s all the “little” things, the walls, the trimwork, the electrical, the mechanicals, that is so labor intensive. When you strip all that away and are left with one big room…ah, it should be CHEAPER.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 10:59 am #
Ah, but Karen, you are alone in the kitchen, cooking and TV watching? I’m thinking of when someone is watching TV and I’m using the microwave and the electric mixer…and they keep upping the volume on the TV and I keep running the water and pulling out pots and pans…and the TV gets louder, and pretty soon we’re all crying hysterically, yelling for the other person to BE QUIET!!!
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:03 am #
JudyPat, it’s so true! People want different things in houses today (big closets, for one, and I’m definitely in that parade), but depending on how you live, not every modern house is right for every person! I think most people worry about resale, even if they love a funky floor plan.
I’m also befuddled—and fascinated—by the HGTV shows where a house is unsellable because of paint color choices and bad curtains. The pros declutter and paint and now the house is gorgeous! It was only paint! But that’s the subject of another blog! Really.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:06 am #
NancyG, windows really do add to the feeling of space and light, which I love. I have one room in my house (powder room) without a window and I’ve piled on the mirrors in there, just to bounce the light around.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:08 am #
Janae, I think it took me awhile to realize that my house is for *me* and mine, not to impress random people who stroll through. Really, how many people are going to see my bathroom? In many of these show homes, the master bath is the fanciest room in the house! This kills me.
Lisa H on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:16 am #
Okay ladies, if you don’t like Twilight that’s okay, but take a moment to You-Tube the kiss scene. I thought it was pretty fabulous. And Lisa K, the less who like Rob Pattinson, the more for me. He totally does it for me, even though I am old enough to be his mother!
Claudia, the next time you mud wrestle, could you blog about that?
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:29 am #
LisaH, oh, okay. No pictures, though.
Tanya on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:30 am #
I think I play trumpet in your band!
We are in 90% agreement on your list (I have to differ on the Chocolate and Coffee).
Jamie on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:32 am #
I don’t get the cathedral ceilings either. All the heat raises, why have two floor great rooms? They are harder to heat, harder to clean (who will clear the cobwebs?) and how on earth can you change those light bulbs?
I love chocolate and coffee – so that I don’t agree, but there are many other things I do agree on. Like the giant bathrooms. It is nice to have a cozy atomsphere. I have a tiny bathroom. Yes, it may be a bit too small, but has all I need. I was wondering about those rainfall shower heads. I like power in my shower to rinse out all the shampoo. I like to have the choice of having a bath or a shower and love shelves (at least one) in the bath/shower area. I watch these shows with no place for shampoo and soap – what is up with that? You are right about the window in the bathroom that is another what is up with that?
I have never been house shopping, but I think of a house as a home for family and for me and not for entertaining. In fact the only entertaining thing I may think of is – will this dining room fit my big family when they come. But other wise I think the bedroom and the kitchen would be the things I would look for most in a house.
Cail on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:45 am #
on the subject of Twilight… i decided to read them after watching the fifth grade at my school devour them. then the fourth grade. by then i had read all 4 and was kind of shocked that these kids were reading them all. don’t even get me started on my thoughts when i saw a 3rd grader reading the series…
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 12:03 pm #
I know I’m a freak on the chocolate and coffee front. I almost wish I liked them, just to be part of a bigger parade!
Madeline Hunter on 06 Jul 2009 at 12:09 pm #
Claudia, you are not alone. I do not like really open floor plans because it means I have to keep every inch of a house clean! Doors are good, ya know. Close off the rooms that are not presentable. And after dinner, if I want to wait a while to do the dishes, just close that door and it is all out of sight.
The big cathedral ceilings were also a mistake. Most people who live in them find them to be problems. Noise goes through the house and that is some serious wasted space. In some areas of the country it is becoming common to put another room up there and it is harder to sell homes where that hasn’t been done.
Ditto on the stainless steel appliances. Supposedly they have new finishes that don’t show the fingerprints, but when I redid our kitchen that was why I didn’t get them. I think everyone thinks you have to have them because those HGTV shows make it sound like you can’t sell a house unless you do. It feeds on itself. And it is part of the relentless “no gold tones, only silver and gray” that is part of their mantra too. Yawn. Sometimes brass just looks better, IMO.
Now, I have to disagree about the bathrooms. I had a big one put in. I love it.
Julia London on 06 Jul 2009 at 12:37 pm #
My brother just bought a 40 year old house. It has low ceilings and no open floor plan. But it has a funky layout, lots of windows, and you can be in one part of hte house and not hear ESPN sports center in the other part of the house. I love his house. Love it.
But I have an open floor plan, high ceilings (which do help to keep you cool, I have to throw that in there. Heating that space has never been an issue. We don’t use the heater much. But we do run through some serious AC).
As for chocolate, all I can say is, what is WRONG with you??
Janae on 06 Jul 2009 at 12:46 pm #
Madeline – Sometimes brass just looks better, IMO.
I agree 100%! I’ve some fabulous antique frames that I would never ever considering painting any color. It just looks right. I cringe when I see them painted.
Claudia – Have you seen the decorating blogs where people have posted just about every picture of their house?! I can’t even imagine it. Can we expect a blog on those HGTV shows in the future? I hope so. Oh, and I forgot to mention before – I’ll pick caramel over chocolate every single time.
NancyG – I’m with you on eclectic music and books. The music on my Ipod covers 70 years of music and most genres. If it’s a book, I’ll pick it up, read it, and keep reading it if it’s well-written. Although, I must admit that it’s been awhile since I’ve read a science book of any kind.
Archer on 06 Jul 2009 at 1:14 pm #
I’m with Lisa H on Pattinson. You guys should hear him sing… youtube Let Me Sign
Although I can’t help but feel bad for him when I see his crazy screaming and overly grabby fans
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 1:42 pm #
Janae! Caramel! YES. I knew I liked you.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 1:46 pm #
Madeline, I’ve been hearing that’s the trend in some places, the putting up walls/ceilings trend. I want to use the space I paid for! And I don’t want noise bouncing all over the house. (Whine, whine, nag, nag.)
Bone to Julia, I *can* see that it would depend on the climate where you live.
As to coffee and chocolate, can’t you lovers *taste* the bitterness of both?!
TrishD on 06 Jul 2009 at 2:07 pm #
claudi, Speaking for this chocolate lover, I wish I could taste the bitterness! Maybe it would then be easier for me to take off my “post-baby” weight, that being the weight I put on during the 18 months I was a stay at home mom. And just for the record, I wouldn’t have put that weight on if I didn’t like chocolate so much!
I’m not exactly a coffee “lover” but I do like my decaf lattes. No flavorings though… ick!! My hot drink of choice is tea.
TrishD on 06 Jul 2009 at 2:09 pm #
That would be “Claudia”… hate it when I do that!
Sabrina Jeffries on 06 Jul 2009 at 2:17 pm #
I’m with you on a good bit of this (okay, you can be shocked now).
What IS it with the big picture window in the bathroom? I mean, I love having the window there at eye level if I’m in the tub … except that I can’t see anything much, so what’s the point? Meanwhile, I can’t even rise up out of the tub to close the shades for fear that my neighbors will get a view they really, REALLY don’t want. A skylight I understand. But a picture window? Are they crazy? Don’t like the trickly shower heads either. I want to be blasted. Blasted, I tell you!
I’m with you on the stainless steel and cathedral ceilings, and not sure how I feel about the open floor plan–it has its conveniences AND its inconveniences.
Don’t care one way or the other about cul-de-sacs, but I hate having a corner lot (why does everybody like that so much?). I want my own backyard, darn it!
And I must have my chocolate and coffee. Yes, I taste the bitterness–that’s what makes it good!
Having never had a giant bathroom, I think I’d like it. But I can’t be sure. I know I need bathrooms bigger than the ones I have. But like you, I definitely need a tub.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 2:42 pm #
Sabrina, I *am* shocked.
Janae on 06 Jul 2009 at 3:00 pm #
Claudia – I have a killer caramel recipe that I’ll post in the forum. I’m not exactly sure where I should post it since it’s really not that healthy. I only make it at Christmas because I’d be the size of a whale if I made it throughout the year. It’s so worth the effort, though.
Deb Marlowe on 06 Jul 2009 at 3:48 pm #
I love a girl who knows what she likes!
I like chocolate and caramel and chai tea. But not coffee.
Not a fan of the great room. I don’t like the dining room and living room together, but then, this is from a person with no dining room!
No stainless steel. Doesn’t do a thing for me. My kitchen is white and I love it. We had a playdate recently and the mom took one look and said, “Aren’t you glad that white kitchens are on their way back now? They’ve been horribly out of fashion for years, you know.”
Oh, well, I’ve been horribly out of fashion for years too, but I’ve been happy!
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 3:53 pm #
Janae, my m-i-l used to make us homemade caramel, with nuts for Big D, without for me. She’d send it for Christmas and I’d eat and eat until…well, you know what happened. It got so I hated to see the box in the mail.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 3:54 pm #
That’s the thing, DebM, it’s all about loving the house you live in. Remember all those funky 60s kitchens? They are back in style!
Paula on 06 Jul 2009 at 3:58 pm #
Claudia I am with you on all but the Chocolate. I love my Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate, don’t get in my way if there is some about.
Coffee yuk but I will drink decaffinated tea, but I don’t like hot chocolate.
Why do people need huge master bedrooms and huge bathrooms more space to clean. I have an open plane kitchen/dining room but that is it the rest is closed off.
TinaLouiseF on 06 Jul 2009 at 4:18 pm #
My only exception to the list is that I like chocolate.
An addition would be that I hate rooms that do not have ceiling lights.
I also do not like restaurants without lights over the table or real dim lighting. I like to see the menu.
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 4:47 pm #
TinaL, that is so true! I want to see the menu!
Claudia Dain on 06 Jul 2009 at 4:47 pm #
Paula, I don’t see Cadbury’s much. Is it hard to find?
Janae on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:11 pm #
Claudia – Yep, I do. That’s why I tell all my friends that I’m making caramels. I let myself have about 5, and the rest go to my friends who stop by during the week. One of my girlfriends hides them from her children.
Janae on 06 Jul 2009 at 6:11 pm #
Claudia – Yep, I do. That’s why I tell all my friends that I’m making caramels. I let myself have about 5, and the rest go to my friends who stop by during the week. One of my girlfriends hides them from her children.
Patricia Barraclough on 06 Jul 2009 at 9:24 pm #
We can march together some of the time.
We do have a large kitchen-family room combination, but we do have a separate dining room. I prefer that for nice sit-down dinners.
I agree whole heartedly about cathedral ceilings. We have them in our family room only because an idiot stuck a california sun room on the back of our victorian farmhouse before we bought it. What a waste.
I used to like chocolate, but don’t care for it as much anymore.
Didn’t drink coffee until after our son was born. After that, I needed it to survive. I do like tea.
Agree with you on bathrooms and bedrooms. I like to have room, but they don’t need to be the size of a small house. Unless I lived in the middle of nowhere, was on the second floor and the window overlooked a valley, I don’t want one over my tub.
We have a big house now, it was the one we wanted all those years moving in the military. It is the house we should have had 20 years ago. We will finish renovating it, enjoy it, then probably downsize in 5 to 10 years.
We lived in several cul-de-sacs and they were great for kids. There were always kids, bikes and fun. You didn’t have to worry about thru traffic. We could close them off.