Building a house is a lot of work. We put lots of thought into the special touches that would make our house a home. Thankfully, we built in the age of Pinterest so that I could scope out the latest and greatest ideas before we finished building. I ended up finding a lot of ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of. In case you’re building (or thinking about building or remodeling) here are my nine favorite things that I love about our new home.
1. Our utensil pullout in our kitchen. Inspired by a picture on Pinterest, our cabinet makers made this with three stainless canisters for all of our (many!) utensils. This way they’re not cluttering up a drawer and making it hard to open and everything is easy to find. The only downside is when I’ll come and find three spatulas on the floor that James has been using as a teether.
2. Our front porch. This is the view from it and I love sitting here during naptime or with Jason after the kids go to bed and enjoying the view and the weather. We might not get as much use out of it during the winter as we have this summer, but it’s been our favorite hang out this summer!
3. Our mudroom. Right next to the garage door, our mudroom area gets utilized A LOT. The cubbies for each kid are great and the shoe drawers at the bottom are priceless. I love the hooks in them and the shelf above the open area to hang bags and purses. The small shelf allows the kids to sit on it to put on their shoes which is incredibly nice. And the closed cabinets on the end provide lots of storage without having it visible to everyone!
4. The built in banquette. I fell in love with these during the design phase of our house and Marc was kind enough to include one in our house. I sketched out the measurements and our wonderful trim guy made it. It’s a little tricky for adults to get in and out of it without moving the table a lot but it’s perfect for kids. James can sit on it without a booster already and it provides lots of space for lots of kiddo’s when the kids have friends over!
5. My vanity area with a space for my hair dyer and curling iron. Such an unnecessary thing but one that I am so thankful for! Being able to sit down while drying my hair is amazing and having metal containers to stick my hot hair dryer and curling iron in is awesome. And since I sit here at least once every day I’m glad that I enjoy the look and feel of it so much!
6. Our Scotsman ice machine. If these items were in order this one would probably be #1. We love our ice machine that makes “Sonic” ice and it’s a huge hit with everyone who comes to our house. We don’t even have the ice machine in the freezer turned on which gives us more space in there. It’s so nice to have the “good kind” of ice in all of our drinks every day!
7. The kid’s study. While it’s not getting used a ton right now, I know eventually it will be utilized daily. This area makes me happy every time I look at it (even though I don’t have a bulletin board made for the back of it yet!). Created with the idea that the kids and their friends could do homework and work on projects here it’s set up with internet hookups and lots of plugs. It kind of makes me wish that I still had homework so I could do it up here!
8. My office is my sanctuary and the beautiful shelving on one side of it just makes it more special. It gives me space to display “my” things and helps me see the things that I love every day.
9. Luca’s dog room. It deserves a post in it’s own right but so far I haven’t gotten around to it. With tiled walls and plenty of room for his bed, his bowls, and there still be room for him to lay on the cold tile, we think it’s perfect. The fact that Luca doesn’t mind it and goes in voluntarily is also a huge plus! He only complains when he’s in there and it’s storming outside.
So, what’s your favorite thing that you’ve seen from our new house? Did I mention it or did you see something in the posts about the house that you liked more? What do you love the most about your house? I’d love to hear from you!
Blogelina’s Commentathon – Group #5 | Blogelina
September 10, 2013 at 9:31 pm[…] http://talesofapeanut.com/2013/09/top-10-things-that-i-love-about-our-new-house.html […]
Megan @ EducationPossible.com
September 11, 2013 at 5:38 amMy kids would love your study!!! What a great place to learn and create!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 11, 2013 at 8:55 amThanks! I hope that that’s what the area becomes as they get older!
Sarah
September 11, 2013 at 8:02 amWOW!!! My two favorite things in your house is the study area and the dog room. Our “dog room” is her kennel shoved in between the washer and dryer. 😉 She’s happy with it, though. Awesome house!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 11, 2013 at 8:55 amOur dog’s “room” used to be under the sink in the laundry room. 🙂 They’ll be happy with whatever they have but this new dog room makes me happier to have it all contained in one area!
Laurie
September 11, 2013 at 8:36 amAwesome house! I love porches…with views is a bonus! The door has a space? How cool. The kids’ study is a great place. I’d say you have a very nice place for making those memories. We’re in transition so waiting to buy in a few months. Excited!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 11, 2013 at 8:54 amThanks! I love our porch too. Good luck with the house hunt!
Jenn @ UpsideDownKids.com
September 11, 2013 at 8:37 amOh wow amazing. Was this house custom built?
TalesOfAPeanut
September 11, 2013 at 8:53 amYes, it was. Thanks!
krissajeldy
September 11, 2013 at 3:26 pmWow–I’m so jealous! Love the mudroom…I’m looking to do something similar in our house. And I also love the kid’s study area. And Sonic ice!!!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 6:49 amThanks! The mudroom is definitely so handy!
savemoneytravelmore
September 11, 2013 at 5:56 pmLove your house! It looks like it belongs in a magazine. You did a great job maximizing storage space and efficiency with style. I’ve never had a mudroom but I’ve always wanted one and now I want one that looks like yours!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 6:49 amThank you so much! You’re so sweet! Being a type-a personality and an engineer we were all about trying to organize and utilize otherwise unused space! 🙂
kim
September 11, 2013 at 8:24 pmAdore that vanity and banquet! And of course having your family there with you is the only thing that matters. Your home is lovely and how you picked just 10 things to share had to have been difficult. I’m sure the rest of it is just as amazing!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 6:50 amThanks Kim!
Cindy Epps @ www.lifegetsreal.co
September 11, 2013 at 9:12 pmBeautiful house. I like the mud room & kids study. Nice job.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 6:50 amThanks Cindy. The mud room is so convenient to have a place to throw all of our stuff!
DesignedDecord
September 11, 2013 at 9:31 pmI think I am loving your top 10 too! I dont know which one to make my top choice!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 6:50 amThank you!
Pam
September 12, 2013 at 1:39 amI love it all! I really do. That drawer is very unique. We will be remodeling our kitchen after the holidays and I am going to keep it in mind.
I have dogs and would love to have that space for my dogs. Another creative use of space.
The kid’s study is another great idea. I love the way it is laid out.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 6:51 amIt is so nice to have that pull out to put all my utensils in. I used to have to wiggle a drawer just the right way to get it to open because it was stuffed so full of spatula’s and everything else and it’s so nice that this has plenty of room for it all! Good look with your remodel!
pinkmama68
September 12, 2013 at 8:06 amI would like to know when I can move in, LOL! OMG what a beautiful house and of course beautiful family. I love pretty much your whole Top 10 but I think my favorite is the mudroom! I have a front entry way that needs a lot of work and I might have to work on that soon. I love my big kitchen- we cook, play, homework and dance in there. Thanks for sharing.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 12, 2013 at 1:41 pmThank you, you’re so sweet! I love our mudroom and you could easily incorporate something similar just with doors on all of the cubby’s if the space will be more public!
Rosenda
September 12, 2013 at 4:22 pmI like your built in banquette! I saw one like that in a Better Homes and Gardens issue not too long ago! So cool! I love my vanity in my master bathroom. I have a pretty stool and drawer for my makeup and cabinet holding my hot tools too! It feels great every morning to have a place for everything.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:31 pmI feel so much more relaxed when I’m able to walk out of the bathroom fully dressed with everything in its place! Thanks!
dangerouscupcake
September 13, 2013 at 5:21 pmIt’s a beautiful home! How long have you lived in it? We just moved into our new home on Aug 1 and it feels like so much longer because we’ve been so busy decorating it! We also have an icemaker and it’s awesome. Enjoy your love-filled home!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:31 pmWe moved in at the beginning of March so over 6 months now which seems crazy! It’s hard to remember not living here at this point! I can’t imagine ever moving again!
Quanni E.
September 13, 2013 at 7:25 pmBeautiful! You gave me many ideas for changing my home.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:32 pmThanks!
Deedra
September 13, 2013 at 7:44 pmYour house looks amazing. I have a list of things I want in my forever home and now I will add a cool bean ice machine. I dig the sonic ice.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:32 pmThe ice is awesome! Well worth the expense! And I’m sure that they’ll soon reduce the price the longer they’re on the market!
kelli@eatprayreadlove
September 14, 2013 at 10:48 amWhat a gorgeous house! That front porch is amazing. And the kids study? Genius! That way homework papers aren’t all over the kitchen table!
Congrats and enjoy your new home!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:30 pmThank you! Hopefully the kids will use the study area and keep things contained and since it’s still out in the open we can all be accessible to each other!
Leah
September 14, 2013 at 10:57 amI especially love the utensils drawer and the mudroom cabinet! ahh I am definitely pinning this to keep in mind once our kids are a little older. We already have a mudroom that has space for a cabinet like that 🙂
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:30 pmIf you’ve already got space then this is a perfect addition to your room! You won’t regret adding the cubbies and getting a custom cabinet maker to make them just for your space is surprisingly affordable if you focus on what you want and don’t go overboard adding bells and whistles!
Becky Willis (@mrsgregwillis)
September 14, 2013 at 11:49 amWow, your house is gorgeous! I love the utensil drawer and your vanity area (again, the drawer!) We have a pull out drawer like that in our kitchen, but the previous owners used it to hide trash. It actually works very well, but I am jealous of yours!
As for my house, my favorite thing would be the built in china cupboard in our kitchen and the island. Our house isn’t perfect, or heck, even gorgeous, but it’s home and these two things are definitely sellers of it.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:29 pmEvery house is special for the family that lives in it! Thanks!
Peg Crawford
September 14, 2013 at 3:57 pmI love the kids study. It is bright and large enough for a lot of ‘spread’ room. Whenever I do anything, I have to spread all my papers out so I can see everything. Of course, everything is great too,
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:28 pmDefinitely! I often want to go work up there!
Val Frania
September 14, 2013 at 5:50 pmI really liked the mudroom and study area of your new house. My fave part of my house is our kitchen – which is pretty unusual for me since in our old house and every house before that it was my least favorite spot. I now have an island and it’s decorated in a way that inspires me.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:28 pmI think that the kitchen is the heart of the home and if you’re happy with your kitchen you can live with almost any other idiosyncrasies in the rest of the house! Glad you love yours!
Dianna @ BrokeFierceFab
September 14, 2013 at 7:07 pmBeautiful house! I love the vanity and the mudroom set up!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:28 pmThank you!
Leyla Preston
September 14, 2013 at 8:01 pmYou have such a beautiful house, and I love what you have done with the decor. We live in a small 2 bed flat in London and are looking to move to our 3 bed house very soon. I’ve done a bit of decorating but not much, so I can’t wait to get started on our new home!
Well done, you’re so creative!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:27 pmThank you! But LOTS of my ideas came from Pinterest, I just managed to fit them all together in one house. 🙂 Good luck with the move!
Gena
September 14, 2013 at 8:44 pmWhat wonderful ideas! I’ve got some for my future house now! Definitely pinning this.
–Gena
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:27 pmThank you!
Laney (Ortensia Blu)
September 15, 2013 at 3:58 pmI love the utensil pull out drawer! I have one for spices and it makes for much less clutter in the cabinets…
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:27 pmI agree! Clutter is no good and any way to reduce it helps!
Liz
September 15, 2013 at 10:16 pmBeautiful home. Love your kitchen banquette! Just wondering how you are liking your trestle table? I am on the hunt for one now and I’m considering the Kingdom Oak table that you bought. Is the top real wood or a is it a veneer and how is the finish holding up? Would you recommend it? It’s the right size for our room and I love the look of it, but I have 3 young boys so I need something durable:) Thanks in advance!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:26 pmI love your table. I’m pretty sure it’s real wood and the finish is holding up great. Our only downside to it is that my daughter got some marker on it and it’s not coming up and I haven’t tried very many cleaners because I didn’t want to lessen the finish. Just gives it character in my opinion. 🙂 You know know that there are crevices in the table that make it hard to get crumbs out of, but if you can look past that, it’s a wonderful table that we have seen virtually no wear on in the six months that we’ve had it. And the downside to the banquette is that we’ve found our dog on top of the table multiple times trying to help us “clean up” and we haven’t seen a scratch on the surface!
Jennifer Young
September 16, 2013 at 7:31 amI am totally in love with all of these ideas and I’m pinning them on the chance that we build a house one day! The utensil pull out in the kitchen is utter genius, and the dog room makes me want a dog even more. So much nicer than a crate!! Love, love, love.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:24 pmThank you! I feel better leaving our dog is in “room” than in a crate, it seems nicer somehow to me even though it’s basically the same thing!
bernetta
September 16, 2013 at 7:34 amWow!1 I love every picture you shared. I love the clean white color of your house. And that Kitchen! A dream. You are very blessed. Beautiful!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:24 pmThank you!
Amy Louise Douglas Gay
September 16, 2013 at 9:15 amThe ice machine is totally the BEST thing EVER!!!!! I want one! Although, with the built in Beer tap and Wine fridge for our homebrew….well…..I guess I have to give up the ice machine!!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:24 pmThe ice machine is nice, but the other things would be nice too!
Krista
September 16, 2013 at 10:01 amMy favorite thing is that banquette…although I have to admit that your entire house seems Pinterest worthy. Really creative and useful ideas. Maybe you will even have your daughter’s wedding at your house!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 16, 2013 at 2:23 pmThank you! I love to dream about the wedding idea, that would be so neat!
Simply Fresh Vintage
September 16, 2013 at 7:38 pmOh my … I see I have a lot of reading to do! Just from looking at your top 10, your house looks awesome! I love the utensil pullout! I haven’t seen that before but that is an awesome idea. The mudroom & the kids study area … SCORE!
I’ll definitely be back to catch up.
Hugs & Blessings …
Lani
TalesOfAPeanut
September 17, 2013 at 10:26 amThanks!
Allergy Warrior Annie
September 17, 2013 at 12:06 amI love the mudroom idea!!
TalesOfAPeanut
September 17, 2013 at 10:26 amIt’s been so helpful! Thanks!
Jae Mac
September 17, 2013 at 12:10 amRight now, I think I’m in love with quite a bit LOL. I love your mudroom, the vanity, the dog room and the kids study. I have never built a home, but if I do, you have given me a lot of good ideas.
Jae Mac @ I’m Just Sayin’…(Damn!)
TalesOfAPeanut
September 17, 2013 at 10:26 amThank you!
deninemichele
September 17, 2013 at 2:32 pmLove the mudroom! It keeps everything so nice and neat. The kids future homework station is lovely too.
TalesOfAPeanut
September 17, 2013 at 3:38 pmThanks! I hope they enjoy using their homework station because I envision it being so neat! 🙂
seasonedsistah2
September 17, 2013 at 4:42 pmYour home is beautiful. I especially loved the kitchen utensil pullout drawer, the upholstered banquette, and the wall shelf in your office. Frankly, I loved everything about your home.
sellzey123
September 17, 2013 at 8:46 pmWhat a beautiful home!
Sara
September 17, 2013 at 9:22 pmI want a mud room for mynkiddos, its a great way to keep them occupied.
Sara
September 17, 2013 at 9:24 pmUgh lets try this comment agin without auto correct. Love the mud room for the kiddos. It helps to keep them organized and keeps their stuff all in one place.
Holly Williams Urbach
September 18, 2013 at 12:02 pmThe utensil pullout in your kitchen is very cool!
Twingle Mommy
September 18, 2013 at 12:31 pmI love the kid’s study! One day you’ll be so happy you have that.
Angela Pounders
September 18, 2013 at 12:41 pmI like the cubbies in the mudroom! I envision something like that in our laundry room one day! The porch view is nice, too!
I love the big front window in our living room. I also love the window above our kitchen sink that looks out to the back yard.
Grandma Loy
September 18, 2013 at 1:14 pmHow fortunate you are to have been able to build a home just to your family’s desires and tastes. Even though there is just hubby and me now, I would love to have a mud room. I do have a sewing/quilting/craft studio, and I am very happy about that. Glad you are enjoying you home.
Marissa @ Life is Fantasmic
September 18, 2013 at 7:33 pmYou have such an awesome home! I love the homework nook, the dog’s room, & the ice machine (Sonic ice is the best)! It’s always good having a home that you are excited about!
Rachelle Smith
September 18, 2013 at 8:37 pmI love the utensil pullout and I really wish I had a mudroom. I think our livingroom would be less cluttered with everyone’s stuff that they like to drop when they walk in the door.
One of my favorite things about our house is that it’s bigger and more spacious than our old one. We have 6 kids and in our old house we had to have 3 in a room because we only had a 3 bedroom, now we have 4 so there’s only 2 kids in each room. This makes life much easier.
Lush-Fab-Glam.com
September 19, 2013 at 12:18 amBeautiful home, I love the study, mudroom and pull out draws, they keep everything neat and organized.
http://www.Lush-Fab-Glam.com
kristascookin
September 20, 2013 at 3:22 pmIt’s beautiful! I love your fun utensil drawer, that one calls out to me because I require a big kitchen. It is where I live, practically… Your homework area is perfect, my boys sit at the kitchen table (did I mention I live in my kitchen?) and my dog’s tiled floor is you guessed it, in my kitchen! Your house is gorgeous and well thought out! Great ideas for when I get my “dream” house! Krista @ A Handful of Everything