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Dreaming Big for Your New Dream House

When you imagine your “Dream Home,” what is it like? Some of us start dreaming from childhood, others as adults, and it’s easy to dream big, and then fear that it can only exist as a dream. But, don’t worry, with these tips we can help you convert your dream into an attainable reality.

In Southwest Wisconsin in the mid 1870's, a young boy shirked his chores one afternoon at his uncle's farm, and escaped to the shade of a mature burr oak on the crown of a hill overlooking a meandering tributary of the nearby Wisconsin River. It was there on that day that a future architect was born, and one of the most unique homes America had yet to see, was conceived. The boy was little Frank Lloyd Wright, and the house he dreamed of wrapping around the “Shining Brow” of the hilltop would one day become his famed Taliesin.

It isn't often that we architects realize the buildings of our childhood dreams, and what I relate to about this story is that I used to do the same thing. I grew up outside of Miami, FL on a lake, so my dream house was always on a little island.  It's what I would do to pass the time on the school bus starting in second grade. Later on in middle school, I would sketch floor plans in an entire development of island homes – whoever was lucky enough to sit next to me that day got to be my client. The next day that friend would have their very own villa by the sea. Well, the stick figure equivalent, at least.

But nothing was as magnificent as my own dream home, and like Wright, I redesigned it all the time. I recently found a gnarled sheet of notebook paper tucked away in an old book my parents bought me (they were good at cultivating my obsessions) of spec home plans. The notebook paper had a jaw-dropping, lengthy list of things any incarnation of my dream house must surely feature.

It’s HILARIOUS to read now, all these years later. It starts out simple enough, all the rooms required. Living Room, Kitchen, Master Bedroom. But then it gets a tad over-the-top: Two to eight (8!) other bedrooms. There was a Ballroom, a Lounge, a Library, and a Conservatory (as though I was ripping off the Clue Mansion board game), complete with Secret Passage. I also needed a different room to suit all of my hobbies: art studio, music studio, recording studio, Game Room, and an actual Hobby Room? Additionally, there needed to be a wet bar, butler's pantry, bay window seat, fire place (growing up in Florida this was a luxury no one needed), and of course - spiral stairs.

But wait! There's the whole list on the back with all the other site features and out-buildings where it really gets good. All the bedrooms in the main house weren't enough, so the guests would each have his or her own cabana right next to the servant’s quarters. There was a Greenhouse - not to be confused with the Solarium - a pool (obviously), the swimming supply room (kudos to me for thinking of all the back-of-house and service areas at that age), a barn, stable, rope swing, trampoline, a cave grotto, a butterfly garden, and most importantly – a Dolphin Canal, complete with a Dolphin Supply Room/Lab. You know, for all the dolphin research I planned to do in my free time. As you do.

As ridiculous as all this sounds, I absolutely love this list! It's a snap shot of who I was and what was important to me when I made the crucial decision at an early age to become an architect. It’s also a helpful reminder, which is why I keep it at my desk at the office. As architects, we design mostly for other people, on real projects. Real people – our clients – are coming to us to see their dream houses realized. It's an incredibly powerful and intimate journey to take with others. Of course, as an adult human with limited resources, you can't just sketch a few squiggly lines onto a page and enlarge the Deep Space Observatory-addition to your Seattle craftsman bungalow. It’s much more complicated, I’ve learned.

My point is, every project – every dream house – has a list. Designers call this a program. Assuming you're not a billionaire with a private island, here are some helpful tips for compiling yours:

• Don’t be afraid to dream: This is the most exciting moment for any of our clients. Have fun with it. Remember that your design dreams can never be realized if you don’t share them with your architect. Even if they aren't feasible, the exploration can be worthwhile. we recommend making a Houzz Ideabook, or a Pinterest page to share with us. Consider adding notes about what captures your imagination about any image. (We really appreciate your notes!)

• Brace yourself for reality: After the dreaming is done, be realistic about issues like budget, feasibility, the fact that zoning or life-safety codes occasionally get in the way, and the limitations of basic physics. It happens in so many projects – everything is just not possible. Even if you can get say, a certain material on the cheap, it may take longer than you can wait to get it.

  

• Prioritize your needs:Take your time to analyze what's really important to you. Sure, everyone wants a rooftop jacuzzi, but do you really need one? More than a dishwasher and kitchen island? Or a nursery for that baby on the way? Rank your list so when it may become necessary to edit, you're prepared to make some cuts.

  

• Think outside of the box: You can get more bang for the buck if you can consolidate multiple functions into one space. Maybe you don't need both a Ballroom and a Library, when a multi-purpose entertainment space lined with bookshelves can suffice. Consolidate various functions into one space. No one needs a Hobby Room, Art Studio, and Craft Den all in the same house. A suitable workspace that can facilitate multiple projects or simultaneous activities works just as well.

  

• Less is more: One of the things I find striking about my childhood dream list is how far off it is from my actual adult perspective. I've been making fun of my fantasies of yesteryear this entire post and it's insightful to note that instead of secluded island-life in my 9 bedroom mansion, I reside in a 425 square-foot city apartment. Flexibility and versatility are key. I live rather loft-style where rooms blend into one another which allows for furniture to serve multiple functions. I don’t have a murphy bed, but they are an excellent example of this as well.

  

• Consider function over convention: Try thinking about design elements in terms of what function they serve, instead of the conventional names of spaces we’re used to. You need a space for a family of five to eat instead of a Dining Room. You desire a warm space, to be comfortable and curl up and read instead of a Library. You want an intimate area all your own for putting on make-up instead of a separate Her Bath Suite. This strategy allows more flexibility to designers in terms of utilizing square footage, sequencing spaces, or grouping functions together, rather than relying on the conventional formats and adjacencies.

We don’t adhere to any one particular strategy at Board & Vellum, and don’t usually provide questionnaires as do many firms. These tend to be rigid and limiting. In fact, the way we boil it down is to simply listen to our clients. You are the portal to all project knowledge – no one knows better than you. It’s the designer who synthesizes these ideas to translate them into your dream-house reality.