Pronunciation: \ī-ˈdi-lik, chiefly British i-\
Function: adjective
Date: 1856
1 : pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity
2 : of, relating to, or being an idyll
When making checklists for all of the things we want to do to our (soon-to-be) new house, I realized how many things have been ingrained in my mind over the years as to what the idyllic home (to me) would have. Not necessarily stylish things, but more romantic ideals or icons of the perfect home. Some of them are things I will probably never realistically have, but they've been with me for years & I thought I'd share some of them with you. I'll start outside & work my way inside............
I've always wante a white house (image from Martha Stewart.com)
A front porch with a porch swing is the perfect spot!!
A wisteria-covered pergola (although I just learned that wisteria seeds are poisonous so we won't be getting any!!) (image from here)
Image below (and top image of post) from House Beautiful. How amazing is this?!!!
Window Boxes: They makes houses look so cheerful & loved. (image from hooksandlattice.com)
A garden large enough to "walk through" and "sit in" as opposed to edging the yard or house (image from indigolandscapes.com) I like a little mystery in the garden & it would be such a luxury to have enough space to do this:
A beautiful back patio (image from one of my favorite Cottage Living houses)
There are a lot of plants I've always thought embodied the perfect yard or garden. Here's a list of some of them: A magnolia tree would be amazing (image from here) and I could just sit there & smell the blooms for hours!! :)
A lilac bush to cut blooms from and again, smell for hours (image from gardencorner.net )
Forsythia bushes (image here from Dumbarton Oaks)
TONS of hydrangea bushes (image from http://www.youcanlearnseries.com/)
Peonies -- how beautiful are they in arrangements?!! (Image from marthastewart.com)
And finally, it used to be rose bushes until I put them in my townhouse garden & managed to kill almost all of them, (image from http://www.sloatgardens.com/) but if I could do better, I'd still want them... (Actually the bushes themselves were in such bad shape that I felt absolutely no guilt for cutting off every single bloom & taking them inside for arrangements!!)
A tree swing for the little guy & me too!! :) (image from http://www.ntoddblog.org/
French Doors (Image from that same amazing Cottage Living house) leading to some beauitufl outdoor space... They'd be amazing in the bedroom...
A big hood over the range (image below from House Beautiful) A hood makes a kitchen look like such a functional yet homey space:
A window seat (image from Cottage Living)... We built one in our old house & it really was the perfect spot for chatting on the phone, cuddling with the dog, getting warmed up by the sun, reading & relaxing
A banquette or window seat for an eat-in kitchen (image from Country Living)
A grandfather clock (image from mantecalighting.com)... When I was a little girl I loved the mystery surrounding them. They made me think of huge houses you could get lost in & have adventures in & always wanted one when I grew up... Think The Borrowers... But sadly, now I really don't even like to know what time it is & would have to go with a Mora clock if I did have a huge clock in my house.
A fireplace with two chairs that can face each other with an ottoman in between for reading with my husband... The two chair & ottoman thing would also be amazing in the bedroom...
A guest bedroom (image from Country Living) is truly a luxury to me. To have it ready & waiting for friends & family to come at any time... to not have to unfold a bed/ mattress & not have to hide anything away... Just an easiness...
A sunroom/ conservatory that could act as a family room or dining/ breakfast room (image from here) 
A huge living room/ great room where lots of people can be at one time doing different things (images from Cottage Living & House Beautiful)
A round table for intimate dining (Pic from House Beautiful)
And finally, a four-poster bed (Bed below from Restoration Hardware) ... 
We had a sort of British Caribbean mahogany styled one in our old house and it's in storage now. Because the lines of the new house are so modern, I can't really picture it in our bedroom but the lowerl level feels a bit more traditional, so we'll be putting it in the lower level guest bedroom. (I think it'll be fun for guests too :) The bed below is from Country Living's 2008 Idea House:
I think we all envision a home and a life in which we have the time and space to be with our families & friends. Some call it the "good life." It's a home with simple luxuries... where things are made easy so we can spend our time doing what we really want to do. It's a life & home with the perfect balance of function & beauty. These are just some of the iconic things that come to mind for me when thinking of the ideal home... how about you?
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