Hers and His

Ever walked into a house and you just had a sense about the owners? A good sense?

That's what this house had.

This house was beautifully decorated with interesting traditional antiques and soft colors.
I imagined a lady who looked a bit like Dale Evans living here, if Dale was still around.
(You over 50 -somethings know what I am talking about and can picture that I am sure...)

The house was carpeted with plush white carpeting, the walls were a faintly pinkish white. Overall the house felt very happy, clean, fresh, cozy...all the good things that a home should be

The period pieces gave away the owners age as did the chandelier. No one of my generation would choose such a lighting fixture for her dining room.

And the neatly done fairly modern kitchen suited the rest of the house without screaming "THE KITCHEN HAS BEEN REDONE....GRANITE COUNTER TOPS.....GRANITE COUNTER TOPS.....GRANITE COUNTER TOPS! like most of the most recent and trendy remodels proclaim in their for sale listings.

The place was so tasteful. Not totally my style, but a style that I could respect as being lovely and modest, yet reflecting personal interests as well.

I'll bet she just loved having a second crystal chandelier in the breakfast room!

A kind of kitchen that says a bowl of cereal for breakfast is fine, and later we can whip up a full luncheon for friends.

I guess I had an affinity for this owner, because on the wall was a heavily detailed mahogany framed picture of the couple back in the late 1970.

She had the typical short haircut, he had on the typical blue suit, there were two late teen sons looking slightly awkward in their suits and a daughter with a turtleneck sweater and skirt, her hair long and flipped on the ends, and bangs that flared out at the side, ala Karen Carpenter.

It could have been any of the families I knew at that time, and I could have easily been the daughter.

On another wall was another picture.

In this picture there were the two parents/homeowners, looking just a bit more older and wiser somehow, and their three children now stood with three other people; clearly all three kids had married and the "in-loves" were fitting right in with the family.

But the best part of the picture: The adults stood in a double half circle in the back, proudly surrounding NINE little granddaughters in identical white organdy dresses, and THREE school aged grandsons, looking awkward in their newly purchased suits and ties.

The grandparents were beaming.

You could feel the love oozing out of that picture. I so wanted to take a picture of it, but settled with storing the image in my mind instead.

I have no idea when that picture was taken. I suspect it was a decade ago...the youngest grandchild was about three.

Grandma is probably a great grandma now. I wonder why they chose now to sell the home. Everything was in such immaculate condition that I hope it is either to downsize or perhaps even up sized to have room enough for twelve grandkids, their spouses and even their children at the table!

You might have been able to picture the woman of the house by just looking at her fireplace, furniture, and kitchen.

Now let me introduce you to the man of the house, via his spaces:

His "I know exactly where everything is" work bench.

I loved this picture. There is something about the garage that is as much of a man's space as a kitchen is a woman's space.

He might have an office, or a den, but in the end, it is his workbench that is his and his alone.

This man clearly was the head of the house; while upstairs had all the tasteful decorating touches of his wife, when it came to doing the basement, he clearly was the man in charge:

The soft white plush baby-snuggling girlie look ended, and Braveheart took over!

I'm guessing here that either he had Scottish heritage, or got a killer deal on this carpet.

I thought it was great, our real estate agent and Bernie had a bit of head shaking to do before they could adjust.

The big dining table stood before a fireplace outfitted with a black stove inset. And there was a small lectern beside the table which held a hefty Bible.

It was so easy to imagine the family gather around the table snacking on something wonderful, while The Man of the House lead the Family devotions and discussion.

It was a large area, including a small kitchenette, and on the walls were huge Mexican sombreros, and other mementos from far away countries. Most likely Man of the House and his two sons had gone on Missions, and returned with items to mark their time in the field.

It was a cold night when Bernie and I visited the house. A fire blazed in the fireplace, and every light in the house was on. It felt light and bright, warm and welcoming. The six bedrooms each had a personality; one filled with dolls and a baby buggie, another was a lavender room with a huge closet filled with Christmas decoration neatly labeled in clear boxes.

The garden in front was delightfully English style, while the back was large and even had a "secret" path through the head high hedges which lead from the upper terrace back down to the ground.

The gazebo in the corner of the upper terrace was appealing, and the covered deck off the kitchen said "Come have breakfast out here in the summer!"

It was a tempting house.

3,048 square feet.

SIX bedrooms.

Three baths.

Beautiful garden.

Beautiful neighborhood.

It was listed at $404,708 when we saw it...a most unusual listing price!

A bit over our top bugeted price.

Tempting....tempting....but no.

It is now apparently sold.

I hope who ever got it will raise a lovely family there, and continue the happy vibe.

If you'd like to see this house as it is listed, click HERE. and select the PHOTOS tab.

If you look closely at the picture labeled OFFICE, you can see the sweet family portrait with all the granddaughters in their matching white dresses that touched me so much.