what's the nicest house you've ever been in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I love my home and consider it the nicest I've ever been in. It's been a labor or love for the last year.

Is it the biggest? No. Is it the most expensive? No. Is it decked out to the nines? No. But it's my home, and I LOVE it.

Please describe. Size, style, year built, etc.

Built in 1954. It's a 2600sqft bungalow about 1/2 from the beach. We purchased it in Nov 2020, total gut job - but didn't add any square footage or move walls etc. We just updated all of the materials, every single flooring material, vanities, kitchen cabinets, new counters, new front door. It's the home that DH and I have been wanting for a long time. We love it!

This type of renovation is basically setting money on fire. I hope you enjoy the place because if/when you go to sell, you are going to lose a lot of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I love my home and consider it the nicest I've ever been in. It's been a labor or love for the last year.

Is it the biggest? No. Is it the most expensive? No. Is it decked out to the nines? No. But it's my home, and I LOVE it.

Please describe. Size, style, year built, etc.

Built in 1954. It's a 2600sqft bungalow about 1/2 from the beach. We purchased it in Nov 2020, total gut job - but didn't add any square footage or move walls etc. We just updated all of the materials, every single flooring material, vanities, kitchen cabinets, new counters, new front door. It's the home that DH and I have been wanting for a long time. We love it!

This type of renovation is basically setting money on fire. I hope you enjoy the place because if/when you go to sell, you are going to lose a lot of money.

I should add, there's a reason flippers/developers always build huge houses and never just make the small existing interior newer/fancier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in a US billionaires’ house several times and, while impressive, was glad it’s not mine. It’s obviously another degree of wealth and the house revolves around that - the entire house is set-up like a venue to accommodate dozens of staff and a hundred guests at any given moment. Felt very commercial. That said, it’s still gorgeous and every single thing - from the light switches to the baseboards - is next level.

Yeah but when that becomes stressful you just jet to your one bedroom house in Maine.
https://www.veranda.com/decorating-ideas/house-tours/a36704593/gil-schafer-waterfront-maine-house-tour/

I love that house!

[Anonymous]

Most recently a colleague's house on Newark Street in dc. A traditional and beautiful family home she has lived in for thirty plus years. Moldings, fireplaces, gorgeous porch, beautiful artwork and perfect furniture placement, built ins, a huge dining room, everything carefully chosen, just timeless and warm and filled with evidence of a beautiful life well lived. Probably a 5 million dollar home but still deeply comforting and familiar in the most ideal way. Just lovely all around.

[Anonymous]

A very beautiful and well maintained Haveli in Udaipur. I was transported to a fairytale land. I was breathless when I saw the courtyard. I have not seen something as beautiful as that in my entire life. It was like a movie set.

My brother's huge flat (apartment) in India. It is another level of design and functionality. Stunning multilevel terrace garden and perfectly designed and decorated rooms. You forget you are in the middle of an Indian metropolis. A blend of Indian, Western design elements and just uniquely customized to give each family member their perfect space. I told him I had not seen such a beautiful apartment in the US also. Guy is a genius, and is not a trained architect or designer. Just an amazing labor of love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A very beautiful and well maintained Haveli in Udaipur. I was transported to a fairytale land. I was breathless when I saw the courtyard. I have not seen something as beautiful as that in my entire life. It was like a movie set.

My brother's huge flat (apartment) in India. It is another level of design and functionality. Stunning multilevel terrace garden and perfectly designed and decorated rooms. You forget you are in the middle of an Indian metropolis. A blend of Indian, Western design elements and just uniquely customized to give each family member their perfect space. I told him I had not seen such a beautiful apartment in the US also. Guy is a genius, and is not a trained architect or designer. Just an amazing labor of love.

Which city? How is the air quality? What kind of SF and kitchens? Help quarters? It is very fascinating as a concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A very beautiful and well maintained Haveli in Udaipur. I was transported to a fairytale land. I was breathless when I saw the courtyard. I have not seen something as beautiful as that in my entire life. It was like a movie set.

My brother's huge flat (apartment) in India. It is another level of design and functionality. Stunning multilevel terrace garden and perfectly designed and decorated rooms. You forget you are in the middle of an Indian metropolis. A blend of Indian, Western design elements and just uniquely customized to give each family member their perfect space. I told him I had not seen such a beautiful apartment in the US also. Guy is a genius, and is not a trained architect or designer. Just an amazing labor of love.

Which city? How is the air quality? What kind of SF and kitchens? Help quarters? It is very fascinating as a concept.

Bangalore. Air quality is fine (used to be better), close to a botanical garden/lake with amazing trees, closer to the airport than the main city but still populated, gated community. Four flats together, 2 ground floors and 2 on top. He has been able to also use the top of roof to convert as a terrace garden, and he used a lot of iron work to create stairs and walls, so that from each bedroom, you have an incredible view of greenery and a place to step out. Multilevel gardens and the whole secret garden concept with alleys, nooks and crannies and walls. The environment in Bangalore is such that you don't have to do much for the gardens to flourish

The flats were already built when he bought them over several years and he did not demolish lots of walls etc. He basically worked with what existed with very clever changes and worked on the interiors for form and function and the exterior gardens to create privacy and greenery. The bones of the flats were very good, huge bedrooms and bathrooms. His kitchen garden got enclosed to give a secret garden, courtyard look and also has entrance to the help quarters (which is housed in a part of the ground floor flat), wonderful storage, 4 kitchens (one is used as laundry room), water storage, amazing iron work in the stairs, trellises. He has stunning antique wooden furniture that he sourced from Mumbai (all the old Parsi families had beautiful well made furniture) and then it is combined with all the stuff from his ILs house - brass and copper. And yet, it is an incredibly modern home. They also have a lift indoors. 12 people and 4 generations live there. Just a lovely blend of old and new. There is just beauty, comfort, openness and coziness in that house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A very beautiful and well maintained Haveli in Udaipur. I was transported to a fairytale land. I was breathless when I saw the courtyard. I have not seen something as beautiful as that in my entire life. It was like a movie set.

My brother's huge flat (apartment) in India. It is another level of design and functionality. Stunning multilevel terrace garden and perfectly designed and decorated rooms. You forget you are in the middle of an Indian metropolis. A blend of Indian, Western design elements and just uniquely customized to give each family member their perfect space. I told him I had not seen such a beautiful apartment in the US also. Guy is a genius, and is not a trained architect or designer. Just an amazing labor of love.

Which city? How is the air quality? What kind of SF and kitchens? Help quarters? It is very fascinating as a concept.

Bangalore. Air quality is fine (used to be better), close to a botanical garden/lake with amazing trees, closer to the airport than the main city but still populated, gated community. Four flats together, 2 ground floors and 2 on top. He has been able to also use the top of roof to convert as a terrace garden, and he used a lot of iron work to create stairs and walls, so that from each bedroom, you have an incredible view of greenery and a place to step out. Multilevel gardens and the whole secret garden concept with alleys, nooks and crannies and walls. The environment in Bangalore is such that you don't have to do much for the gardens to flourish

The flats were already built when he bought them over several years and he did not demolish lots of walls etc. He basically worked with what existed with very clever changes and worked on the interiors for form and function and the exterior gardens to create privacy and greenery. The bones of the flats were very good, huge bedrooms and bathrooms. His kitchen garden got enclosed to give a secret garden, courtyard look and also has entrance to the help quarters (which is housed in a part of the ground floor flat), wonderful storage, 4 kitchens (one is used as laundry room), water storage, amazing iron work in the stairs, trellises. He has stunning antique wooden furniture that he sourced from Mumbai (all the old Parsi families had beautiful well made furniture) and then it is combined with all the stuff from his ILs house - brass and copper. And yet, it is an incredibly modern home. They also have a lift indoors. 12 people and 4 generations live there. Just a lovely blend of old and new. There is just beauty, comfort, openness and coziness in that house.

Just to clarify -even though these are 4 flats and one large household, different members of the household live in different units, so I stayed at my brother-SIL's (though I toured most of the house). The outdoor space -terrace, courtyard, entrance, roof top, back yards etc are the spaces that got combined together to give a cohesiveness to the four flats and surround it with green space and so you truly forget that there are 4 different units. The outdoors greenry really expands the spaciousness of each room. You start feeling as if you are in a very quite and verdant place.

[Anonymous]

Buckingham Palace.

[Anonymous]

My grandparents owned a home in Florida for many years that was a Mizner. Generous rooms that formed a U and contained an interior patio and garden. Sited on the water with about 3 acres. Driveway with small allee of trees that ended near a grove of fruit trees. Spanish style was appropriate for the area and isn’t my favorite, but this was beautiful, built in the 20’s with the detailing to match. Hand painted original coffered ceiling, archways surrounding the courtyard, I could go on. I’ll never forget that house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in a US billionaires’ house several times and, while impressive, was glad it’s not mine. It’s obviously another degree of wealth and the house revolves around that - the entire house is set-up like a venue to accommodate dozens of staff and a hundred guests at any given moment. Felt very commercial. That said, it’s still gorgeous and every single thing - from the light switches to the baseboards - is next level.

Yeah but when that becomes stressful you just jet to your one bedroom house in Maine.
https://www.veranda.com/decorating-ideas/house-tours/a36704593/gil-schafer-waterfront-maine-house-tour/

Love, love this house!

[Anonymous]

A tiny two-room house on a seaside hill in Montenegro, but with all the "mod cons," made for enjoyment and with zero bling. The garden is as lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in a US billionaires’ house several times and, while impressive, was glad it’s not mine. It’s obviously another degree of wealth and the house revolves around that - the entire house is set-up like a venue to accommodate dozens of staff and a hundred guests at any given moment. Felt very commercial. That said, it’s still gorgeous and every single thing - from the light switches to the baseboards - is next level.

Yeah but when that becomes stressful you just jet to your one bedroom house in Maine.
https://www.veranda.com/decorating-ideas/house-tours/a36704593/gil-schafer-waterfront-maine-house-tour/

LOL.

Strange but I don't live this house. I really like the idea but somehow there's just too much self-important detail in there, it's too formal...

I'd like a nice Spanish coastal home instead.

[Anonymous]

to the PP with the historic house in Kalorama and fabulous designer -- can you say any more???!!!

If not name of designer, what type of budget does a designer at this level entail?

Sounds amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A very beautiful and well maintained Haveli in Udaipur. I was transported to a fairytale land. I was breathless when I saw the courtyard. I have not seen something as beautiful as that in my entire life. It was like a movie set.

My brother's huge flat (apartment) in India. It is another level of design and functionality. Stunning multilevel terrace garden and perfectly designed and decorated rooms. You forget you are in the middle of an Indian metropolis. A blend of Indian, Western design elements and just uniquely customized to give each family member their perfect space. I told him I had not seen such a beautiful apartment in the US also. Guy is a genius, and is not a trained architect or designer. Just an amazing labor of love.

Which city? How is the air quality? What kind of SF and kitchens? Help quarters? It is very fascinating as a concept.

Bangalore. Air quality is fine (used to be better), close to a botanical garden/lake with amazing trees, closer to the airport than the main city but still populated, gated community. Four flats together, 2 ground floors and 2 on top. He has been able to also use the top of roof to convert as a terrace garden, and he used a lot of iron work to create stairs and walls, so that from each bedroom, you have an incredible view of greenery and a place to step out. Multilevel gardens and the whole secret garden concept with alleys, nooks and crannies and walls. The environment in Bangalore is such that you don't have to do much for the gardens to flourish

The flats were already built when he bought them over several years and he did not demolish lots of walls etc. He basically worked with what existed with very clever changes and worked on the interiors for form and function and the exterior gardens to create privacy and greenery. The bones of the flats were very good, huge bedrooms and bathrooms. His kitchen garden got enclosed to give a secret garden, courtyard look and also has entrance to the help quarters (which is housed in a part of the ground floor flat), wonderful storage, 4 kitchens (one is used as laundry room), water storage, amazing iron work in the stairs, trellises. He has stunning antique wooden furniture that he sourced from Mumbai (all the old Parsi families had beautiful well made furniture) and then it is combined with all the stuff from his ILs house - brass and copper. And yet, it is an incredibly modern home. They also have a lift indoors. 12 people and 4 generations live there. Just a lovely blend of old and new. There is just beauty, comfort, openness and coziness in that house.

Just to clarify -even though these are 4 flats and one large household, different members of the household live in different units, so I stayed at my brother-SIL's (though I toured most of the house). The outdoor space -terrace, courtyard, entrance, roof top, back yards etc are the spaces that got combined together to give a cohesiveness to the four flats and surround it with green space and so you truly forget that there are 4 different units. The outdoors greenry really expands the spaciousness of each room. You start feeling as if you are in a very quite and verdant place.

😍
Wish this were in a magazine. I would love to see.