The Perfect Family House

Next week, we will have lived in our home for 19 years. When we moved here in November of 1990, Hannah was only seven months old. Now, she is a sophomore in college. Gosh, where did the time go?

Home ownership began for me in the mid 1980's. I was a single gal in my twenties when I bought a tiny cottage here in Rowayton, Connecticut. After John and I married in 1988, we began to search for a larger family home. Our housing needs seemed simple enough. We wanted a place that was in Rowayton, didn't require major renovations, had four bedrooms, three baths, and enough space for me to work at home comfortably. After seven years, I decided to forgo commuting to Manhattan and have a home-based graphic design business. I knew this would be a good arrangement once we had kids. But in the late 1980's, houses generally didn't have a dedicated home office. (That was before email and laptops.) Finding a house that fit our requirements was tougher than we expected.

After a two year search, we finally found it --- a house that had everything on our wish list --- except a home office. So we decided to expand a small den by borrowing space from a large screened porch. Luckily, the house already had a recently renovated kitchen with a new adjoining family room, as well as a spacious master bedroom addition. Over the years, our home improvements were minor and mostly cosmetic.

This house has afforded me room to work and room for my many collections of vintage this and that. It has good bones with windows galore, making it light and bright even on the cloudiest days. Although after 19 years some of our furnishings are worn and dated, we think of them as having mellowed with age, kind of like us.

Come on in and have a look around . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Our mid-century colonial has been kind to us over the past two decades. It has graciously accommodated a growing family and enabled me to work at home near our children. It's everything we wanted and more.

Looking ahead, in less than two short years, Jacob will head off to college. Will our perfect family house then feel too big? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Susan

Comments

[Cathy Santarsiero]

So lovely, Susan! Your home could be in a magazine.

[tammyCA]

Your house is a dream I wish I had! We have 2 kids who have to share a room & all it is is fighting in there (one being special needs who just doesn't get the word, 'stop'). We also need 4 brdrm with one being an office. I've been going out with the realtor for a couple of weeks & it is dismal...no, I'm talkin' about disgusting. A half-million doesn't get you much where I live. Last week she took me to a house (with 4 bdrm) with bars on the windows next to ratty apt. buildings! Other places have tacked on rooms like a maze or need too much renov., or if you get the 4th bdrm, then you get a tinier living space/kitchen. Reminds me of when we found this house 11 yrs ago...we searched everywhere and saw tons of houses (one came with a 400 lb. hog that lived in the house!)...this house is small and not in the best neighborhood but it sure was the best out of the many I had seen. This time we are limited to the certain areas because the school district is paying for the special needs school only if we live in the boundries...I also want to keep my other girl in her school (which I have to drive her to since I got her in on open enrollment...we can't afford to live in that nice area). Everything would be great if we won the lottery, 'tho.

[Pam]

Gorgeous. I love every little detail!

[Ruth]

I love your whole house. So warm and friendly, perfect for a family.

Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Kim]

Thank you for sharing your lovely home. I love the story of how it came to be yours & how perfect it is for your family.

And, your studio...sigh....

[Claudia]

Your home is so lovely, Susan. It is full of things you love and that makes it priceless!

[georgiapeachez]

Simple and elegant, obviously someone with great taste lives here! xo, suzy

[lisa]

Oh I love your Home! It is Perfect! How do you have such great stuff and it looks so neat and tidy! Well what I mean is I have too much junk and it looks like a store here. You have a great collection and it fits so nice! Thanks for sharing!
Hugs, Lisa

[Brenda Kula]

What a lovely, bright, cheerful home you have! You are so talented and creative. I smiled when I saw the dining room with books. Because that's something I would have done! I smiled gazing at all this eye candy you provided us. Thanks for inviting us into your house.
Brenda

[Dianne]

You are living in my dream home. It looks so warm and inviting. Enjoy it.

[Jill]

Your home is so wonderful-- it's beautiful, but in a warm and nurturing way that's hard to describe. Hey- did I spy a dollhouse in the corner of the family room? So cute! I have a pink one in my studio.

[black eyed susans kitchen]

Your home is so lovely, Susan. Your decor and collections show that interesting people live in that house. We are feeling the same about what we will do when our son leaves for college next fall. We are not sure, yet, whether our house will be too big without them.
♥, Susan

[Alison]

Oh I think it is just a pefect family home, I just love your style so warm & friendly.
Thank you for sharing your home with us.
Love
Alison
x

[Lemony Renee']

Your home is beautiful. I would say, "like a magazine layout," but that would deny it's warmth and personality. I really admire the way your collections are worked into your decorating. I need to take a page from you.