As a SF junkie I can agree with a lot of the quotes but for me a non-SF quote sticks out. He was shocked that some of his school friends had no books at home. I could not understand that either about some of my friends.

Just wanted to chime in to say, great thread here... captures a lot of what we have been going through in the planning stages of our house. We initially looked endlessly to find a stock plan we could modify... ended up empty because we wanted the house orientation to have the south-side be the long side, for rooms to have light on at least two sides, and for the main living areas to only be one room deep. (The Pattern Language book pretty much ruined me from being able to find a stock plan.) So when we eliminated the majority of plans, we looked for plan B... We would have engaged in a contract with ARG (really enjoyed the call with him and his process), except that we live in a construction boom area with a very strict county planning and permitting department requiring endless specs, so we needed more detailed plans that fit FL code (and the quotes we were getting locally for drafters to finish out concepts with details rivaled architect fees). So then it seemed our best bet would be to work with a local architect... We are normal locals in an zip code known for lavish second homes, so we felt lucky to finally someone who seems like a great fit. (And, I think in budget... we are in an hourly phase right now, but GW taught me that after due diligence and reference checking, once hired then apply the golden rule of trust thy architect.) It is going well, aside from my realization that architecture is about a gajillion times more complicated that I realized even after reading 8-10 architecture books and these forums. So this thread sure put into words a lot of what we have wrestled with along the way. And bry911, really looking forward to seeing your modern build come together... if we survive this traditional build, that is the next type of project I'd like to tackle. Told my husband the other day, if we ever won the lottery or experienced a windfall, I think it would be great fun to build different style houses that I feel drawn to but are so opposed to each other.... historical Colonials, Florida fish camps, and the beauty and simply of a modern structure executed correctly. Some day! - Said someone before even breaking ground on their first home.

Quit a mixture today of opinions. Many good ones, but the one which stood out for me was by Hector Hugh Monro. "He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed". I talked to that guy yesterday evening.

While some may not agree, I suggest you go to a local furniture store that stocks a style you like and avail yourself of their free advice. If you don't agree with their suggestions you are really under no obligation to buy what they recommend, but a nice mid-to high-end store will have salespeople who are skilled with this. If you find you don't mesh with the salesperson but like their products, contact the store manager to be assigned to a different salesperson. I did this once years ago and it lead to a better experience. As Lyn said, a rug is frequently a good place to start. You also should look at pictures on Houzz and compile an Ideabook before going shopping to help explain to a salesperson what you like. Start by searching on kitchens with black cabinets and then drilldown to see what the other rooms in the house look like. Even people who think they don't know what they want have preferences. If you start saving pictures a certain theme will emerge.