Isn't it amazing how we all love our homes! I bought my 1919 Craftsman after looking at 114 houses in the area that were for sale. The main turn-offs for me were overdone new kitchens with granite counters and all painted white woodwork. I flew home after 3 trips house hunting, ready to give up. Then I saw this photo online of a Craftsman with unpainted woodwork and bought the house site unseen!! As I do any changes to my new old home, I take into consideration what the home would want, what is most appropriate, and yes, what will continue to increase the value of the old bones of a well built home. My house has the original woodwork and built ins, all unpainted. The only missing thing I discovered after removing 6 layers of wallpaper, was the dent in the old plaster from the missing picture rail. I researched, and bought new rail, then mixed 6 different colors of stain to match to the old stain. And, I have to say I came pretty darn close to matching the color. The bathroom and kitchen were sort of butchered up and I have finished the bathroom into a classic style, appropriate for a Craftsman home. Now I am working on the kitchen with white painted cabinets- not unlike the ones currently in the home. Yet, rather than choosing granite, I'm going with soapstone to keep it along the period lines. New product, yes, but still period appropriate. Yes I'm a typical DIY'er who doesn't shop at the big box stores and tries to avoid anything made in China, and I've been stripping the 90 years of paint off the exterior of my house and repainting for the past 3 years (in the summer) in order to save that old lap cedar. And yes, I tend to think of myself as an old house purist with all my remodeling projects, but in my case (and call me crazy here), but I think the house speaks, and by listening to what this house is made of, I don't think I can go wrong. We've all seen remodels that could have been done better, but the bottom line is, what works for us, those who are fortunate enough to be the caretakers of these homes that eventually will belong to someone else. And, what fits our lifestyles, is part of what makes a house a home. I'm just as passionate about my house as anyone, and I do know that when I come home, my home wraps it's arms around me and welcomes me in. And that, to me, is 'home.'

I noticed the same thing about the comfort of th eEktorp and the Karlstad. Now to be honest they are doing new displays etc. and the Ektorp sofa felt stiffer but it also looked like it was recently put out on the floor. The Karlstad felt more comfortable. I went around the store testing a few of the Ektorps and Karlstads in the display rooms and there was def. a difference in comfort even amongst the same line. I could find at least one Ektorp that was quite comfy as well as the first Karlstad I tried. I remember how stiff my leather club chairs were when I bought them a few yrs. ago and they have softened up very nicely! When I went to check out I saw the Karlstad w/ the full slipcover and a woman asleep on it. I sat down on the other end and she woke up and started laughing. Said she'd been asleep for awhile and how comfortable it was! lkplatow - thanks for the pic! I think that it looks less boxy in person and if I recall correctly the seams are French seams (hope I remember that correctly from someone here!). They are stitched again on either side of the seam and I think that makes it look more elegant or something. The slipcover appeared looser in the store. The Summer sale is on until July 5th. Maybe what I'll do is buy just the slipcovers of whichever sofa I decide on and then just keep scouring the bumps and dents show room for the actual sofa later. Cool - found a pic of the Karlstad w/ the long skirt!

very interesting to hear everyone's thoughts and I'm glad to hear that many of you think it is possible to achieve a comfortable, inviting space while still being sparse and minimalist. thanks mtnredux -- I've also made a number of bad design mistakes after drinking. ;) I started to paint my current dining room black one night after a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. I just got out a brush and went at it. And, um, my head hurt the next morning just looking at it. I also never decorated my homes differently because of kids - everyone told me I needed them, but I was not a fan of those hideous plastic things on cabinets to keep infants from staying out of them and I refused to install them. But you all are right that there is definitely a certain amount of clutter that is unavoidable (backpacks lying around, leashes and dog food bowls, shoes at the entryway, toddler socks in the middle of the room) given our lifestyle. None of that stuff bothers me -- it is the décor-style clutter (too many furnishings in a space) that makes my head hurt. javachik, yes, good eye, that is my peacock! :) Interestingly enough, our home is near a canyon that is a wild peacock preserve, so we have them roaming on our property. Several live in trees in our backyard. aktillery, your space is so warm and inviting! I love your design style and all of the furniture seems really comfortable and I just want to kick back on that sofa and read a good book. I'm with you that some of the minimalist furniture doesn't seem nearly as inviting or plush, although I am finding a few pieces that are really comfy -- like a beautiful Eames chair I am hopelessly in love with (the black/walnut chair in photos 8 and 9). It would be a splurge, but I do love those chairs, especially because they swivel and you could sit in them and watch tv and then look out the window at the backyard. mnzinnia, thanks for sharing your experience. I've been reading a lot about MCM homes and atomic ranches, and how many were built and designed to raise families in. There are so many aspects of this home that appealed to us -- the high ceilings, the open concept, the indoor/outdoor lifestyle and the use of glass everywhere and floor to ceiling windows -- even our front door is all glass. But like the house you grew up in, there is very little frou frou - no laundry room, a small but open and well planned kitchen, no powder bathroom, no dining room -- things that might be deal breakers to some people. snookums, self cleaning windows sound awesome! I've never heard of those, but I will have to google that. thanks, nancybee! I agree with you -- with kids, keeping our house picture perfect is definitely not a priority (and not even within our realm of possibility!). thanks ellendi, peegee, marti8, joanie, juliekmco and nosoccermom! chispa, you're definitely right that Houzz photos don't depict real life. I love Houzz but realize it's sort of like the airbrushed version of real homes. I spent nearly two days organizing and de-cluttering our current house for our MLS listing photo shoot and it still looks much more cluttered than these Houzz shots! hoping I responded to all! gotta run, nap time is over

@Sarah Much of the wood furniture in our house are pieces I ‘inherited’ (since they came from relatives who were still alive at the time, it was more of me being the sole person who expressed interest when the opportunity to get the furniture came up) some is over 40 years old, the newest is around 20 years old. Pretty much all will make it to the age where they will officially be considered antiques with my efforts to keep them cared for and clean. Upholstered furniture is slightly different in what to look for to get a long lived piece, and as many are featured in prominent areas (read: people see and use them a lot) it’s commonly these items we frequently want to replace/redo with something that suits the latest trends. The sofa with chaise that is in our main floor living room we bought in August 2017 (special order fabric so it wasn’t actually here until late September) wasn’t terribly expensive at around $700, but it fits the space and our 4 foster kiddos watch tv/play downstairs in the basement family room area that has the ‘wallhugger’ stationary back wood frame futon. The futon mattress is relatively inexpensive to replace, dark gray in color, so if it has to be replaced we’re totally fine with that! The sofa+chaise is a lovely sapphire blue, a nice place to seat guests and where the mister placed the GIANT fancy new tv (the only furnishing that he really wanted to pick out, was that tv - everything else he has put in my hands to decide on!) so he can watch it, and I can simultaneously cook while watching the news/whatever tv show I’m binge watching. Do I expect the sofa+chaise to eventually be a 100+ year old family heirloom? Of course not. But it will make it at least 8-10 years before I’m itching to replace it, and that’s okay. The mister isn’t creating a dented area in the shape of his butt on the thing even though he usually sits in exactly the same spot and the exact same position. So far there hasn’t been any stain-causing mishaps by anyone, all I can ask for really. :p