Someone posted a lovely home in the very same neighborhood about a year ago. I have such a soft spot for this area! When my parents were first dating, my Dad would drive by these wonderful old homes and promised my Mom one some day (we ended up in the leafy burbs instead). When I was in grad school my BF lived in a frathouse in this area. And when, in my early 20s, I got an apartment with my best friend from junior high, it was in a grand old 1920s-era apartment complex in this area. We had a huge apartment with old leaded windows and a stone juliet balcony. I recall us saying we would never live in such splendor again, and for a long time that was true! We used to wander around through the streets and look at the old estates, a hobby we called "house drooling". I've long since moved away, but when I was looking for a home in the NYC burbs, I was attracted once again to places that had the same feel, the same turn of the century development, the same tree lined streets. I've often wondered why the area was never gentrified, while (to me) far less comely neighbors such as Manayunk have been (as far as I understand). Maybe the smaller more modest housing stock in Manayunk is more doable for young people to move in and gentrify? These older larger homes, long since chopped up into apartments, are too costly for pioneers perhaps. Or maybe because Manayunk may have been working class, but was always safe?

Nini - on your first post, you said you'd do a separate post about honed and polished marble. Pros and cons to both. Have you done that and if not, would you do one or send me an email. We have chosen statuetto white marble for our island and I plan to go with honed (after testing polished). I'd like to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Wow, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all of your feedback. I was not expecting all of this. I wanted to respond to some interesting points and ask a few more questions- I'm letting go of the multi-purpose idea. You were all right about that, it's just not feasible and wouldn't benefit anyone. Moving forward, I'm going to focus on making this strictly a craft room/office. Several of you have said that having the craft room at the front of the house is undesirable, but I disagree. Maybe I should have been more clear about the nature of my "crafting." I'm not a freehand painter or sculptor or anything like that. Half of the work I do I actually on a computer. I guess you could say I'm more of a graphic designer, but the finished product is physical (the messy part will actually happen outside in a shed). My point is that mess wil not be a huge issue. In fact, in my current living situation my "studio" is relegated to just a hallway and it actually works out fine. I attached some photos. I think having the room in the front would make it easier for customers to come pick up pieces as @doc5md suggested, (especially if I don't know them) because they wouldn't have to walk through the whole house. Plus I think it'll be a point of interest for guests. With the right organization, this room will look really cool. I'm picturing something like the photo I attached. @rockybird, while I would love to expand the footprint of the house, unfortunately, we're at max capacity for square footage we can afford. Also, these plans were already approved by the town, to change them now would mean months of delay waiting for another approval, but that's besides the point. This house is in North Jersey where there is not a lot of room. We only have .14 of an acre (gotta love NJ!) And we already had to ask for a variance as we expanded the existing footprint by around 40%. So expanding even more is out of the question. But thanks for the suggestion! I did just talk to my contractor (aka Dad) and he said that we can extend the craft room a little (about a foot) without altering the plans (shh don't tell) because that wall between the craft room and dining room is not a load-bearing wall. Granted a foot isn't much, but hey, it's better than nothing. @B Carey I appreciate the real-life family insight! I can see how the toy thing will get annoying (and disorganized) and I appreciate you sharing that. @Mrs Pete thank you for all your layout suggestions, I love the idea of built-in cabinets and am definitely considering that! @Virgil Carter Fine Art I really appreciate all of your professional artist suggestions, I'm definitely not on your level, but you gave me a lot of food for thought. I hadn't even thought of the direction the room was facing and I'm glad you mentioned that. I have to make sure to position my desk so that my computer doesn't catch the glare of the sun all day, since that's where I'll be spending a lot of my time. As for the glare on the art itself, I don't usually paint freehand, I create stencils using my computer and a silhouette cutter so the glare shouldn't really mess me up. I am a teacher full-time though, so my Etsy work is usually done after dark. I have to make sure to get good lighting in there as you suggested. As far as using the laundry room as my craft space, I really don't want to do that. It's not just that it's too small, but having to go up and down the stairs with the wood is what I'm doing now and it's super annoying. I want to be able to go from the shed outside to my craft room (all on the same level). I actually love that the laundry room is on the second floor! It's where 95% of the dirty laundry will be made. All of the bedrooms will be upstairs as will all of our clothes, sheets, towels, etc. Putting it downstairs or in the basement would actually be way more of a hassle. Many of you said the ditch the French doors and I hear you on that.... BUT I'm not ready to part with them yet :( Call me stubborn, but I just love the look. At the very least, I'll have them swing outward instead of inward, because you're right, they eat up a lot of space. I am also entertaining the idea of pocket French doors instead. @doc5md I like the idea of the single pocket door, that sounds interesting. What exactly is the issue with the French doors at your house? Do they get in the way? @sofikbr - I am worried about that dining room. I thought the same thing, it's SO big and it won't be used very much. My husband and I like to entertain, but I feel like if there's only one or two couples coming over, we'll probably stay in the kitchen/living room area. The dining room will really only be used for holidays, but that seems like such a waste. The wall between the dining room and kitchen IS a load-bearing wall so we can get rid of it. Does anyone have any suggestions for making that room more functional?? What about adding built-in bookshelves and making it a little library, too? Add cozy window seats maybe? @sofikbr I also see what you're saying about the bathroom situation, but the kids will just have to deal with it. You're right, they don't need a sitting area, but it just worked out that way. We can afford the extra bedroom space, we can't afford a third full bathroom. And hey, love grows best in little houses, right? I've known families of 6, 7, and 8 that shared one bathroom and if they can figure it out, so can we. Besides, I think the double sink and closed off bath area will help. The first photo is my current "studio" in my parents' basement. The 2nd and 3rd are layout ideas.

My this is a long thread. I wish I had seen it earlier, before it reached novel length, lol. I actually read the entire thing. Took me a few hours with the side threads that were linked! Very interesting topic, bossyvossy. Something I’ve thought about lately, especially with the popularity of Fixer Upper and the influence that particular show has had. I loved watching HGTV and DIY Network back in the day before the programming became what it is these days. I got great ideas from them. Only a few were implemented, tho. It was mostly entertainment. I didn't even have cable until 2004 or so. Instead, I was influenced by the old Gardenweb some 18 years ago when living in a mid-century ranch (my "starter" home). I cut the cable cord a couple of years ago and do not miss it one bit. I love looking at local real estate listings. I'm aghast at the prices of flip houses in my neighborhood. And they sell! They're all the same with engineered "hand-scraped" wood floors, white and gray kitchens with stainless appliances (with the cheapest models, too) greige walls. Most of it bought at surplus stores and Lowe's no doubt. The flippers must be making a killing. Many homeowners remodel for resale, when they should be remodeling for their own enjoyment of their home. Even some of the seasoned GW veterans in the kitchen forum have in the past cautionioned against choices might not be good for resale. That mindset is HGTV's influence. And let's face it, humans are easily influenced. :) Now I'm older and living in my second house. I’ll be here for at least 10 more years, god willing. I gutted the master bathroom and did a contemporary remodel with a Houzz-influenced floating vanity. That's somewhat regretful, only because I chose a low-quality vanity. But I do love my bathroom. I would love a new kitchen, but it probably won't happen. It’s not a big priority for me as the one I have will do (original 1968 cabinets with some mods over the years). I've personal built custom cabinets for the dining room and sitting room. I love it, but it's not "on-trend". I thought that I would seek advice on this forum, but wound up not feeling like I needed it. And I honestly couldn't care one micron what anyone else thinks about it, much less some anonymous future buyer 10 years from now, lol. Needless to say, I'm no longer HGTV's target demographic.