Annie Proulx is best known for “Brokeback Mountain,” the short story that inspired the award-winning movie, and The Shipping News, a novel that won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
Bird Cloud, her first work of nonfiction in 20 years, is a memoir of Proulx’s dream home located on 640 acres in Wyoming.
Now. There are few things I love more than a dream home (anybody’s), so I was interested in this book from the beginning. When I read the following paragraph in Proulx’s recent interview with BookPage, I was sold:
Anyone familiar with Proulx’s work knows the physical settings of her fiction are often love poems to the land itself. Naturally she wanted the house she built on her Wyoming prairie, with its towering cliffs and gorgeous wetlands, to reflect that. As she writes in Bird Cloud, “Because place is such a major part of my writing and life, I thought it important that Bird Cloud breathe in and out of the landscape. A house subject not only to the wind, but to the drowning shadows that submerge it every evening and the sharp slice of sunlight at the eastern end of the cliff.” [Continue reading this interview.]
For this week’s contest, we are giving away one copy of Bird Cloud. To enter to win, leave a comment with a description of your dream home (details are encouraged!). I’ll start: Adobe house in Santa Fe overflowing with plants and built-in bookshelves, with a pool in the backyard and a view of the mountains. (Sigh.)
Also in BookPage:
Read an interview with Proulx about That Old Ace in the Hole (2002) and a review of Bad Dirt (2005).
A simple home with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and my loved ones there to share the beauty.
On the “old home place” in Tennessee, a log house with so many windows it feels like camping. Enjoy the view that generations of my family enjoyed and endured.
A 2 story home on the beach with enough bedrooms for my children and grandchildren.
An old farm house with a big front porch, huge garden and a sunny room for my studio.
A log cabin in the mountains, a huge master bathroom, a hot tub view from a deck overlooking the mountains, seclusion yet easy access,large surround decks with rocking chairs, porch swing, enclosed sun room, yard for grandkids to play in.
A simple cottage with enough room to have my children, grandchildren and family come to visit…this would be built on an island that I love dearly and where I spent a lot of time growing up.
A house on a beach with lots of palm trees and shaded patios/porches where I can sit and read and listen to music all day without a care.
My dream home would be a little cottage on a beach near the ocean. I would be able to watch the sun rise from on porch, and the sun set from another. I would have one room with floor to ceiling bookcases filled with the classics, as well as cozy mysteries, memoirs of little known people, and cooking and crafting books. I would have a fireplace to sit in front of on chilly evenings and lose myself in what ever I am reading that day. I want to be able to watch dolphins play in front of my cottage and just watch the ocean in all its glory, whether peaceful and calm, or angry and menacing.
A house in Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes (Keuka) on the edge of the water, so close you can hear the waves lapping the shoreline. Enough room so that we can have plenty of visitors, but cozy enough that everyone feels immediately welcome. We’d be walking distance from a small grocery store, have a small sailboat docked, and no TV, no landline phone, and no videogames! We’d spend our evenings watching the sunsets, catching and releasing fireflies, and drinking a glass of the wonderful local wine!
Maine – you do not have to say more. A cape home high on a bluff overlooking the ocean, wildflowers and a foghorn would be the ideal along with the lobster boats heading out early morn.
Well if we are going all out my dream house would be any house on the beach in Hawaii. I don’t really care bedrooms or any of that. I would love a indoor/outdoor shower I think that would be so cool! But I figure it doesn’t need to be super big since I’d be on the beach! Oh and I would love built in book shelves to hold the books I’d read on the beach!
A large home overlooking the ocean,lots of windows to see out and rooms for my big family and friends..simple lines and a huge wrap around porch and deck to cook out on..might as well dream big. To lay in bed and see the sun rise,hear the waves,children playing in the water and sand
We’ve always wanted to live out west in a big log house,huge kitchen that we all gather in, rooms for visitors, a large barn and many outside storage bldings for a generator and such. Large open ,simple rooms..nothing fancy,just usable,rockers on front porch big enough for all of us..
I have always wanted a snug and cozy log cabin nestled in the hills of my beloved Tennessee or Kentucky. I would need a pantry for food to feed the body and bookshelves to hold books to feed the soul. I would want sunflowers and zinnias in blue jars, Grandmother’s quilts on the beds, and books overflowing on tables and overstuffed chairs. Of course there would be a screened in porch to enjoy the rain but shut out the mosquitos and to look out over the garden of tomatoes and veggies and to watch and listen to the birds at the feeders. Makes me happy just thinking about it.
A large home with big white columns in front and a port Co Chere (sp? an arched covered driveway) very near a large body of water (lake or ocean)with a coach house in the rear, a swimming pool and tennis courts. lots of land with a huge vegetable garden. A master bedroom with an attached sitting room that has a small fridge and coffee pot in it with an attached balcony so I can have my morning coffee while watching the sunrise over the water.A very large kitchen. (lets just skip the redundancy and know that all rooms are very large)a game room in the basement with, among other things a pool table and ping pong.Lots of bedrooms and baths so we can have lots of company at the same time and most important of all a staff to maintain all of this!
Haunted house built in the 1600′s with lots of windows(some stained glass), built-in bookshelves (I’m with ya on that one!), wraparound porch, and lots of cats. My home would be out in the country far from other people and I’d have land and horses.
I am living in my dream home. I always wanted a brand new home and got this 21 years ago. In the summer time when I am sitting on my garden bench by all the beautiful flowers and looking over the green lawn and the blue blue sky I think “This must be like Heaven”.
A home in the northwest Montana mountains looking upon Mount Marsten every day watching the morning sun reflect off the new fallen snow.
As we love the four seasons ,,, a rambling ranch condominoium home, screened in porch, close to a University campus, complete with a walkable distance to a good library, daily music, art & theater to enjoy!
A two story brick cottage surrounded by trees close to the water. Lots of windows to open to catch the breeze and a hammock on the front enclosed porch to laze the days away drinking lemonade and reading a good book.
An oceanfront home with floor to ceiling glass doors that you can open to your large decks to sit on & listen to the ocean while reading your books from the Book Case!
Sitting anywhere and reading a good book is a pleasure in my life.
Something on the ocean with large porches and lots of chairs for reading in the sun with the sound of the ocean as background. It will plenty of windows to enjoy the view. large rooms and open areas.
A dream home for me would have to include a dream place for my “furbies”. Rooms with ladders and high places to perch and nap for the cats and open spaces with sun pouring in for the old dogs to stretch out and nooze. Lots of windows to watch birds and admire flowers and sunsets for me.
I refuse to ‘dream’ about a house I could never afford so I’ve decided to love the house/place I have. It’s not expensive or fancy, but I have a pool and behind it are swaying palm trees. Reading on the pool deck is like a ‘dream’ come true to me!
A real beautiful cabin in the mtns built with woods of all kinds!I havent had my own home for 4 years and I would love anything that I can settle in for a long time.
A small simple house built in the style of a country house of 16th century Japan (see http://www.haikuhouses.com)on a lake shore, in New Zealand. It would be secluded and above all QUIET. It would have lots of windows allowing natural light. It would contain only what I really need for a minimalist life style. It would have kitchen essentials, composting commode, solar energy. Built in bookcases, tubs for washing fleeces and a small loft for storing them, and one outrageously comfortable chair for reading would complete my needs.
The Santa Fe house sounds good — I’ve gone there for several years for the great opera series. But my dreamhouse would be along a rocky coast. Doesn’t need to be big but needs a wonderful library with walls of books and a great, rolling ladder to reach the high ones. Everything else (except indoor plumbing) is not important.
My dream home would be in San Clemente, CA by the ocean. It would be a Spanish, tile roof and 2 story so my children, grandson and friends could come and stay.
It would have a big wrap around porch and a sun room for those chilly days. And the view, whether of the ocean or the mountains, would be unimpeded.
My dreamhouse would be small, in the middle of the woods with lots of windows so I could watch the wildlife. It would have solar power and a woodstove. Thanks for the great contest!
A ranch house with a small fenced-in yard: 4 bedrooms (because no one wants to buy a 3 bedroom house anymore and eventually you have to sell,) 2 1/2 baths, fully-wired, with a laundry / mud room, good air-conditioning, lots of storage space, well insulated, on a road few travel on but close to shopping. Yes, it’s not very dreamy but I don’t need dreamy anymore. I need practical! I find practical to be very dreamy!
I’m right there with you,Joan.
My 60 year old house with some much needed updating, like insulation !LOL~
I have been blessed with good neighbors and horses in the neighbors pasture . The grandkids feed them carrots and apples. This place may be old but it makes me happy.
My dream house would be a small cottage on the Oregon coast overlooking the beach with a room just for all my books. There would be shelves from ceiling to floor and I could just pick a new book to read every day and sit on the porch and read.
A penthouse in New York or Boston with panoramic views of the surrounding city. a roof garden with a plethora of plants plus space to host events and parties,close to culture and the arts, with some privacy
dream home would be a second home, a beach cottage at the cape, right near the water
A victorian cottage in Cape May N.J with the living space on the top floor, overlooking the ocean or the bay. A wraparound porch with a pool in the backyard, which would also have a small vegetable garden, overlooking the bay. I would need 4 bedrooms and 2 baths for my children and grandchildren to visit. I would love a small, cozy room for my books and reading. And of course, central AC. It can get humid there. I wouldn’t have to worry about getting into the center of town as you can walk to just about any place in Cape May.
A bright, light filled beach house with picture windows, hardwood floors, fans, and open airy rooms.
What Ann Weightman says! More practically, my dream home would be near my extended family but not too near. It would be a little bit closer to work while still being a little bit in the country. It would have a built-in maintenance contract providing for monthly upkeep of everything – paint touch ups, yard work, cleaning. There would be a big back yard with a fence my dog can’t get out of and others can’t get into. My bedroom would be bigger and my mom’s would be a little more separate. Finally, the garage would be clear of clutter for parking!
My dream home has beautiful views and enough book cases for all my books.
If I was forced to pick between a house on by the ocean or on in the Sonoran Desert, I would have a really had time. These days I’m leaning more toward the desert, but I think that’s because I haven’t been back there in far too long. Either location would have to have lots of windows and comfy chairs and couches for reading!
My only requirement is that it be maintenance-free. Now THAT is a dream home!
One with family near by so I can see them as often as I want and as often as they want. Two different things I would imagine
Place is a main protagonist is the works of Annie Proulx. Her characterization is always intense and detailed. Having wondered why folks would live in a desert, I find explanations in her book. I live in Michigan on the water.
I still love the home “in Maine” not sure that’s is where it really was” that the TV version of “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” was filmed. Add maintenance-free and I would be sooooooo happy.
My dream home would be the one that my dogs, cat, and I are living in now … only:
*there would be no annual mouse invasion (we carry out an average of 5-6 mice a day in humane Victor traps)
*it would be expanded by a lovely 4 season Sun Porch
*the driveway would miraculously be covered by an environmentally sound snow and ice melting crushed rock OR the house would magically appear in a location by the
ocean where the temperature was year-round 40-70
*the kitchen linoleum would be replaced and a permanent solution found for the water entering the basement through the limestone foundation
Ah yes…
A mountain cabin overflowing with friends, animals and BOOKS!
I’d expand on the house we have now by adding a dining room and first floor laundry. Then I would remodel the bathroom to include a walk-in shower. I love our newly refinished hardwood floors and newly painted walls, so I would keep all that. Magically, there would be a get-away room for reading, painting and dreaming that only I know about. It would have lots of windows. Perhaps that would be on a second floor. There would be an elevator to take me up there where I could gaze over the lake view which would also suddenly be there. I actually live in a suburb, but since this is a dream then I will have a waterscape and mountains on the other side.
Open-space cottage at the beach. Covered porches, galley-kitchen,book shelves,out-door shower,ceiling fans in every room.
English Tudor house with lots of windows overlooking a beautiful valley; perhaps in the foothillsof Georgia or Tennessee. It must have a large library with plenty of sunlight and a gourmet kitchen.
A rambling Victorian or a “Cracker Country” style with a dog trot( a Breezeway that allows you to sit in the open with the wind giving a respite from the sun)It has a lot of windows for natural light, built in shelves for books with plenty of floor space for comfortable chairs, couches and rugs. Energy saving lights, water and heating/cooling system. Space is a must for cooking and family and friends to share ideas on various subjects around a table and nook.
Single story contemporary Craftsman with wide eaves but lots of windows for airiness and trees for shade (and birds). I’d really like to take advantage of as many “green” initiatives as I can with solar panels, cisterns, natural components. There must be room for each of us to have our own space but a great room area where we can come together. And there must be an enclosed/screened in porch. My brother wants the gourmet kitchen so he can feed us
We lived in Iowa for many years but always wanted to move to Arkansas. We bravely “took the plunge” in 2002 and are glad that we did. We like the fact that we live near family, the weather is better and my husband appreciates the fishing and hunting opportunities.
Sounds like a very nice book.
My heart is in Brown County, Southern Indiana. But I live in Northern Texas. It is cold in the winter time but I can keep warm with a space heater and staying indoors. If there was a way to live where my heart is, I would have a one story home in the woods with a good place for a garden. It would have to have plenty of walk in closets, a nice big tub for soaking and a screened in porch. I miss the arts and crafts people in Nashville, Indiana, cantaloupes bigger than you can imagine and the enormous IU library, the affordable theatre and the magnificent scenery of the rolling hills. At least I still have the cardinals, bluejays and song sparrows but I don’t have the bal eagle soaring over head.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
I would love to live in the country preferably in Tennessee. I would like a wooden one story house with a wrap around porch. I would like a front porch swing and a couple of rocking or Adronack chairs. I would like big windows to look out to see the pretty wildlife.
I loved The Shipping News, so would like to know more about Annie Proulx. When’s her next work of fiction?
a small cottage by a running river, lush grasses and wild flowers. a patio to sit and read or maybe have lunch. blue blue skies, great trees towering around. the quiet of nature echoing. this is my dream house
A log house in the mountains, with a stream nearby. A hot tub would be great, and a huge bathroom(s) with big walk in shower. Also want walk in closets – big ones, and a library room with built in shelves all the way around and a sound system. Fireplaces in the rooms also a necessity. I’d also love a craft/hobby room, a big laundry room/pantry, and a finished basement with a cellar room for all my canning. I’m not looking for modern styling, I prefer a more old fashioned style with the modern amenities! Oh, and don’t forget my garden!
My dream house is more about location, would love
to be on the ocean in Hawaii.
On the ocean with a 360 degree view of the ocean, tide pools, and marshes. Wood floors, large windows with window seats, built in bookshelves under the window seats, huge wrap around porch with a swings facing the ocean. Large great room with fireplace and lot of overstuffed chairs. Walk in cedar closets, large bathrooms with walk in showers. Outside the 2nd floor master bedroom would be a large deck over looking a lighthouse. Lots of large bedrooms for family and a kitchen and pantry to feed them all. The rose garden would circle around the vegetable garden. A “green” house with a white picket fence.
A small house with just enough room to keep my favorite books, and my stash of yarn. A yard enough for my dog to run and my grandchildren to play in.
Did I also mention a screened in porch?
A brownstone in Brooklyn, garden and library included.
Would love to live in a town in Vermont in a cozy,
comfortable and cheerfully decorated home.I would have
a large, country kitchen with windows that look out onto blue skies and beautiful trees. I would have a room that was a library-comfy chairs and ottomans,
reading lamps and shelves of all the books I could
fill it with. There would be a wrap around porch with
rockers, a porch swing and a hammock, for those lazy
summer days. In my backyard there would be lots of
green lawn to play crochet, shade trees to sit under
and read, read, read.Last but not least I would want
all my children and grandchildren to fill it with their love.
My dream house would be near the ocean. It should have a 2nd story porch so I could watch the waves. There should be lots of large windows so I can get plenty of light into the rooms.
a summer house in Hawaii!!
a private beach front home on the island of st.john.far away from the politicians and the rest of the nuts. very important– a large library and a kitchen…
A cozy small mountain cabin with a large fireplace in the center of the great room. Wood details so that it is rustic. Large yard with pines and woodlands surrounding it. Large kitchen for entertaining my friends along with at least four bedrooms and baths. Jacuzzi overlooking the mountains. Peaceful and quiet.
My dream home is remodeling my home that I have lived in all my 67 years of life. I wouldn’t know how to pack and move and I wouldn’t want too. Just remodeling for a better home since this one is ancient, but I would want to change the style.
A Mediterranean villa on Amalfi coast in Italy.
My dream home would be a little cottage in VT. There’d be a picture window and a wood-burning stove. One room would have floor to ceiling bookshelves and another would house my yarn (I’m a knitter). It would be cozy and welcoming!
A beautiful older home in Tuscany, with a small vineyard and garden, with trips to Rome and Venice and to other vineyards. I can pick herbs from my garden and make my own wine and enjoy a wonderful home cooked meal with some of my own ingredients – maybe a pasta in marinara sauce with oregano, basil and a touch of Sangiovese
a beautiful old restored small stone and wood farm house in the luberon or languedoc-roussillon in france, or someplace just outside of paris with a little yard and someone to teach me to drive in europe!
A small beach house on the gulf south of Tampa where the sand is soft and white and never gets hot. I would like a deck that looked towards the west to see the stunning sunsets over the water. The house would be open and very airy except for built in bookshelves that would line the walls in most of the rooms. There would also be a balcony on the second floor.
My dream home would have to be build on a hill over looking water of some sort. Those two elements would be vital. But the house itself would be small, tidy, wrap around porch and lots of windows. So you wold feel like to outside was inside.
My dream house would be in Venice, Italy. Ahhh, the romance.
Small cottage on the beach with a wrap around porch with a porch swing where I can sit with my husband and watch the sun rise and set each day.
When I can sit back where ever I might be and sigh, ‘all is right with my soul’, then I am living in my ideal, dream home.
My dream home is in the mountains of my home state of Virginia. It’s not a large home. It’s all on one level and has large, sunny, rooms with lots of floor to ceiling windows. Of course, it has solar panels to make it energy efficient! It also has several bookcases to hold all my beloved books. There is a large deck overlooking the fields with lots of chairs. Half of the deck is covered and half is not so I can have my choice of sitting in sun or shade. When I retire, this is how I would like to live!
I sit, looking out of my mountain top home overlooking the peaks of the Grand Tetons.This is where I can watch the ever changing sky, the wild life,fauna that renews my soul every day.
My dream house would be a cozy log cabin in the woods with a few huge fireplaces, where my daughters could each have their own room plus area to play and practice her piano. A big covered porch where I could sit on my backporch with a good book and a cup of coffee. An office where my husband can do all of his studying and be undisturbed. A pool so my daughters could finally learn to swim. Of course I would also need a maid, groundskeeper, pool cleaner and everything to be free:)
First: Something outside our current city on no less than 89 acres. (I grew up on 89 acres, so it’s my default.) Farmhouse type look, but with color. Probably red. White trim. Wrap around porch. Five bedroom. Office for me. Office has built-ins all the way around, except for the window behind the desk. But shelves above that too. The kitchen is big and open and full of counter space. Wood floors throughout. The basement is finished and has a wonderful playroom for the boys, work area for my husband and crafting area for me. There are bird feeders on all sides of the house.
My dream home would be along a river in a remote spot where I would see lots of wildlife.
A small stone cottage on the craggy shores of Ireland. The cottage would be on a clift overlooking the ocean. It would have a small yard surrounded by a white fence and glorious flowers at bloom in the garden. The garden would have a small fountain and bench to sit on. The cottage would have flowing vines creeping up, green shutters and flower boxes. The inside would have wooden floors with faded rugs and lace curtains. Upstairs would be a sleeping loft with a big bed and a chest of drawers. All the furniture would be old, somewhat faded, but sturdy and polished.
A home on the beach where I can watch the sunrise and sunset!
This is just my type of book!
My dream home would definitely have a greenhouse (attached of course!) Oh, and a big, sun filled library/ sunroom for me and my cats and books!! A view of the mountains, I’m not picky about the “range”
A cool finished area for my husband and boys, complete with pool table, tv, you know, man-cave stuff. A big wrap around porch. Maybe a couple of acres to also grow fruit trees and a garden both veggie and flower. A small stream or babbling brook nearby would complete the serene setting.
One story, high ceilings, wood, octagonal, the walls are all windows and it sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean – a long set of wooden stairs lead down to the beach.
I would love a house by the beach, with lots of windows so I could open them to get the breezes, and have the sunshine come pouring in. I’d love a deck, big enough to have everyone be able to sit outside, and a screened in porch so at night, we could sit outside without any insects coming in. If the house could be on island that would be wonderful also. Lots of blues and white inside, light colors, and natural products, and to be environmentally friendly! Big enough to have guests. I want to share my lovely home!
A waterfront beach cottage somewhere not over-run by tourists with year-round warm weather. I love to surf fish (and eat my catch!), plus I enjoy spending hours watching and listening to all the late-afternoon sounds of the shore, whether walking along it or sitting on a covered back balcony. Although I love the sea, I do not like swimming in it; a freshwater pool would make this dream home ideal.
I’ve always wanted to live on a site that was near water… any kind of water: ocean, river, pond, stream. I’d love an old home with character.
Two or three blocks from the Pacific Ocean on a slight incline with a big balcony facing the water. A huge kitchen with all modern appliances,spacious bedrooms with huge closets and built-in bookcases.
My ideal home is a log home because nothing beats the warmth of wood. The house would be full of natural light (lots of windows) and greenery (plants). I would have wall to wall bookcases in every room with lots of little interesting ‘reading nooks’ sprinkled liberally throughout the house. As for location, it would have to be somewhere where the outdoors is up close and personal–that could be in the mountains, desert southwest, or rural south…as long as there was plenty of space between me and my nearest neighbor (though I am partial to trees, so I’d have to think about the southwest). I’m also kind of partial to water, so a nice stream or river close by would be awesome.
I would have wooden gargae doors…I just love that. Stone flooring. Kitchen with a gas range with a pot filler faucet and indoor grill. Stainless appliances with a plasma on the fridge. Motion censor sink in the kitchen. I would have an island in the kitchen. I would like light up cabinets. The bathroom would have a separate walk in shower with with a rainfall showerhead and at least 6 other jets. I would have a 14 k white gold inax bath rub imported from Japan. I would also like a Japanese toilet with a heated seat. I want his and her bathrooms…in my bath there would be a glass sink. I would have a ton of walk in closets and organizers. Fireplaces in the family room and bedroom. I would have an indoor pool with a retractable roof…and an infinity pool in the back with a hot tub.
My dream house is overlooking water…any water, ocean, river, lake, it doesn’t matter. The house also has large windows that lets in sunlight & affords me wonderful views. It has the one room, I’ve often longed for but never had, a library. A room of my own with a comfortable coach & chair, good lighting, and a place for all of my books. It will also have a great window so when I take a break from my reading, I can look out at that water view. Can you tell I’m a Pisces?
We are currently living in, and working on, our dream house. Deep in the East Texas woods, on a bluff above the Angelina River is our log cabin (4 BRs, 4 baths)that the grandkids call “The Camp.” It has a wrap-around porch that faces the open meadow to the right & the river in front & to the left. A brick patio with an outdoor stone fireplace is a place to gather even on cold evenings. A summer kitchen gives the sons a pplace to cook while they smoke cigars & tell each other lies. A garage with a “Crow’s Nest” apartment gives the same guys sleeping arrangements that do not disturb my sleep. The large open kitchen/TV room/book nook/wet bar/dining area is where the daughter & ds-i-l gather to get away from the guys. They sit on colorful cushions on a 12′reclaimed church pew facing a wall of windows looking down on the green river. The girls with babies can retreat to the guest house next door for quiet time and their naps. The active or restless can work in the garden or greenhouse, feed chickens & gather eggs, or help tend to the Great Danes in the kennel (always work to get ready for a dog show). Everyone wants to come visit & we encourage them.
My dream house would be in the country; out of town, but not too far. It must have big trees surrounding it! I would love a house with lots of natural light, wide open spaces and plenty of book shelves. That’s really not asking too much, just creature comforts of the best kind!
My dream home would be in the country and have wonderful trees and gardens. A cook friendly kitchen with plenty of space for meals and visitors. A guest room, office area, sewing laundry room, and my art studio. The style is country farmhouse with a wrap around covered porch.
A log cabin in the mountains. Very rustic but with modern conveniences. It would have a large stone fireplace in the main room and large comfy couches and chairs. One wall would be a huge book shelf filled with old favorites and ones waiting to be discovered.
I would love to live in the country with a beautiful view. It can be a view of mountains, ocean, lake, it just needs to be beautiful. It must have a lot of windows and light. I want it made of brick and and a newer outside feel. However the inside must be colonial in feel with lots of hidden gems. A hidden stairway, room, etc. And the biggest “must have” is a library, of course!! It must be a huge room with bookshelves floor to ceiling and a cute sliding ladder!
My dream home would be in a temperate region close to a large lake or a secluded ocean beach with private access. As I get older, I don’t seem to tolerate extreme cold or excessive heat very well. If possible, I’d also like it to be near a metropolitan area for periodic cultural excursions. I would want it to have multiple levels for panoramic views, but with an available elevator for when one is needed. It goes without saying that my dream house would have an extensive private library/study area, a home movie theatre with state-of-the-art equipment, and plenty of cozy bedrooms for when friends wanted to visit. I’d like an enclosed courtyard for morning coffee or evening relaxing, and a swimming pool for low-impact exercising would be nice. The style would be a mixture of Frank Lloyd Wright midwestern Mission, country farmhouse, and California bungalow, but with all the modern conveniences in the kitchen and bath. And of course it has to include the latest “green” building elements.
Warm air, lots of sunshine and a view of Mother Nature’s finest out of every window… the Santa Fe adobe without the pool and located against the hillside but in Taos NM would do just fine. Dream home would also have radiant heat including the floors, plenty of hammocks, comfy library with lots of natural light, courtyard with gardens and space for living the way we do when we are on our best vacation.
Ahhh, good way to start the week.
My perfect house will be on a hill with lots of windows looking out to a great view. There will be a large, beautiful swimming pool in the backyard. Inside there will be a lot of bookshelves and storage areas so I can finally put things away.
I will actually be living in my dream home once we finish with our remodeling. Our house is 100 years old, one of the original structures in our small northwest town. It has a wonderful, rich history and each room is being designed to be exactly what we want it to be.
My dream home would be an old farmhouse with lots of windows and a large porch for morning coffee, afternoon reading and visiting with friends and neighbors. I would have a large airy kitchen [modern conviences], a breakfast room, dining room, parlor and living/family room. Modern bath up and downstairs. It would be on a large lot with woods, flowers and maybe a small pool for swimming. It would come with a housekeeper too!
Guess my dream home sounds like everyone else….a nice house up in the mountains of Colorado with lots of windows and a wood stove for the cold winters. Plus loads of books to read when I’m snowed in!
My dream home is a nice beach bungalow with a deck perfect for sitting with coffee and a good book while listening to the waves. I want whitewashed wood floors, and the inside to be decorated shabby chic style ~ pink roses, vintage decor… I want vintage whitewashed bookshelves full of books, and only a radio… no television. The ocean is enough for me to watch.
Dream home would be on the ocean, in New England, maybe Maine. I would be able to see a lighthouse from from living room. The living room would have bench seat all around the windows to have a perfect view of the ocean. A large farmhouse style kitchen and alot of open space.
My dream home would be near water (ocean or lake)with at least three bedrooms and three bathrooms. I love an open floor plan with gourmet kitchen and great outdoor BBQ area too. Rooms need to be large, lots of windows and lots of room to just enjoy the space. My ideal house would have a loft area with the walls lined with shelves for lots and lots of books. I would have a small TV there and it would be my oasis!! What could be more heavenly than your own space with your books, TV and a good reading chair?
my ideal house would be in the hills immediately above Santa Barbara..it would have an extra large front door facing the east mountain…the front door would open allowing you to see thru the house to view the back of the house which would be a wall of windows facing the Pacific Ocean…immediately outside the house would be an infinite pool with a stone patio with creeping thyme between the rocks…inside would be an upgraded kitchen with all the appliances in stainless steel, sit down kitchen table near by with a family room extending from this area…on the first floor would be the master bedroom with a walkout door to the pool area.. on the first floor would be a library looking to the ocean side of the house with walls of shelves for book, comfortable chair and plug in for kindle…upstairs more bedrooms for sleep over family visits…minimal landscape outside for fire control…
Okay. Okay. I want a house just like Barbie has. Alright? Yes, Barbie, you-know-who. Don’t you? I want it to be completely different than the mouse and other rodent dwelling tenament I’m living in now, seriously.
It must have colorful wallpaper (modern to be sure, perhaps with glitter or metallics); shiny parquet floors; sublime lighting fixtures and all the rest. Portability is optional but, I do not want it to be too over the top just something snuggly and cool, just like Barbie has, whether it is prefab or not. 
Thank you, Santa. Please remember that I am, wishing and hoping.
My dream home would be set in a warm climate. A large white house that has only some greying due to the natural aging of the stucco. A circular driveway leads to the front door framed with cypress trees. The wooden double doors with knockers would open into a grand foray where a circular black table, set atop an Oriental rug, with a large floral centerpriece greets visitors. To the left would be the living room area, where guests could sit and gaze out the Victorian windows onto the gardens and fountains, such as those found at Casa Loma outside Toronto Canada. Past the black table one could enter the kitchen area. To the right would be the large appliances in line against the wall. An island is facing the kitchen table and chairs which are against a window. The flooring is a white and black checkered tile. To the right of entering the home is the dining area – a formal dining area. A deep red covers the walls in a textured paper. The dining room chairs and table are a dark wood. The chairs have armrests and cushions whose fabric matches the red in the walls. Just beyond the round table on entering the home, is a grand circular staircase, repeating the pattern made by the driveway. Upstairs are the bedrooms. The master bedroom would have french doors opening onto a balcony with a cast iron bistro table and two chairs, upon which I could sip my coffee and gaze at the changing colours in the sky. of course there would be washrooms and storage areas. This is just the beginning. My dream home is still a work in progress in my mind. This is just a snippet of that dream.
An eternity pool overlooking cliffside above the sea. A large wood floored foyer with only a wall to wall window by a gleamiong grand piano and nothing else. A small built in staircase ot elevator to the beach. A warm living room with a red sofa and tawny armchairs facing a crakling fireplace. I’m dreaming, dreaming……my house!
My dream home would be just ourside a small town in the northern Rockies. The largest windows would face the million dollar view of the mountains, but there would be 360 degrees of super scenery. There would be pasture around the house and a small stream running nearby, Deer and antelope playing in the pastures and seasonal other peoples hores as well. NaturaLLY A FIREPLACE AND LOTS OF BOOK CASES!
My dream house would be a small arts-and-crafts style bungalow on the shores of Lake Michigan; specifically the south side of the Straits of Mackinaw, with a view of the Mackinac Bridge and Mackinac Island.
My dream home is a ranch that would be overlooking the water, furnished with an eclectic mix of modern & antiques~everything in earth tones, it would HAVE to include a library with shelves from floor to ceiling and a wonderful window seat with a mountain view! Lush wild gardens with stone footpaths and a covered outdoor eating area with firepit!
My dream house is an old fashioned clapboard cottage, with wide porches all around, many tall multi-paned windows and tall unpainted doors. A tin roof would finish the exterior. A walk-way over the sand dunes would protect the nesting turtles, as I make my way to the white sand beach and the waiting surf. Inside are very high ceilings with oak beams, wood and tile floors and a large Rumsford fireplace for cold January days. Cozy white sofas and chairs with foot-stools fill the living area, and the kitchen is fit for a professional chef. Many books line the tall bookcases, and in the summer I can sit by the pool reading from them! I am home.
Home is where the heart is -so as long as I am with the people I love that is my dream home, second only to the ultimate home we have in Heaven.
Someplace on earth that is warm most of the year -the southwest or a beach anywhere would do. Lots of windows and great views. Adobe would be nice with fireplaces, screened porch in back with covered wrap around porch and lots of rocking chairs, window filled for great lighting in reading room with low bookshelves surrounding and comfy chairs,a lap pool or wave pool that can be used year round,a large well stocked kitchen and great room for entertaining or just relaxing.All on one floor with a large master bedroom and large master bath with whirlpool deep tub and two headed standing shower, guest bedrooms on the opposite side of the house. Warm earthy colors that make you want to curl up with a good, book an excellent cup of coffe and feel safe and warm always!
I live in Wisconsin and love the beauty of our state. My dream home would be in the north woods of Wisconsin on the shores of one of the beautiful flowages or lakes. My home would have huge front porch with rocking chairs for all. It would have to have at least 2 or 3 bedrooms so my friends could visit any time. Everything is on one floor because I am handicapped and have a problem doing steps. I would want an open area for the kitchen and living room so you could see the water while you cook or relax in the main room. I would like to start and end each day on that porch enjoying the sunrise or sunset!
My dream home would be homey, lots of built-ins, especially bookshelves. Modern but cozy kitchen, open floor plan. I’d like to be in New York State in a semi-rural area in Ulster, Greene, Columbia or Dutchess counties. Lots of windows and the whole house using the latest green technology so as much solar-powered as possible, wind powered, wood-burning fireplace insert with blower, stone fireplace mantel. Hardwood floors throughout, bathroom with large, jetted tub, separate marble shower, bidet. Mudroom and three garage attached. Not located in any flood plain, but with views of the mountains and/or Hudson River.
Annie Proulx is one of my favorite authors. When I noted she had written a new book, I couldn’t wait to read it.
She is a wonderful author. Would love to read a new book of hers.
Thank you.
My dream house would be along the California Coast
in Carmel, overlooking the ocean. Between the view
and the great places to eat, I would be in heaven!
My dream home would be near the ocean, filled with bookcases and lots of animals. I need a garden too, oh my. Totally ecofriendly and green. It would have to have a guest house close by for family and friends, with all the conveniences.
My dream home would sit high on a hill, overlooking Lake Tahoe, Nevada side for tax purposes. It would be rustic mansion with enough storage room to never need a shed again, linen closets that held more than five sheet sets and two towels, a kitchen for fridge and microwave, but who cares about the cooking section? and a huge, main level master bedroom with sitting area, his/hers walk-in closets and a master bathroom bigger than my current bed and bathroom. Ah, sweet dreams, enter that H&G contest yearly, but so far no luck. The driveway would be heated, as all of the outside walkways so no shoveling of snow – just sit inside and enjoy the view
My dream home would be a small cottage with a front porch and porch swing. An English garden in the front full of hollyhocks,roses and heather. A fireplace and comfy living room.A bedroom covered in flower curtains/bedspread and a rocking chair. Backyard with a veggie garden to nurture…ahhhh
Any home large enough to have enough bookshelves to keep all my books with having to have stack in back of others, with enough space for a nice garden, and in or near an area dark enough to see the night sky.
Arts and Crafts cottage, on the water, secluded, surrounded by trees and mountains, full of light and books, food and laughter in abundance. It is more a sense of place than a specific place.
Just one? I wouldn’t mind several different homes…beach, mountain, city, etc. If I can be air-conditioned, if necessary, and I have access to walking in natural or park-like settings, I’m good. Access to live music, theater, and good restaurants as well as an area to garden would be great plusses.
My dream home would be a spacious 4000 to 5000 square foot loft located in Seattle, WA with a floor to ceiling view of the Space Needle. The reason for the loft space is due to all the artwork I’ve been collecting for several decades. Living in a space of this design would allow me the luxury of displaying both framed art and sculptures so that they could easily be viewed without feeling cluttered. The place would have exposed pipes to give it an unfinished industrial look but would, in fact, be a state-of-the-art home, incorporating the latest technology and home security system. There would be an open-air kitchen with stainless steel refrigerator and other coordinating appliances, as well as large, roomy glass cabinets that expose the contents within. Two large air-conditioning units would provide a temperate environment throughout the home, accompanied by ceiling fans. The look would be simultaneously minimal yet warm. Wood floors and large walk-in closets would abound, separated by decorative screens to divide the various living areas.
An underground garage would house my vehicle and entrance would be via security code and gate. Now that’s a space I’d occupy in a New York minute!
My dream home is closer enough to the ocean to be able to awaken to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.
You so describe my dream house! Santa Fe, NM, Adobe house with courtyard, lots of containers full of flowers, a pool in the backyard, a view of the mountains, neighbors but really good-sized piece of land (an acre seems right– not too big to take care of and not so small your neighbors are in your lap). An open floor plan, fireplace, lots of bookcases (a former librarian, so a ton of books are an occupational hazard) and a room for me to work on my fiber art, photography and collage pieces.
My dream house would be a new farmhouse built to look like an old farmhouse. Having lived in an actual old farmhouse, I can tell you it was nothing but a money pit with no air conditioning, insulation, basement, etc. The house would have character and no “projects” to work on. I am a librarian, not a contractor! Plus it would have it’s own tennis court and bowling alley. And a pool only if I had someone else to take care of it.
That’s easy – my dream home would have a washer and dryer – in the house, central air, and a garage! Not asking for much – I live in an apartment in Illinois – too much snow and ice!
Ever hear of piping daylight to someone? That’s how far out I would want to be in my dream house with lots of windows, solar panels, a stream or creek nearby and hundreds of acres to roam around on all day. Then at night sit by a fire and read a good book.
My dream home would have a great room with a stone fireplace, big kitchen for family to gather in, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a backyard with a spa located on California’s Central Coast where I could see the ocean and walk to the beach and not be far from the mountains. Everything would be green all year round and I wouldn’t need an air conditioner.
I like to keep things simple, so my dream home would be located in a rural area in the midwest that has a pond on the property for bird and animal watching.
It would be isolated enough to have a good view of sunrise and sunset each day. It would include a back porch that is enclosed with screens, and a library with lots of windows in between the stacks and stacks of books.
My dream home would be on Kauai or any other Hawaiian island on the beach.
My dream home would be a log cabin located in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Each room would have a beautiful view of the mountains. It would also have a fireplace in every room with a big comfy recliner to sit in and read all of my hundreds of books!
My dream home has several built in bookshelves with a big oversized sofa in the living room and family room. A fireplace would be nice too. I can provide water fountains, artwork, scented candles and other items to make the home welcoming. I’m not too particular about where my dreamhome is located, rather, I want it to be a place that feels homey and comfortable to all that visit. Even if its a million dollar house, I want those that enter to feel like they can take their shoes off, not because I don’t want the carpet dirty or other aesthetic reasons but because being barefoot is comfortable – at least to me. My dreamhome is the place I most want to be and have my friends and family visit whenever they can.
My dream home is in 1966, riding a bike on cement streets through suburban air. Happily enjoying the company of family and friends. Room for toys, books, and time to enjoy them. My dream home is there whenever I choose to think of it.
My dream home would be a beach house built on the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico. I would sit on the deck, observe the sandpipers scurrying along the seashore in search of food, and listen to the rhythm of the waves as they thunder in to the beach. A home on the seashore would be my place of serenity where I could read a good book, visit with friends, or just sit silently and meditate with the ebb and flow of the tide.
My dream home would have a huge swimming pool, a family room with flat-screen tv and a lot of space for a lot of dogs!
Being an interior designer/decorator, my dream house would be Arts and Crafts, fabulous woods and period wall treatments, a parlor with a fireplace, a front porch facing south, a library with built-in shelving and cabinets,an open plan living, dining and kitchen with a greenhouse window lookin out to the walled, raised beds kitchen garden, a corner fireplace with gorgeous Arts & Crafts tiles in a pinecone motif, a chimney shared with the corner fireplace in the master and the fireplace on the screened back porch with a water feature and the breath-taking view of the Olympic Mountains, oh, I could go on and on. And books everywhere!
I have not spent much time envisioning my dreamhome, but as a chef and avid reader, a large, well-furnished kitchen, as well as a den/library with plenty of bookshelf space and good lighting are an absolute must. A large yard with plenty of room for a garden and outdoor kitchen and deck would be nice as well. and, of course, plenty of space for my boys to roam and play.
My dream home would definitley be by the ocean and would be made of glass. A two story home with a giant balcony off the master bedroom facing the sea; complete with cushiony chairs for sitting outside, reading and enjoying the view. The decor inside will be ocean themes and the colors blue, yellow, silver & white. One room in the house will be dedicated to Elvis…. memorbilla, colors etc. Another room will be the Movie Theatre Room with stadium, reclining seats and a huge super screen tv. Outside the house will be plenty of tropical plants and flowers…. bird of paradise, palms and hibiscuses. I could go on and on…..
I seem drawn to water- and cold violent water, too. I have always loved Lake Superior. Right now I am lucky to be able to visit my brother’s tiny cabin, four rooms, no running water, perched on the edge of the rocks… he has a generator for electricity, so he has a tiny refrigerator and lights for reading at night. There is a wood burning stove too. Part of the beauty is that we are getting to know one another again in the latter part of our lives, away from work and other distractions, amid stark physical surroundings, and the hard work of cutting down dead trees for firewood ( well my brother does most of that, I am allowed to help a bit) and hiking on the steep trails nearby. This is a place where I have a lot of memories…family vacations with my husband, kids and mother, and even my brother and his family over the years. The waves crashing seem to mingle with my heartbeat.
“Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man” this has been one of my life’s mottos since I was 9. I do live in a cedar house by the road in a little patch of heaven. I have 7 cardinals at my feeders and a 300 acre lake in my front yard…as I walk my dog beside it I yell YES!
I love nature! ans enjoy it every day. Yes I would love a little more room, beautiful wood floors and on and on. A log cabin. I helped build on about 200 acres..with lots of craftman detail.But I guess I am living my dream and enjoying it.
My dream house would be crescent-shaped and nestled on a small hill which overlooks either the sea, a river or a lake. The driveway is lined with pine trees. Large windows run the length of the house on both sides of the entrance overlooking floral gardens and sloping lawns interspersed with pine and oak trees. A small pond can be seen in the distance. Inside the entrance is a curved staircase on the left, that leads to the bedrooms above. All bedrooms have a fantastic view, especially the master bedroom which directly faces the sea/lake/river. There is a library lined with books, and a fireplace in each room, polished wooden floors throughout. On the ground floor in the back opposite the kitchen, is an exercise room and a modest theater room.
My dream home is a log cabin on a lake in the mountains or woods. I would have beautiful picture windows for the view and a large stone fireplace. It would have a library for my books and a big master bedroom and bath with a two way fireplace between them. The upstairs would have a balcony overlooking the living room and fireplace and have a separate game/tv room with a pool table, dart board and a large tv for video gaming. Of course, the master bath would have a large tub with jets and a large shower. It would have an indoor lap pool off the family room under a glass frame so that I could swim in all year and be able to see the view. A nice size kitchen with nook, walk-in pantry and formal dining room for entertaining would be off of the living room.
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