You Said It: ‘I Knew This Home Had to Be Mine’ and More Quotables

So this week Houzz taught me quite a few things I never knew before. I didn’t know that the monarch population was in trouble, that south equals north Down Under or that under today’s energy codes, you couldn’t build Philip Johnson’s Glass House. A few Houzz writers reminded me that I cannot form new habits in a day and gave me motivation. I picked up great tips for how to survive a future renovation with my sanity and my wallet intact, witnessed the magic of convertible courtyards and even learned about some mysterious found boobs in Hawaii. Yes, you read that correctly; now you know you want to see what you’ve missed. Here are some of the quotations, tips and inventions I noted this week.

“Everyone loves before and afters, but getting from one to the other — especially if you’re part of a family — takes time, patience and a willingness to try again. Many of us are somewhere in the middle and trying to find our way through. My family is learning to work together, and day by day we are creating the haven we dreamed about.” — Alison Hodgson

This is such a timely statement. Mid-January is when many of us get frustrated when our initial “Get organized!” resolution binges don’t work out. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are new habits. Keep at it.

Full story: Anatomy of a Family-Size Mess


“As the last bits of habitat in the Midwest for wildlife like monarch butterflies are being removed, our gardens are becoming last refuges.” — Benjamin Vogt

Learn how you can help provide a refuge for these beautiful creatures (it’s easy) or, if you want to make more of a commitment, raise them yourself.

Full story: Be a Butterfly Savior: Garden for the Monarchs


“I stepped into the home and in 15 seconds knew this home had to be mine or somebody would be dead.” — Houzz user LaLennoxa, about his 124-year-old home in Hamilton, Ontario

Sometimes you just know a house is meant to be yours. Though here at Houzz, we don’t advocate murder.

Full story: Age Is Just a Number: Houzzers’ Homes Old and New


“Vande Velden has lived on the property for more than three years, and on a recent stroll came across a plaster cast of a woman’s torso. ‘I found those boobs in the grass, and the name Melissa is engraved on the back. Every time I meet a girl named Melissa, I wonder if they’re hers,’ she says.” — Shaunna Nygren

This is the funniest thing I’ve read on Houzz all week, maybe all year.

Full story: Houzz Tour: Chic Boho Style for a Hawaii Apartment


“Best time to do this project: Anytime except the week before your Super Bowl party.” — Fred Albert

Seriously, though, this article is full of great guidance, information and ideas for designing and installing built-in shelves on a range of budgets.

Full story: How to Get That Built-in Media Wall You Really Want


“For example, if you find a special piece that makes you heart skip a beat, go for it and trim your budget elsewhere. One outstanding piece can make the entire room look better.” — Judith Taylor

Taylor’s article is full of practical advice to help avoid cost overages, but she’s realistic about what may happen along the way. This is a must-bookmark for anyone even thinking about renovating.

Full story: 9 Planning Musts Before You Start a Makeover


That being said …

“Having your priorities written down will allow you to stand back in the heat of the moment and evaluate if a new option will get you closer to your goals or farther away. In my experience about 60 to 70 percent of the choices that get made on the spur of the moment cost more than sticking to the original choice.” — Jeffrey Veffer

Veffer’s advice about writing down what your priorities are for a remodel before you even start is spot-on; one expensive doorknob or pot filler added later can throw off your plans and your budget. Keep this one bookmarked right next to Taylor’s article.

Full story: How to Stick to Your Remodeling Goals


“When my daughter was young, I would snuggle her next to me on a giant beanbag and quietly read her stories. To us this was meditative. When she was overwrought, I would tell her to sit in our quiet space and get calm.” — Melisa Bleasdale

Bleasdale’s article is full of easy tweaks you can make around the house to inspire calm and refresh yourself and your family. In fact, just reading about how she does it calmed me, then when I was done, I got up and threw out the dead flowers from my dining room table arrangement.

Full story: Rejuvenate Your Home With Deep-Rooted Traditions


“A winch with a block and tackle is mounted to the post in the left foreground. This mechanism allows the canopy to move from one courtyard to another, wherever shade or protection is desired.” — John Hill

This is crazy cool. It took me a few reads to understand exactly how these convertible courtyards work, but it was worth straining my brain (be sure to watch the animation of this system in action). And as a side note, I never realized that southern light in our hemisphere equals northern light in Australia’s hemisphere — which of course makes perfect sense; I just never thought about it before.

Full story: Houzz Tour: Convertible Courtyards Change the Game in Austrailia


“That the glass and steel aesthetic of van der Rohe works as well in skyscrapers, residences and now as a greenhouse ‘speaks to the universality of it,’ Flavin says.” — Annie Thornton

It was so inspiring to see a beautiful glass garden building reference iconic modern architecture. The thoughtfulness that went into where and how it was placed in the landscape made the project a success.

Full story: Modern Masters Inspire a Glass Garden House


“The cockroaches and I had a deal in my first solo Manhattan kitchen: I gave them time to scatter after I turned on the lights, and they kept to the kitchen instead of sneaking around the bed linens. It seemed only fair.” — Elena Vega

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading about everyone’s memories of their first kitchens and thinking about all the fun (and fires and ants) I had in mine. Whenever I needed a stress-relieving break this week, I hopped over to the Comments section and caught up on the memories Houzzers had shared.

Full story: Houzz Call: Tell Us About Your First Kitchen

URL: You Said It: ‘I Knew This Home Had to Be Mine’ and More Quotables http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22579.html