It’s halfway through the week, and I am exhausted already! Having training extend until last Saturday really shortened my weekend… But I did get to meet some great people which helped the process be more enjoyable. Isn’t so lovely to meet a kindred spirit? It just makes me feel like, Wow, God must really be looking out for me: I know no one here, yet the first person I meet somehow gets me. 🙂 What a blessing to really be able to connect to someone, when I was so scared I would have nothing in common with my peers.
On Friday I tried my hand at being a Chicago ambassador (which consists of Portillo’s, IKEA, and Woodfield mall ;)) to this wonderful girl from out of town. We had a lovely time, and in talking to her I found out that one of her dreams is to convert a barn into a home (just like me!). While I found this to be fascinating, maybe that is a more common desire in the Nashville area than it is around here in Chicagoland.
I love the simplicity and beauty of farms and the nature that surrounds them. And I think more than anything else, barns capture that feeling. In decorating, I prefer rustic elements with modern accents, spaces, and design. If you think about it, barn homes fit the bill perfectly! They provide the rustic walls and timber accents while allowing open, modern spaces and flow.
I have a lot of barn house inspiration on my Dreams of a Barn Home pinboard. (It’s actually one of my most popular boards, I believe it’s second only to my wedding inspiration board: Barns and Glam) I am a total daydreamer at heart, that is to say, I may or may not have spend entire afternoons drawing out my plans and measurements for our future barn home 😉
The unique thing about barn homes is their timber frame construction. The large wooden beams that add such pretty architectural interest provide the integrity of the structure. Timber frame homes are built differently, though, than typical home construction, making them a more specialized art (read: probably more expensive..).
There are actually companies out there whose whole business is to take down old barns, move the lumber, and reconstruct on your site to build your dream barn home. Other companies will send you a ‘barn kit’: essentially all of the lumber you would need to build your exact barn house plans. Then, they let you either construct it yourself (with their detailed instructions and support) or subcontract out the work.
Of course it’s fun to dream about your ideal home, we all do! Is this really realistic? Well, you never know what the future holds! Would we like to learn how to do construction work on a house? You bet 🙂 Would we consider attempting to build someday? Absolutely 🙂 But, who can know the future? We can only know that the Lord has good plans for us ahead!
Wishing you a fabulous Wednesday….. 🙂
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Oh my… all of those BEAMS <3 <3
You are making me itch to search the local real estate listings (Which I do periodically anyway he he)
Great inspiration!
Haha! I totally do that all the time too!!!! But, you have a gorgeous home 😉 And I love what you’ve done with your dining room!