Whether you’re an owner or a renter, odds are you have a complicated relationship with your property. Just like with any relationship, there are ups and downs, good times and bad, things you love and things you despise. But despite it all, you stick with it — hopefully because you enjoy it.
And also as with any relationship, appreciate for a home progresses as time goes on. But there’s always that honeymoon stage, when you’re totally infatuated. We asked what one thing left you fall in love with your home — what tipped you over the edge and left you decide it was the place for you.
Here are 50 ers’ home love stories, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
A cozy and warm fireplace brought many ers in.
1. Even though Jodi and Jay Hulbert quickly fell in love with all the riverfront setting of their 1925 home in Alder Creek, Oregon, the original 22-foot-tall fireplace place their own hearts ablaze.
Cozy Home Interiors
2. Allison Maroules of Richardson, Texas, enjoys all her home’s quirky details, however, the fireplace remains her favorite. “Just how many houses do you see a curved fireplace?” she asks.
This er’s outdoor fireplace is the thing that makes it feel just like home. “I adore how soothing my home is,” she states. “Sitting in my backyard is far better than being on holiday!”
For other users, a grand staircase took their breath away.
4. Carl Mattison of Atlanta lived inside this early-20th-century home for six years. “We fell in love with this home on account of the staircase,” he states. “It was originally constructed in 1905, and we love it every day.”
5. consumer Meghan’s home has a contemporary sensibility, and also this steel-lined staircase won her over. “The very first time I watched these stairs, I was sold,” she states.
A single crushworthy feature made some users swoon as soon as they stepped inside.
6. The indoor-outdoor relationship of Paul and Melinda Zanecki’s home in Stevensville, Maryland, tugged in this couple’s heartstrings: Transom windows showcase the view of the Chesapeake Bay on the second and first floors. “Regardless of what the weather or time of day, these windows bring the outside in, shield us from the elements and constantly remind us how blessed we should be living there,” the couple says.
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7. Space and ceilings made all the difference for Ally. “We fell in love with all the open — but not too open — space and our 10-foot-high ceilings,” she states.
8. This large, contemporary kitchen island set the tone for homeowner Paul Fleming. “It’s where I serve my boys breakfast across the counter and chat about the upcoming day,” he states.
9. “For me personally, it was the Art Deco tile in the bathroom, each the original 1938 charm — such as the arches replicated in each room — along with the huge blank-slate garden,” states consumer Heather about her pre-war ranch in Portland, Oregon.
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10. These vulnerable sloping rafters charmed staffer Ofir Zwebner of Mountain View, California. They produce an overall mood of casual elegance.
Overall ambience instead of a single trait created sparks for all these homeowners.
11. Casey Martinez of Queens, New York, discovered her heart fluttering within her home’s individuality. “I knew this was the one since I drew the floor plan so that I could remember it,” she states. “Some of my favourite items are the perspectives of different houses, old details and the staircase that connects it all. My home reminds me of the home in The Royal Tenenbaums, among my favourite movies.”
12. staffer Annie Thornton was smitten with her San Francisco home’s distinctive personality and architectural charm. “While living in an old place does have its issues, I love the architectural aspects of a Victorian home — and the ceilings also,” she states.
Adoration was not immediate for a few users, but their affection deepened over time.
13. “We didn’t fall in love at first website, but within the past year we have grown in love,” states Ange Hemmer of Troy, Missouri. “The home is similar to our family: crunchy on the outside and eclectic and bursting with colour on the interior.”
14. Brandy Alvaraz was almost overwhelmed with the amazing combination of materials in her home in Plano, Texas, a convergence of wood, ceramic, brick and glass. But she left it work. “The ceilings didn’t hurt,” she states. But that”very first effect of myriad materials and possibilities never entirely left us,” she adds.
15. Emily Jacob of Morton, Illinois, was intimidated by purchasing an older home initially, but she was able to transform it into a cozy haven. “I was able to look beyond the old, dated rooms and imagine what I could do,” she states.
For most users, falling in love was all about the lighting.
16. Becca Bertotti of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, noticed her residence’s brilliant light right away. “The moment I walked in to our home,” she recalls,”I fell in love with the tall ceilings and also the light that pours in during the afternoon — particularly into our dining area.”
Sara Bates
17. The dimensions of the fantastic room in her Pittsburgh home and its normal light won Sara Miller over. “When we found this place with all the large living room, we were marketed,” she states. “And of course all those windows and the built in bookshelves.”
18. The flowing light of the Pasadena, California, home and its backyard view collection Courtney Norris’s and Anthony Chiodo’s hearts aglow. “I will never forget the day that I walked into this home,” Norris says. “Here is the very first home I found, and I was mesmerized by the windows and view of the backyard.”
The prior owner’s daughter shared the superb history of their home with the few, including all the special touches her parents had given it. “We just knew there was a lot of pride and love to the home, and that we wanted to live there,” Norris says.
19. When Marie-France Cyr and her husband, Sandy Greene, first saw their Philadelphia home, it was not the sleek and fashionable place it’s today. But the light along with the open layout helped them see its potential. “It was worth living in for four weeks of renovation,” Cyr says.
Frugal Design – Lenora T. Brandoli, Allied ASID
20. Soft lighting filtered through tree branches creates a relaxing setting in Lenora Brandoli’s Wilbraham, Massachusetts, home. “The light gives you such a feeling of tranquility,” Brandoli states. “Everything about the home makes me feel good.”
21. It’s simple to find the wintertime blues, but the big window in Steve and Gail Castle’s living area makes all of the difference during dreary and dark Illinois chilly days. “For us, it was the window along with the abundant light it brings to us during the darkest period of the year,” Steve says.
22. The light in Lori Facey’s Newport Beach, California, home helped her envision her fantasy kitchen. Bright sunshine pours through the windows year-round, developing a radiant gathering place for her whole family.
Still other users found themselves falling to their houses’ beautiful environment and perspectives until they fell in love with their actual houses.
23. “For us, it was the atmosphere,” says CJ Sebert of Rochester Hills, Michigan. “The forests have a natural spring, and spring water goes through the garden in a little brook.”
24. “We fell in love with our home as a result of this view,” states Linda Rosario of Memphis, Tennessee. “The home might be falling apart around us, however, the view makes us neglect!”
25. Christal Calderon of Oakland, California, enjoys her little downtown loft’s magnificent view of downtown Oakland. The high ceilings and windows concentrate the whole apartment toward the vista.
Calderon’s city view shines just as brightly at nighttime.
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26. Indra Fortney has a gorgeous home in Napa, California, but it didn’t start out that way. “The house was old, and the floor plan was dreadful,” she states. “But we can see the Napa mountains, and that’s all that mattered.”
Inspire Your Life Style
A glance out the window reveals Fortney’s magnificent view, all of the way into the mountains liner California’s wine country.
27. Gina Kaylor of Beaverton, Oregon, has been won over by the magnificent view of lush Douglas fir trees from her backyard.
28. Carol Campbell’s back-porch vista in Townsend, Tennessee, takes from the Smoky Mountain National Park and”states it all,” she states. “We simply added a new deck and screened porch so we can enjoy the superb fresh air.”
Some ers were swept off their feet before they even set foot inside.
29. “I love the nature that surrounds us,” says Kristina Jones of Ohio. “Even though we live in a city, we have a wooded property with a country view.”
Woven Decor
30. “The log siding and rock outside were what I fell in love with,” says Becky Pickrel of her Moorcroft, Wyoming, ranch home. “The home was constructed in the’30s, and the logs were cut from the property and the bottom of the mountains. The land is quite rocky, and all the rock was culled up from the ranch.”
31. Irene Henry discovered this home online and knew she had to watch it in person. Built in 1969, the Eagle, Michigan, home sits along a ridge and a riverbank that can’t be observed from the road. “The architect nestled the home so thoroughly to the landscape, it is much like living outside,” Henry says.
32. Michael Green and his sister Karen Raczka dropped for the charming exterior of the Cincinatti home and its fairy-tale atmosphere in the Ohio snow.
Summerhouse Style
33. “I’ve always been drawn to tiny little houses,” says Kathleen Murray of Ocean Gate, New Jersey. “Maybe because they remind me of cottages in storybooks or dollhouses. When I saw this adorable little beach house, I knew my search was over. It’s a work in progress and nothing that grand, but it is mine and I love it.”
34. “I’d looked for more than a year, and the moment I saw the home I was in love,” says Betty Millard Stout of Bremerton, Washington. “It talked to me and fit my sense of what a home should be. It reminds me of storybook cottages from my youth and had a particular mythology about it. How can I not fall in love?”
35. The two-story porches did the trick to Camilla Shimonek of New Brighton, Minnesota. “Sitting on the front porch, protected from the elements, enjoying my morning coffee or watching the snow fall softly in winter — I love it,” she states.
Although interior and exterior appeal is vital, history is what got some houses a spot in ers’ hearts.
36. Ann Castro of San Mateo, California, immediately appreciated her home’s history. The prior owner of her 1922 bungalow lived there for 67 years, was an avid gardener and had kept almost all the original information. “I’ve altered the gardens rather a bit, but the interior remains the same, in all its quirky charms,” says Castro. “I love everything original, and I’d never dream of replacing the windows in the home.”
Previous owner Amy Halfpenny presents in front of the bungalow with an armful in the garden in 1926. “It’s an easy, comfy home for me and my son,” says Castro.
37. Marilyn Shannon’s Forth Worth, Texas, home has all of the quirks and imperfections you’d expect in a 1927 abode, however, that’s why she adores it. The gorgeous live oaks that shade the home caught her attention, however, the architectural details — barrel ceiling, original glass, and worn hardwood flooring — sealed the deal.
38. The historic charm of Suzane Beaubrun’s Oakland, California, home made her go weak in the knees. “I was initially intrigued by the brick outside, which is fairly unusual in this area,” states Beaubrun. “Subsequently, whoa, tilepalooza! We had our very first seeing with flashlight, and that I felt like I was on a treasure hunt.”
39. “We adored the age and conventional look of the home,” says Rhonda Day of Suffolk, Virginia. “We just purchased it last summer, and the funny thing is that for many years my husband had rescued a floor plan of his dream home on his computer — it seems just like this one!”
40. Patricia Lotuff’s home was constructed in 1818 as a summer home in Princeton, Massachusetts. The builder was a cousin of John Quincy Adams, who spent several nights here, and every bit of the home is filled with history. “We are the fifth family here,” Lotuff states. “When we moved in, we had to do some significant renovations. But none of it has altered the look of the home, just preserved it.”
Some users are about the outside, so having a gorgeous spot to savor it was crucial.
41. Karen Heffernan could instantly envision the perfect outdoor living area in her California home. By refacing, adding new tile and installing an outdoor kitchen, she made a superb place for her loved ones to enjoy sunlight. “I’m still in mourning over moving out from that home,” says Heffernan. “That outdoor living area was my happy place.”
42. Betsy Hall’s porch is now her family’s favorite spot to unwind all year long. “I love our home because it is where we create our memories,” she states. “From our outdoor living area to our busy family room, it’s never been just a home.”
43. “We love the view — it is a fantasy to reside here on the water,” states a consumer in the Florida Keys. “We purchased this house when we were living abroad. My husband only saw it through pictures and a movie before we purchased it, but my voice uttered my love for the home — a love he shared after he watched it for the very first time also.”
44. The view brought Cindy and David Strobel for the location on Cedar Lake in Texas, and they decided to construct a home on the water in order that they could enjoy it year-round. “The views from our most decks are still an envy to our guests and friends,” says Cindy. “We do not really have a favourite spot — I enjoy it all!”
45. ‘s editor, Sheila Schmitz, couldn’t help but fall in love with her lush garden in San Jose, California — the ideal spot to make a garden. “My home was nothing particular, but I was sold when I found the backyard. My cat was too,” she states.
46. Karen Devlin’s Bend, Oregon, home is place smack dab in the center of Central Oregon’s high desert. Its 102 acres provide her two dogs lots of room to run. “The peace and quiet and endless elegance of our environment make this our dream home,” Devlin says. “We feel as if we have discovered paradise!”
47. “What we love about the home is the garden. It’s huge, and the children get so much joy from it,” says Candy Sethi of British Columbia. “There’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing your children playing and enjoying the outdoor space following a family dinner on the deck.”
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