Everyone has a type. A kind of house that makes you slow down as you walk past it. A home in a film that stuck with you. A place you stayed once and never quite forgot.
Most people have never put a name to it. That’s fine. You don’t need to know the vocabulary to know what pulls at you. So let’s talk about it, houses specifically. The places we actually live.
My Answer:
For me, it’s mid-century modern.
If I had the chance to build from scratch, I’d go with today’s simple materials. Clean, honest, quality over quantity. I’d rather have fewer things done well than a house full of stuff. If I came across an original mid-century modern home, I’d go the other way and respect it. I’d restore it, keep its character, and bring it back as close to its true self as I could. Both paths matter to me. One is building something honest and new, the other is honoring something worth preserving.
What really makes the space for me, though, isn’t the house alone. It’s what goes in it.
I love handmade furniture and one-of-a-kind artwork. The piece someone actually made, with their hands, that no one else has. Not a print you can grab off a shelf at TJ Maxx that hangs in a thousand other living rooms. There’s a feeling a home gives off when the things inside it are real and unique. You can’t fake it, and you can’t buy it in a set. For me, that’s the difference between a room that’s decorated and a room that’s alive.
If you don’t know the name, start here:
You don’t need to know whether you like a craftsman bungalow or a mid-century modern. Start with what you’re actually drawn to in a home.
Do you like warm or cool? Cozy, low, and enclosed, or open, bright, and airy?
Do you like old or new? The character and imperfection of an older house, or the clean simplicity of a new build?
What materials pull at you? Warm wood and stone? Cool concrete and steel? Brick? Glass? Something soft and textured, or something raw and industrial?
One level or many? The openness and ease of a single-story home, or the separation and rhythm of stairs and multiple floors?
How much light? Sun pouring in through big windows, or something darker, quieter, and more sheltered?
Answer those, and you’ve basically described your favorite kind of home without needing a single label for it.
Why This Matters:
The things we choose to live with shape how a home feels, more than most people realize.
A mass-produced print and a handmade piece can hang in the same spot on the same wall, and the room will feel completely different. One fills the space. The other gives it a soul. When something is made by hand, or restored with care, it carries a story, and you feel that story every time you walk past it.
It’s also about not living in a copy of someone else’s home. When everything comes from the same few stores, houses start to look interchangeable. Choosing pieces that are unique, or preserving something original instead of replacing it, is how a home becomes yours and no one else’s. That’s worth more than matching everything perfectly.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to do it. One handmade object. One piece of real art. One thing with a story instead of a barcode. That’s often all it takes to change how a whole room feels.
Your Turn:
I’d love to hear your answer in the comments.
- What’s your favorite style of house, if you can name it?
- If you can’t name it, what are you drawn to? Warm or cool, old or new, open or cozy?
- What materials do you love in a home? Wood, stone, concrete, brick, glass?
- One level or multiple levels, and why?
- Is there a house or a home that has stuck with you for years?
- Does your dream home match the home you live in now, or are they completely different?
- If you could keep only one piece of furniture or art you own, what would it be?
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