Need Another Brick in the Wall

Until this past weekend, I never noticed what little interior wall space exists in newer construction homes. A client and I spent two whole days searching for a Katy home that would accommodate her antiques and paintings. Today, I spent several hours online searching MLS photos for Katy houses with at least “potential”; unfortunately, my list is very short.

With “walls of light” created by floor-to-ceiling windows and kitchens that open into the family room, traditional walls have disappeared. Since this is the norm, where do you put your special pieces of furniture or your art collection? Believe me, it is close to impossible to find a newer Katy house that can accommodate these pieces. A collection is doomed.

Breakfast rooms, too, boast “walls of windows”. In my own home, I have a large antique kitchen breakfront up in the game room–not a place to display such a great piece of inherited furniture! There is no way my kitchen or breakfast room could accommodate even a small piece of furniture that needs wall placement much less a large one.

It’s not just Katy family rooms and breakfast nooks. Dining room furniture, if you have more than a china cabinet, can prove problematic, too. Where in the world is Grandma’s buffet supposed to go?

By their nature, one-story houses have more wall space; this is a necessity when separating rooms. My client and I are about to restrict our search to one-story homes although their initial desire was for a two-story home. The bottom line is furniture placement and their art collection.

I just sold a new construction house to a young couple; the configuation of the master bedroom almost stopped them from proceeding on this property. The room is extremely rectangular. After allowing for windows, they still can’t figure out exactly how to arrange their queen size bed and matching pieces. What in the world were the Katy builders thinking? Or were they?