Becky Harris So many great spots for hanging out outdoors!

Janet Paik I love the outdoor fire pit area.

Lanie Brown My favorite are the dressers painted salmon and re-purposed as the girls' vanities.

kandyrdh Like the outdoor spaces, inside it is kind of nondescript

Linda Butler The big log chunks with colorful rugs draped over them for seating around the fire pit are so clever! Love them.

Laurel Ennis There are lots of nice aspects but the builder looks like they cheaped out on finishes. The finishes look like a standard builder's grade suburban house. Where are the elaborate mouldings? Adding crown mouldings and less modern floor mouldings would help. These are mouldings you'd see on a contemporary house (cheaper). Look at the trim on European houses like this to see where the builder went wrong. It would make all the difference.

blue_skies77 Quote: "The house is designed to be a great empty-nester, with only the master suite on the main floor," says Kristina.

-- This house is a great empty-nester? I sure hope the 9,000 square feet is a typo.

I love the exterior though. Very pretty!

npcanaday Beautiful home, but being european, I can tell you that the only european style in this house are the outdoors :-)

wolfgang80 Beautiful exterior, especially the front elevation. What is the roofing material?

ladan1 How can 9000 sq. ft. be mainly an empty nesters' home? Do they have the ability to cut off the top floor and rent it out if they move to the downstairs in the future? I like the exterior. I think that maybe the indoors needs more time to be decorated well enough to match the great exterior.

kandyrdh Laurel is right!!! Looking back at the pictures that IS what's missing! That would certainly make a world of difference to this house!

frenchdecor I was shocked reading "empty-nester" but gave a second thought. Right now it's for family of 6 and 2 dogs. Perhaps parents hope that their kids will have some day families too, and they will be more willing to visit parents in the village (fresh air, plenty outdoor space for kids) not being cramped. Small "empty nests" are certainly more efficient, but how would you like "come to lunch and leave before dinner darlings"? Good if you don't have to drive 2 hours each way.

David E Cruz I agree with Laurel Ennis. It seems like an very large building with inexpensive finishes. Perhaps the time constrains determined the finish? Hopefully a work in progress.

browil Empty-Nester generally refers to a multi level home where a couple can completely live on one floor (main level) regardless of the overall square footage. Otherwise any home could be refered to as a great empty-nester sans children. However a house of 7,000 sqft may not be ideal for the additional upkeep during retirement for most people. We recently purchased a very nice home (3400 sqft)that is considered such as the MB, GR, DR, K, Laundry, Study and 2 1/2 baths are all on the main level.

buffy23059 Does anyone know what type of plants are at the end of the walkway in the 1st picture of the house? Also, I'm trying to decide if I could use those same lanterns at the end of my driveway that approaches a street.

Joe Statwick Buffy, I believe those are lamb's ear, or Stachys byzantina. Though they're pretty when flowering, they (like most of the mint family) are pretty weedy here in Colorado. Plus, once they're done flowering, you're left with an ugly brown stalk, unless you take the time to prune it. That said, the soft silvery foliage does bring a nice texture, if used in moderation.

buffy23059 Thanks for the advice. Actually I planted *periwinkle* around the perimeter of garden beds at both ends of my driveway next to a suburban street. In each bed I planted liriope (lilyturf), Firepower Nandina and a 2 x 2 "Soft Touch" holly. Lastly I planted purple and white pansies. Just wanted something nice that did not obstruct the view of traffic while backing out of the driveway. Had to remove 2 huge bushes before that ! Thanks again. Maybe I will plant lamb's quarters somewhere else. :) P.S. - These are companions for 2 x 2 holly bushes if anyone is interested: Carissa Holly, Indian Hawthorne, Otto Luyken Laurel, Ornamental Grasses, Barberries, Loropetalums, Knockout Roses, Nandinas, Japanese Maples.