25 Most Bookmarked Houzz Tours of 2012
Brimming with design solutions, creative layouts and memorable architectural touches, these homes topped the interest charts this year
Houzz Editorial Staff
Houzz Editorial Staff More »
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What do a Northwest garage, a Pennsylvania "hobbit house" and a rustic French cottage have in common? Not much, at first glance. But these amazing homes make up a few of the top Houzz Tours that readers considered worthy of bookmarking this past year. While all of these houses are beautiful in their own right, each presents one-of-a-kind solutions to design problems that Houzzers wanted to refer to again and again.
Take a look at the top 25 bookmarked Houzz Tours of 2012 — maybe you'll find the solution to your latest design dilemma.
Take a look at the top 25 bookmarked Houzz Tours of 2012 — maybe you'll find the solution to your latest design dilemma.
| 1. A Family of 4 Unwinds in 540 Square Feet It's easy to see why Houzz readers loved this beautiful home in Oregon. The small-space solutions, ecofriendly undertones and warm cottage style could translate to any new home or remodel. |
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by Shannon Malone
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| 2. A Hilltop Family Home in Santa Cruz The cozy and comfortable livability of this beach-town home in California had many Houzzers wanting to move right in. Plenty of natural light, international influences, a family-oriented design and classic architecture made it particularly memorable to readers. |
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by Studio Garneau
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| 3. A Manhattan Studio Opens to Flexibility It has small-space solutions galore, and the creative layout of this tiny New York City apartment uses every inch of space — a foldout bed and modern built-in storage encouraged Houzzers to bring the same smart ideas to their homes. |
4. 'Hobbit House' in the Pennsylvania Countryside
Inspired by the quirky hobbit dwellings in J.R.R. Tolkien's books, this incredible home in Pennsylvania embraces the fantasy of these stories but brings it into a practical realm for the family who owns it.
Inspired by the quirky hobbit dwellings in J.R.R. Tolkien's books, this incredible home in Pennsylvania embraces the fantasy of these stories but brings it into a practical realm for the family who owns it.
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| 5. Transparency Guides a Woodland Home Set in the middle of a deeply wooded 4-acre plot of land, this remodeled Washington home was opened up to take full advantage of limited natural light and its stunning forested surroundings. Keeping sustainability in mind, the designers respected its setting while staying true to the original architecture. |
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by Rikki Snyder
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| 6. An Antique Cape Cod House Explodes With Color This crazy colorful Cape Cod, Massachusetts, home was so chock-full of DIY ideas, Houzzers couldn't help but bookmark it. One of their favorites? The amazing wall covering in this photo that homeowner Kristin Nicholas made by hand cutting, painting and layering shapes made from FedEx boxes. |
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| 7. A Three-Story Barn Becomes a Modern-Home Beauty Once a dairy barn, later a dairy distribution center and even a host to art studios and galleries, this Chicago building has had its fair share of residents. But its diverse history only served as inspiration for this eclectic remodel. Now a stunning residence, the modern structure still pays tribute to its roots. |
| 8. Elegant, Efficient Manhattan Studio While space in this apartment was limited, its main problem was the complete lack of spatial organization. Houzzers bookmarked this home for its clever built-in solutions, combined office and living space, and clean design. The newly efficient home manages to feel practical but luxurious — something many homes strive for. |
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| 9. Fairy Tale Gatehouse in Minnesota At first glance this home looks more like a set from Hansel and Gretel than a guesthouse in Minnesota. Houzzers loved the inspiration the designer took from cottages in France and England, integrating old-world materials and styles into a timeless and fresh-feeling home. |
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by Adrienne DeRosa
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| 10. A Frank Lloyd Wright Home, Lovingly Restored More than 15 years of careful restoration have gone into this amazing Frank Lloyd Wright home in Ohio. With all of the key Usonian influences maintained, this house echoes many of the principles that Wright brought into his homes. Warm woods, nature's consistent presence and a triangle-based floor plan made this story worth bookmarking. |
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| 11. A Chicago Loft Rises to the Rafters This project combined two spacious Chicago loft apartments into one stunning space. Although the new design has a modern feel, the original exposed rafters and ductwork maintain its old-school loft style. Houzzers couldn't get enough of the beautiful wood finishes or the amazing view. |
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by Tara Bussema
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| 12. An Orange County Ranch Gets Into the Swing of Things Even without a new footprint, this Southern California home managed to get an entirely new look. The owners gave this formerly bland ranch house a midcentury modern facelift, creating clean, open spaces and a new low-maintenance courtyard and patio. |
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by Wright-Built
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| 13. Under a Metal Canopy in Texas A 60- by 80-foot metal canopy more than doubles this Texas home's outdoor living space. Houzzers loved the seamless transition from the indoors to the outdoors that this canopy offers, as well as the genius disappearing garage door, quirky shower tile and other colorful reclaimed features. |
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| 14. A Luxurious Home Embraces the Landscape A setting as stunning as the beautiful Santa Barbara hills almost forces its presence into a home. The owners of this hillside home wanted to give the outdoors easy entry, and that meant using floor-to-ceiling windows and eliminating all obstructions to their panoramic view. |
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| 15. A Barn House Welcomes Weekenders Houzzers loved the entertainment-friendly style of this upstate New York barn house. A covered screened porch, a pool and plenty of backyard space beg to be used by family and friends. Smart spatial decisions — like allotting square footage to group gathering spaces — made this beautiful space even more noteworthy. |
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by Heydt Designs
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| 16. A Family Home Grows and Gets a New Face The soft palette and elegant interior of this Northern California home made it seem livable but refined to Houzz readers. The clients, a growing family, bought this home with the intention of updating its style and adding to its square footage. The architectural updates and light-filled spaces made each of the rooms a treat to see. |
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| 17. Outstanding Ecofriendliness With a Contemporary Bent Formerly an abandoned building, this ecofriendly home became the first single-family home aiming for platinum LEED certification in Montreal. From top to bottom, the warm and energy-efficient home makes use of every form of green technology imaginable — including geothermal heating, local materials, VOC-free finishes and recycled wood. |
18. Bright, Rustic Cottage in France
Like something out of a fairy tale, this French cottage — called La Maisonnette — spoke to the romantic side of Houzz readers. They couldn't get enough of this dream home's stone walls, castle views and cozy interiors.
Like something out of a fairy tale, this French cottage — called La Maisonnette — spoke to the romantic side of Houzz readers. They couldn't get enough of this dream home's stone walls, castle views and cozy interiors.
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| 19. Charming, Rustic Lakefront Cabin in Minnesota Although it's essentially a new build, this house has bones that give it a timeless feel. A unique mix of stained wood, natural pine and other rustic materials give the interior depth, while the log-sided exterior honors traditional cabins in the area. |
by Ira Lippke
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20. Industrial Minihouse in Seattle
Once a tiny garage with nothing more than the basics, this tiny structure was remodeled to become a comfortable full-time residence. The footprint of the original 250-square-foot structure remains the same — with the exception of a bathroom — but the look couldn't be more different. Clean finishes, industrial undertones and a modern palette gave this small space new life.
Once a tiny garage with nothing more than the basics, this tiny structure was remodeled to become a comfortable full-time residence. The footprint of the original 250-square-foot structure remains the same — with the exception of a bathroom — but the look couldn't be more different. Clean finishes, industrial undertones and a modern palette gave this small space new life.
21. Rustic Cabin With Dive-In Pond
Designed to look like an old, rustic cabin, this brand-new build in Montana is actually a platinum LEED-certified home. Set on the shores of a pristine lake, the beautiful space has a man-made 20-foot diving pond right out front — carefully designed to stay separate from the natural watershed.
Designed to look like an old, rustic cabin, this brand-new build in Montana is actually a platinum LEED-certified home. Set on the shores of a pristine lake, the beautiful space has a man-made 20-foot diving pond right out front — carefully designed to stay separate from the natural watershed.
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by Mary Prince
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| 22. A Basic Builder Home Gets the Glam Treatment The blank canvas of a builder home felt inspiring — not daunting — to this home's owner, a designer. The resulting colorful blend of textures and materials inspired Houzz users, who bookmarked this stylish home for its affordable ideas and unique room flow. |
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| 23. A Desert Stunner Highlights Nature This dream retirement home for a couple with a big family makes good use of its desert environment. Not only does the design mimic the environment's color palette, the site slope and the surrounding materials, but solar panels generate electricity to heat the pool. |
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| 24. English Cottage Style Graces a Home Bathed in Light Although it's set in a Chicago suburb, this new home captures the historic and quaint feel of an English cottage. Wrought iron, draping ivy and wicker furniture give the indoor and outdoor spaces a lived-in feel. The architect chose materials with patina for the kitchen, adding to the home's timeless look. |
25. Tree House Living Inspires Southern Home
A surrounding live oak grove inspired this home's tree house feel. With clear views out to the marsh below, this home's open windows and layout connect to the outdoors on multiple levels. Among other features, the amazing hot tub shown here — which extends out over the edge of the house — really got Houzzers talking.
Tell us: Which is your favorite home on Houzz?
A surrounding live oak grove inspired this home's tree house feel. With clear views out to the marsh below, this home's open windows and layout connect to the outdoors on multiple levels. Among other features, the amazing hot tub shown here — which extends out over the edge of the house — really got Houzzers talking.
Tell us: Which is your favorite home on Houzz?
Comments
kennedytarheel Not just homes; works of art!
6 months ago · Like
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Dana Veach I have to agree with Kennedytarheel. I love features from nearly every house in this parade of homes, but my three favorites are the Fairy Tale Gatehouse in Minnesota, the Metal Canopy House in Texas and the French Rustic Cottage. I love the use of natural materials, the creative details, and the efficient use of space employed in these homes.
6 months ago · Like
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bubblyjock Thank you for pulling all these together - combined, they show what an amazing myriad of fantastic styles are depicted here - enough to please (and occasionally, dismay) even the pickiest Houzzer!
6 months ago · Like
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greengirl Now I need an extra $30 million. Have to redo the $10 mil home mortgage loan application. Lol 8:)))
6 months ago · Like
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nanders My hands down favorite is the Transparency Woodlands home in Lake Forest, Washington. A real gem.
6 months ago · Like
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Shades IN Place Hard to decide which one would be my #1 !!
6 months ago · Like
campbellbraves What fun to revisit those homes. I honesty do have many of their pictures in my saved photos. One can always dream!!
6 months ago · Like
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CAROLE MEYER I am so excited!! Number 18....The Bright, Rustic Cottage in France is where we will be staying in July of 2013!! I first saw this wonderful home right here on Houzz and fell in love with it. When we were working on a trip for 2013 we contacted the owners and have rented this lovely place for a week. THANK YOU HOUZZ for showing me this place....if I have not seen it here I may have never found it. I am looking forward to our week long stay in this beautiful home and village! Thanks, Carole
6 months ago · Like
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Molly Brandenburg Beautiful! I love these! I want to live in all of them!!!
6 months ago · Like
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digsblues My dream home would be the Seattle transparent woodland one. No need for art anywhere because nature provides it. The idea of soaking in the tub in the woods is very appealing, but maybe not practical. That's what makes for dreams. Lovely job.
6 months ago · Like
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abary52 All lovely posts, but I really love the rustic cottage in France and the builder's glamed up living room. Good job Houzz ~ look forward to your work in 2013.
6 months ago · Like
vixxen963 the rustic cabin in montana and the desert stunner in AZ are some of my favorites, also the woodland in WA
6 months ago · Like
Casart Coverings We like Kristin's Antique Cape Cod House (#6) so much that we will be offering some of her designs as repopsitionable wallcovering, exclusive to Casart coverings in the New Year. This is a direct result of Houzz's Ideabook. You can sign up to receive our eNewsletter at the bottom of our homepage to be the first to learn of this unveiling: http://www.casartcoverings.com/
6 months ago · Like
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babble Which is my favorite home on this Houzz list? The rustic home on pond in the woods, #21. I would never want to leave!
6 months ago · Like
vegaspat I love each one of these houses, each for a different reason. Indeed, they are all works of art. I did notice, that not one of the commenters named any of the urban homes as their favorites. I guess we're country people at heart. Great job Houzz!
6 months ago · Like
jassijassi Very nice
6 months ago · Like
mimi2five I love the Fairy Tale Gatehouse, Rustic, French Cottage, and Arizona home.
6 months ago · Like
Jerri Holan & Associates, AIA Great Overview and wonderful variety. . .
6 months ago · Like
Karen Spector #5, #7 and #23 are all my favorites for different reasons and different seasons. They have the glass with the views which I love, but also lots of uniqueness.
6 months ago · Like
hillonthehouse Glad to see so many of my favorites here - but probably # 9 is my dream hide-away. I adore the Hobbit House, but maybe more as a playhouse than a home. The French rustic cottage would be my perfect foreign vacation choice. And for a full-time comfortable home - the English Cottage #24 looks ideal. Sigh. All of the tours shown here were wonderful.
6 months ago · Like
bluesky1389 very Beautiful
6 months ago · Like
wantsideas While there are many elements I love in almost every one of them, I'd go with number 11 (Chicago Loft) as my favorite for living September through May. June, July, and August you would find me at number 18 (Rustic Cottage in France.)
5 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Dec. 26, 2012.
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