ragsangle log cabin is nice but the rest is so cookie cutter ...boring and outdated

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel GIve me the Tahoe house with the Swiss views! Ahhh

astraea They all look beautiful, but how practical is that soaking tub surrounded by windows, if the outside temperature is low? Even with insulated glass, it's got to be very expensive keeping the area around it warm! And if the room's not warm, the water will cool off very fast.

Beahm Aesthetic "but how practical is that soaking tub surrounded by windows," Really? How practical is any of this? Do you think the people who live in these houses care AT ALL about how much their heating bills are? Not to mention, it's likely radiant heat so room temperature (heat loss) is not affected in the same way as with forced air.

Kristine In an article like this, on how the rich and possibly famous live (in their 3rd or 4th 'home'), part of the year, it would be good to enumerate at least some of the planet saving measures, like triple laminate/glazing, or whatever. Might count as a plus, to those of us who can't manage holidays to these places, let alone owning one!

Becky Harris These comments are such a drag sometimes, I swear. They are especially defeating when working over a holiday, which is also a drag (I am joining in the whine-fest here - good evening everyone!) My wish for 2013 is that everyone types their comment, reads it over, takes a deep breath and then decides whether or not to subtract the morally superior tone and negativity that insults the homeowners and designers, and makes it more constructive before hitting "Submit."

If it makes you too jealous or disgusted to look at expensive vacation homes, then don't - move on to another article. It's that simple. I am not writing every article to please every reader in every way I can possibly think of. That would be beyond boring, not to mention impossible. Alright, my whine is over. Perhaps I could use some wine after my whine?

Cheers,
Becky

P.S. The Platinum LEED elements of the Yellowstone Cabin are explained in the full Houzz Tour, which I linked to in this article under "See the rest of this home" next to the picture of the bread bowl sink. The pond serves as the geothermal mass, which is the biggest energy-efficient element of the home.

astraea Becky - Such is the downside of free speech; people are invited to give their opinions .. and they do.

Perhaps Houzz needs to do a study of the participants on their website, and have a psychologist put in context how "average people" feel, when so many of the homes featured are ones that they can't possibly afford! If all totally out of range for the average poster here, and it's mentioned that the house is a 2nd/vacation home, then it's frustrating for readers to have to pick little bits out, that they can relate to & incorporate in their own homes.

And often the homeowners are "in the business" themselves, and can do the design, construction, and decorating at cost, or have friends help them .. something that most of us don't have as an advantage, to cut our costs. That adds to "gap" some of us feel.

Becky Harris I'm all for free speech, but I'm also all for constructive criticism and open discussion over rudeness. By the way, my post was not inspired just by the comments about this story, it was from the 27 notification emails in my box with whiny comments in them, the worst of which, the one that broke me, was posted on a Houzz Tour of an average 1970s 3- bedroom ranch that LOTS of "average readers" would likely live in, that the owners had put a lot of blood sweat and tears into, as well as passion and creativity. The comment said "if my home looked like this i would order a big dumpster for my driveway and trash about 85% of the junk in this house."

This was a comment on a real home with hard-working, clever DIY-ing, generous and proud homeowners who were kind enough to take the time to talk to me and share pictures of their home so that I could share them with Houzz readers. So rude. It made my heart hurt for them and it made me feel bad for taking them to a place where someone could be so cruel with a few thoughtless snarky keystrokes.

We show the whole gamut at Houzz, with plenty of average houses, DIY projects, small spaces, creative projects, energy efficient homes, elements, etc. It's ridiculous to expect a site about design to cut out featuring places because they are expensive or second homes. Just because it's someone else's second home, it doesn't mean it cannot inspire, to think otherwise means ya gotta break out of that box. For example, one could take away the following, off the top of my head, from these homes:

Repurposing a bowl as a sink
Furniture layout ideas
Trying my hand at a mixed-media horse art piece (that would probably be a real beaut, but whatever!)
Adding extra hooks or a bench to a mudroom for outerwear
Looking into live edge furniture pieces for consoles or counters
Using a tree stump as a nightstand
Throwing a sheepskin over a chair
Considering slate for a floor in a mudroom
Considering natural wood for a ceiling
Sourcing birch lampshades

etc...

For me, it got me thinking about just how much I miss skiing and how I haven't gone in ten years, and that I would like to start saving for a ski trip out West.

Are we supposed to show ugly, badly-taken and badly-styled pictures of cheaply done, architect-less renovations full of tired trends to illustrate the ideas and advice to make everyone feel better about their finances? I don't want to look at that. If I wanted to see that, I'd look at my own average house and feel depressed about my finances! When I want inspiration to make my own house better, I hit Houzz, and adapt the ideas I like as best I can on my small budget, or pick one thing I really really want and save up for it, like schmancy wallpaper, new shutters, or Hicks pendant lights (still saving for 2 out of 3 of those...)

addisonsteel I see both sides to that idea Becky...

Side One: "If ya can't stand the fire" yada yada.. The homeowners/designers shouldn't show it off on a blog . The yahoo comments might make designers better and homeowners can also take note... this blog is a reflection of what their friends relatives are probably thinking when viewing it for the first time anyway -

Personally, every time I see the description "minimalist" I see something that has no style.... Take away the view from that bedroom and you have a dorm room. Anyone that thinks that is style is lacking in my opine.

Side Two: most can understand an idiot when they read one...and in this case I read one and one half idiot comments....

one and a half out of five is not so bad... have a glass of wine, you did good...merry xMAS

Madison Modern Home Becky, thank you for speaking up. As fellow writers of "My Houzz" tours, we brace ourselves for negative comments each time one of our tours is published. Our Houzz Tour subjects are gracious enough to allow us into their homes for photographs and interviews -- and they deserve to be treated with respect. If a room isn't to your liking, while you have the right to say so, does anyone gain insight or useful information from your expression of distaste?

Lynne Barton Bier - Home on the Range Interiors I view Houzz in much the same way that I view Architectural Digest, Mountain Living Magazine, Veranda etc. It is a place for professionals (and, even more inclusively, homeowners ) to showcase their work and for professionals and homeowners to get ideas - many of the ideas in the homes are actually affordable and can be downsized or adapted to suit rooms in all sizes of homes. I do not have a second home or a large first home but I love to look at, and work on, larger homes. As Becky said, she grew up where they vacationed in one small room or crammed into a condo. She writes about, but does not live in, one of the large second homes.
Not all of the Ideabooks or homes are my taste, but I can appreciate the details and the fact that, like art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love to find bits and pieces in each room or house that I can incorporate into my designs. Each person is entitled to their opinion but when the opinion is voiced with the idea of wounding, then I believe the opinion should be voiced internally and not out loud. What a boring world this would be if everyone liked the same things, had the same opinions and even the same amount of money. What a wonderful world this would be if everyone would accept the diversity, the varying degrees of ability and tastes and applaud the differences instead of criticizing them. The concept of free speech was meant to keep people from being oppressed, not to use it to oppress or hurt others. If you don't like the Ideabooks or the houses then, as Becky said, your right is to go on to other things and not go to the Houzz site. Becky, I will join you with the wine after the whine!

addisonsteel I take that back.... two idiot comments... ;-)

L. Michaels Please keep doing what you are doing. I don't even own a house, but it is on Houzz that I am inspired and can dream of my perfect space, where I can be surprised and amazed at all the things that can be done within a home. The world is made up of so many different people. This site has something for everyone. Yes! Sometimes I do get depressed that I don't live in some of the fantastic homes I see, but I DO have a home. It is through Houzz that I have learned what it is I truly respond to. It is also the space that has provided me an opportunity to view the large pictures and then learn to pinpoint the one or two small items in the same that make me sit up and take notice. There will always be naysayers, whiners, and those who feel compelled to take the hard work of others down. But, I bet the majority of us are appreciative that we have free access to homes and ideas we normally wouldn't have. Thank you for that.

L. Michaels Oh, and to answer your conversation starter, I live just 40 minutes from skiing. I won't be skiing this year, but my favorite part always comes when I hit the last bend in the road going home. That means I'm done with the cold, and have a hot shower, a good meal and curling up on the couch with hot tea waiting for me. So what if my couch is not wide enough???

Laura Tyler I love this site, and enjoy looking at photos of these homes, even if I may never be able to afford one like it. It is fun to dream, and I can take away tips and ideas from different rooms. If someone doesn't love looking at photos of beautiful homes, then why look here? I select the homes that interest me to look at, and skip those that don't. Keep up the good work!

Lynne Barton Bier - Home on the Range Interiors I loved your comments L. Michaels - thanks for getting the conversation back on track!

Pink Fortitude, LLC I have spent the last 365 days settling into our new home, working full time, taking care of my family, all while recovering from cancer. I don't have a creative or original design bone on my body, but I have had so much fun being on Houzz and reading the articles and looking at all of the pictures, and trying to incorporate some fun design into our home. It has been such great therapy and such great fun to decorate a home for the first time ever. And while not every home featured on Houzz is my taste, I've found the most inspirational ideas from homes totally not my style at all.

Becky - you are hands down my favorite writer on Houzz, with your wit, humor and random references in every article. Keep up the great work... and enjoy a few glasses of wine over the holidays.

Peace, love, and happiness to the Houzz community. Holly

Impact Enclosures If you dream it long enough, and work towards it, you CAN own one of these homes! I bought a 3 bedroom 2 bath home and remodeled it using "blood, sweat, and inspiration from HOUZZ" hahaha! I went to local lumber yards and bought 12' trees I used for beam supports in my living room ($60) live edge furniture I built myself ($100) and rustic doors I built for $70. I got these ideas from HOUZZ, and I get endless comments on a house I bought on a modest budget, from people from all demographics. People are gonna be pessimists, but KEEP up the good work! You have helped me realize my dream, and I plan to keep dreaming.

iraj kazemi so nice

Ginkgo Leaf Studio Excellent article as always Becky AND great follow-up comments. I'm afraid keyboards and the internet have made it far too easy for people to say things they'd never have the guts to say in real life. Houzz is for inspiring...all of us!

James

djbuckley Back in the " good old days " when many of paid top dollar for decorator magazines, we seemed to take the good with the bad..... And be happy about it! Rarely did you see 10 or 15 negative letters to the editor. But now that it's free and at the finger tips of all ( even those whit no social filter). All I can say, is with such negativity and lack of respect, I'm very happy not to know these people personally.

If you can't say anything nice......

DJ

24kprp Becky... don't get discouraged by the negative comments! There are more people such as myself who are INSPIRED by your / HOUZZ photos and articles than there are naysayers. I was blessed with a new home and didn't have any design ideas, I could always find pretty pieces however, HOUZZ is my main resource when looking for ideas on how to bring a room together. Keep up the great work and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

hgamble I love the views and see some great ideas, particularly with the reclaimed barn wood. For the comments about the tub, I imagine the owner has underfloor heating which significantly helps heating costs and no neighbors close by to partake of naked views. Keep up the good work Becky.

cthoman Thank you for your hard work Becky. I love everything about Houzz....not all homes are my taste but whether I am looking for inspiration or not is is just plain interesting and fun to see different perspectives and life styles. There is no place like Houzz to find great design ideas. For those who don't enjoy Houzz, no one is forcing them to read it! There are plenty of other images and blogs on the web that can give them what they must be looking for.

rhowe1 I would like to tell you Becky that I completely agree with you. Sometimes the negative comments put on here really bring you down. These homes took a lot of hard work and labor to build and everyone should respect that! No builder or designer wants to hear or see all of these comments. Great job standing up for your self and the builders of these beautiful homes. Your Article was wonderful and I love all these homes!

Alexander Sharp I can see my house out the window of the fifth photo. Couldn't believe it at first.

tjwiseman Two bits. It never even occurred to me to be jealous or judgmental of these homes/choices. I have chosen to live my life a certain way and take great pleasure in seeing the beauty creative people are willing to share. I take the tips/ideas I like and move along. No one is holding my hand on the mouse. It's none of my business what others do and would personally take offense to others telling me whether my choices are responsible enough for their strong opinions. I'm sure we can ALL do better and should put our energy to that effort vs. grumping on a website that is DESIGNED to show DESIGN. Be happy. go outside, and PLAY!

shaunconsulting Where is the couch from in Idaho house. It is a camel color and transitional and I need it! Thanks Joan

New Mood Design LLC Becky, thank you so much for sharing New Mood Design's Peak 8 Penthouse, Breckenridge, CO in your article along with those of other designers and architects. We enjoy being part of the HOUZZ community. Our clients often use HOUZZ as a resource, collecting ideas and images for their home remodels or new homes, and sharing their Ideabooks with us to illustrate the type of environment they're seeking. It's a great conversation starter, allowing us to focus quickly and find the right products to create a space that matches our clients' visions. The diversity of design ideas available on HOUZZ is what's made the site a success.