I've seen many beautiful homes in my day, both in pictures, and in person, and not all, but many look unlived in, sterile, cold, and boring, and in fact, a good number of them look cheap and some even look gaudy.
I also find that a majority of large homes today all look the same, hence the term McMansions, in that they lack character and/or any uniqueness about them.
Myself, I gravitate towards a quaint home, where all is finished, all is warm and cozy, where when opens the front door, it feels like a home. I like a home to feel inviting, with a heavenly aroma of mouthwatering delight wafting in the air, where a few coats and hats can be seen hanging from hooks off to the side, and the rooms embrace you, not dwarf and drown you.
I like to hear the laughs and cheers of little voices, and see babies playing and crawling, I like a kitchen table that awaits it's next round of servings and conversation, where a coffee pot sits atop the stove waiting to be poured, and where love awaits. A welcome love where people feel they belong and where guests are always well received.
To me, that is a home.
No thanks to any fancy-schmancy for me, and definitely no thanks to outsiders such as butlers, chauffeurs, house maids, cleaning staff, and grounds keepers/gardeners.
