We see it all the time in lifestyle and high-society magazines: palatial mansions oozing with decadence and vanity. Elaborately-decorated living rooms and dining halls are filled with colonial style furniture, echoing royal houses. Grand staircases are a focal point the house, which leads up to perhaps six or more bedrooms. These bedrooms are just as decadent as ever.

But I don’t want any of thosethings. I just want a simple house that will be enough to house me and my family comfortably. I want natural wood and I plan on using it because it is sturdy. I want comfy couches, but nothing like the ornate sofas found on those kinds of houses. My house will be filled with warmth, not by big decorative candles, but with the simplicity and love of people.