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MAIN LEVEL

porch, she walked around the neighborhood taking pictures.

And when she wouldn’t budge on adding a fireplace, David

hit on a way to jog a flue up through a bedroom closet; Dana

saw an old mantel in a yard and snatched it up for $150.

The most pressing challenge was how to make the small

house fit the couple, their toddler son, Sean, and Dana’s

20-year-old daughter, Eden, who spends college breaks

here. “David and I embrace the idea of quality over quantity,

and believe that if a home is small the family will be together

more,” Dana says. “So really the biggest issue was getting as

much storage as humanly possible.” Besides wall-spanning

built-ins, she exacted storage anywhere she could, including

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-inch-deep backsplash ledges that hold spices and a

window seat cubby for firewood. New skylights and interior

transoms brighten the rooms, making them seem larger.

The house Dana always knew was there finally emerged.

“It’s nothing flashy—

just simple and wholesome,” she says.

“Seeing our family and friends enjoy spending time here has

made it all worth it. We’re glad we took the leap.”

1 6 6 SEPTEMBER 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS