These Open Houses With Memorable Spaces Make Our 2023 List of Favorites

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House hunting can be tough, and it can be confusing. Trekking from open house to open house can be exhausting, and after you’ve done it long enough, you can’t even remember which house was which. Which was first, which was last, which was best, which would work — it’s all too much.

That is unless there’s a house with an outstanding, special, or maybe even quirky reason to make it stand out. In 2023, CandysDirt.com spotlighted a lot of open houses … so many it’s easy to get lost in them all but some do stand out.

Let’s review.

Uplifting Ceilings

Up is where it’s at for some of today’s homes. Yes, floors get all kinds of attention, but the fanciest of ceilings are eye-catching and spectacular. No more of that popcorn ceiling stuff, think beams and arches and paint and height.

These houses were worth craning a neck to see the beauty above.

Nothing but blue sky if you look up from this bed.
A stylish fan and contrasting beams accent this cafe-au-lait-colored ceiling.

Beautiful Dining Rooms

Yes, yes, so much of the world wants to eat at a casual bar or island off the kitchen, but some of us have much grander ideas for meals. Those of us with fine china, crystal, and tablecloths would remember any house on the market with a lovely room dedicated to using all these beautiful things.

A beautiful dining room can be a place to make memories with friends and family. It can be a special place to host sit-down dinners or outstanding buffets in extraordinary ways. And in between the fancy dinners, it can even be a place to decorate for the holidays—from New Year’s Day to Valentine’s Day to the Fourth of July and on to Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. A dining room and a showy room, too.

A dedicated formal dining room AND a fireplace! SQUEAL!
Windows flood this 1913 dining room with light. Think they’d leave the dining room chairs?
Sleek look with a contemporary chandelier sets the mood here.

Beyond Be-leaf

Living in a park could be the dream some house hunters are searching for. Lush landscaping brings out the sap in some shopping for a new place to put down roots. Those home buyers want to count the trees on a lot or maybe own too many to count.

Lush green and more green would plant memories of some home environment-loving buyers. Lettuce leave it to them to turn over a new leaf where they can grow in peas and quiet, unless that’s a bit mulch.

Trees, grass, a rock pathway, and a cute bridge make this house a standout.
Why choose a house with a bare lot when this is an option?
This backyard fits the description of an “oasis.”

Rainbow Connections

Gray on gray on gray might be the choice of some, but for others, color is what it’s all about. With a rainbow of colors to choose from, the houses that use some of them — or maybe all of them — are definitely memorable.

Warm colors such as yellow, orange, and red and cooler colors such as blue, green, and purple can have a psychological effect on people. Some hues are considered to be calming, others are thought to be mood elevators. Who knows?

A rainbow of colors resides in this living room.
A trip to this powder room is exciting.
A pop of blue adds some life to this white kitchen.

Barbie-Style Closets

Forget the walk-in closets. Those are for amateurs. How many shopping for homes could feed their shopping habits with a closet room? We know Barbie has a wardrobe worth drooling over, so a dream house worthy of Barbie and maybe Ken, too, could make a house like that a market favorite.

Increasingly in new builds and major makeovers, these oversized closets are showing up. And some homeowners have been known to take over a bedroom for that coveted closet room. Yes, please.

Walls for hangers and the center for drawers make this closet room Barbie-worthy.
We have shelves, drawers, clothing rods, and a place to sit to view the shoes.

Swimmingly Pretty

Y’all it’s Texas, and the summers are hot. Having a backyard pool for floating when the temperatures are sweltering can be heavenly. So on the list of house-hunting “must-haves” is a swimming pool for a lot of heated-up house hunters.

A pool designed to complement a home contributes to the overall mood, creating a vibe to remember. The right pool in the right place with the right look can make a big splash. Dive in.

These doors open to an impressive pool setting, quite the selling point.
A spa, a pool, and a spectacular view — could this be heaven?

Al Fresco Living

Bringing the inside out is a selling point today. Outdoor living became extremely popular during the pandemic, and the outdoor lifestyle shows no signs of decline.  A house with the right ambiance on a patio or porch can add to a house’s chances of getting purchased.

Decks, patios, and porches can add an additional living room, creating a relaxing and trendy spot to enjoy with family and friends. No longer an afterthought, these outdoor living spaces can increase a house’s appeal. Shall we have coffee on the porch, then cocktails on the veranda?

With a set-up like this, no need to entertain inside the house.

Blue decor adds a “we’re on vacation feeling” to this terrace.

A place to eat, a spot to relax, and a space to cook … this is the same as a house, just without a roof.

Joy Donovan is a contributing writer for CandysDirt.com covering the Midcities and Fort Worth.

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