My Quiet Dream House
I spent some time today looking through Zillow, just scrolling without really expecting to find anything that felt right. Most of the homes I saw looked too big, too polished, or just not for me. But then I came across 1430 Antrim Street in Salem, Virginia and it felt different. It’s nothing flashy. Just a small three-bedroom, one-bath home with about 950 square feet, but it feels like a place that’s waiting quietly for someone to make it their own. The outside is simple and painted in a soft red-neutral tone and the yard looks manageable. Enough space to breathe but not enough to feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with it.
I decided to put an old-time filter on the house photo I saved and when I saw it in those faded tones, it felt almost like looking at a memory rather than a Zillow listing. Almost like it was a home someone had lived in for decades and loved quietly with its own quiet history. I imagined myself stumbling upon this house decades from now, finding it on a quiet street during a road trip I took by myself when I needed space to think. I parked my car out front and stepped into the yard just to sit for a moment. The grass felt dry beneath my shoes. The sun was out but not too harsh, and the wind moved through the trees. I took this filtered photo to remember the house as it was that day. I think that’s what I want in a home, not just something new and modern, but something that feels settled with calmness already soaked into its walls. The house was built in 1966 after all.
What I liked about this house wasn’t just how it looked but the feeling it gave me when I imagined living there. I could see myself setting my guitar against the wall by the window letting in some soft morning light when I wake up. I could see making coffee early when the world is still half-asleep and watching the sunrise from the kitchen window before starting the day. There’s something calming about this place. I think a house like that would let me focus more on the small routines that keep me grounded rather than worrying about luxurious spendings, filling up empty, unused rooms just for the sake of it. This is better for my self-development in my opinion.
I also tried putting a sketch filter on the house photo. Seeing it sketched out like that made it feel less like something for sale and more like a simple idea of home. Almost like when we were kids and drew houses the same way every time: That triangle roof, a door in the middle, and windows with little crosses in them. There was something so innocent about it. It reminded me that at the end of the day, most people just want a place that feels safe and honest, with nothing too grand. Just a place that feels like it’s yours without needing to prove anything. That’s how this house felt in sketch form. Quiet and sure of itself.
Thinking about the community around it made me like it even more. Salem sits right at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Salem is part of the Roanoke Valley which lies “in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains”, and has easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Even though it’s a small city, you still feel surrounded by nature. There’s Roanoke College nearby which brings a bit of energy and life into the area without making it feel crowded. They actively host and partner with the local community through cultural events, service, and education. Places like Longwood Park and Lake Spring are close if I ever want to sit outside and just think for a while. The Roanoke River Greenway runs through town too which means there are trails to walk or bike without cars zooming past you the whole time. And from what I’ve read, it seems like the kind of place where people actually show up for local events, small baseball games, or community fairs. That’s what made me heart this house. Not just the clean layout or calming atmosphere, but the thought that if I lived there, I’d have room to grow at my own pace without feeling rushed by the world around me.
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