It’s always pleasing to be surrounded by your friends and family, but as individuals, we often crave those moments solidarity. If you’re living in a house with a bunch of siblings or a cramped college apartment with your three other roommates then you know finding spaces to escape to for some peace and quiet are slim to none. For me personally, I’ve always thought if I ever had the opportunity to build my dream home how could I customize it perfectly for those moments when I wanted to block out the world for a little bit? Now I present to you my totally radical ideas for an awesome introvert's paradise.

1. Library with reading nook

I’m 100% a bookworm in my free time but even in those moments, it can be difficult to sit down and get knee deep into a good book due to other distractions. Any big time reader will tell you that the most frustrating moment thing about reading itself is becoming distracted by someone else when you’re dead focused on what’s going on within your story. Naturally, I want to construct a beautiful library with shelves stacked to the ceiling but it wouldn’t be complete without a reading nook. I’d place mine high off the ground and design it after a birds nest or perhaps a notch in a tree. Add some dim lights and a few cozy blankets and you’ll be lost in other worlds in no time at all.

2. Media room / art studio

The movie buff and young Picasso in me are always craving for more of the art. For someone who likes to watch films as much as me, the movie theater experience is everything but they tend to get overcrowded to an extreme and watching movies on small TV at home isn’t as fun. In my house I’d start by buying the biggest TV or projector system I could find, paint the room all black with my movie theater vibe touches, and furnish it with tons of giant bean bag chairs. When it comes to creating art or working on projects, focus is key! Plus, small spaces are extremely difficult work environments for me, so in order to feed my inner artist I would build a large art studio with absolutely everything I would ever need so I would never have to leave that room. You’d be surprised how much inspiration comes from a quiet room, soft music playing, and a calm mind.

3. Tower with glass ceiling

There’s nothing I enjoy more than the pure bliss of watching the stars in the night sky. It’s hard to enjoy such a view from a bedroom window or anywhere in a home especially if you don’t have a porch or deck. In my dream home, I would build a tall, winding stairwell tower with a large room sitting by itself at the very top. The entire roof would be one giant glass dome that is fully retractable so I could feel the same experience as if I were laying down in the grass on a nice summer night. You can bet I’ll deck that room out in surround sound speakers complete with a giant bed to have the best dreams imaginable.

4. Secret passageways

Who didn’t think secret doors and levers to unhinge bookcases in creepy old mansions was cool? If you ever watched any episode of Scooby-Doo ever, you know you wished for something just like this. Not only is it the perfect way to avoid company but having quicker access to secret rooms and compartments is the ultimate childhood fantasy. I could think of a million and one different combinations of secret spy passageways but I’ll leave that up to your imagination to think of what your dream house escape route. The little introvert in me would have all my passages connecting to my other isolated rooms hehe.

5. Treehouse

Growing up, all I ever wanted was a treehouse so magnificent that I would never want to step foot out of it for as long as I lived. I did indeed have a couple over the years to thanks of my craftsman of a father who brought my dreams into a reality as best he could. I cherished those summers playing inside the treehouse as it made me feel so alive. If I had the opportunity to build another one along side my dream home I would make it a playground paradise. Hammocks, jungle gym. Places to crawl into and jump from, rope swings, the whole nine yards. My inner child (monkey) would thank me infinitely.