It depends. I have seen both approaches (matching and not matching int/ext and in either, you can have successful or catastrophic results they could be boring and matchy-matchy or they just do not belong. Just talking about exteriors only, have you seen what they did in the Louvre? It goes from French/renaissance/baroque to CONTEMPORARY! And I think that was VERY successful. I have seen in the prettiest city of the Caribbean, Cartagena, now UNESCOÂs World Heritage Patrimony, most of them original "Spanish Colonial Style" and some NEW houses with the "SC Style" exterior (by city ordinances) and in the interior they either match the exterior using ancient techniques and use furniture with the same style or they go eclectic and sometimes contemporary. I live in a very traditional city in the Midwest. Most subdivisions here have covenants and they establish steep roof pitches and lots of brick or stone. Most of these houses are New American and some are "old world style" and I have seen a few interior decorations in a more contemporary or eclectic style. Very, very few people here dare to build a contemporary exterior house, some go Prairie style and they call that "contemporary". After all of this My opinion is that although you could be successful  if you get skilled guidance- building your DH choice house and going a bit different in the interior IÂd say: PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT!!! The house that you like is a lot Nicer. It is a less "dated" house and a less limiting house. Also, in the event that you need to sell the house for any reason, it will be easier to sell. Because this is your forever home I highly advise you to convince your DH of how important this is for you. You see, the thing is that if you are not happy, chances are that in a few years you would want another house (believe me on this one). I am pretty sure your DH wouldnÂt want that. There is something with guys and lodge/lumber cabin style houses; my DH likes them. But most guys actually do not fall in love with the houses, the just like them so I bet he will get over it, while in the other hand, you will not get over it. If your hubby has common sense he most know that if the wife is happy everybody in the house is happy!!! In my experience, I really think this is a battle that you have to choose. Please, do not allow your DH to make a mistake selecting that house. Good luck

Line voltage - greater selection of lighting options, better understood Low voltage - lower profile. Low profile indirect lighting would work great. Low voltage wiring is more challenging than line voltage. There are ideas you can get from phantomlighting.com, houzz, other sites.

Town was most important for the schools and distance from Boston (close). I wanted a Victorian with natural woodwork in my town that was originally a single family but now a 2 family that could easily be converted back to a single. It would probably be an estate sale since I couldn't afford anything else. I started to look for "my" home a year before we were ready to buy so that when the "perfect" home came on the market I was ready to pounce. A week into the initial search and a year before we were ready to buy I pounced on a 1825 brick federal home. It was structuraly sound but cosmetically challenged. The price I couldn't pass - easily converted back into a single BUT no natural woodwork. Those homes with beautiful woodwork were $300K - $400K MORE - way out of my price range. This is our forever house. I still long for natural woodwork. We stripped the doors and they're either black walnut (probably) or mahagany which I will leave natural with tung oil. We stripped some woodwork - hodgepodge of many types of wood so we painted again. I still long for that painted lady Victorian with beautiful natural woodwork inside but settled for the Federal brick home. A wing was added in 1840-1860. It was really muddled in 1914 when the house was converted into a 2 family. We gutted the kitchen and that wing (didn't want to gut all of it but ice dams and collapsing ceilings changed our mind). I had a hard time deciding on trim, door types (5 piece vs. 6 piece raised panel, etc.) Decided to go with the last major muddle - 1914. I could find the trim work as stock in the local lumber yard vs. buying knives for my 6" trim in the main house. This also helped me pick door wood type and style, flooring, etc. I let the house try to guide me in the right direction. Yes, I would like that Victorian but I love where I am now.

Lavenderlass - What an interesting post. That kitchen is something elusive that you can't put your finger on it, but several here have hit the features -- unfitted, open shelves, less uppers, different colors and tones, glass cabinets, farm/barn elements (beams, barn light fixtures), light, open, large windows, rustic metals (iron, copper), hearth-like stove. For me it is that feeling that the kitchen has evolved over several lifetimes and a focus on soft, natural material accents (baskets, wood counters, etc.) The effect is a cozy, warm spot where people feel comfortable gathering. These are the kitchens I was also drawn to, but was not sure how to pull it off and make my not-large kitchen practical. A hearth-like stove would eat into storage space, a farm table has no cabinet space below. There is definitely as sense of wimsy or "impracticality" that mtnrdredux mentions (and great blog link :) I also think it is very challenging to recreate in a new space and could be very time consuming to find the right pieces and configurations... Things from the old layout (house modest turn of the century) I wanted to keep were impractical in our new layout - I sacrificed romance for storage space. I put in an island because I needed additional lowers - but added table legs and have seating on three sides to mimic a table. The result is something more streamlined than romantic. I don't regret my choices but still admire the lovely kitchen show here. I found this kitchen when looking for Halloween inspiration for a thread linked below. I also love Antiquesilver's kitchen, a GWer. Good luck and I look forward to see you realize your vision. Here is a link that might be useful: Inspiring kitchens for halloween