Some spaces never feel right no matter how often they're painted, rearranged or remodeled.

What are those elusive qualities that make us comfortable make some homes more welcoming than others?

"It's not about decorations, but about bones," explained architect/author Sarah Susanka. You need a good basic skeleton into which you can pour your personal things. "The skeleton can either enhance or deaden what you bring into it. Most people don't even know what to look for, but they know it when it's there."

The Washington home, which appears to be on a Puget Sound island, is used to show how window configurations can transform a space. "What I write about grows right out of this Pacific Northwest mentality," Susanka said. "It may come out of the necessity of using light in an innovative way."

What is the Pacific Northwest mentality? We've long embraced small homes. We appreciate scale and simple beauty. "There's much more awareness of the importance of design in this part of the country. I think other parts of the world could learn from AIA Seattle (the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects)."

The Washington home features a window seat — a retreat that seems to be a favorite of Susanka. Are they for everyone? No. "They can actually be a dividing point between husbands and wives," Susanka said. Women want them, men don't. "A window seat is a psychological breathing space, a place to read, a retreat."

As you make your house your own, architect/author Sarah Susanka says it's important to consider that "it's the underlying order that makes a home intelligible." Here are some of her tips: