The basic concept is an old-fashoned-style three floor home plus basement with a 3 car attached garage and a carriage house for additional garage space. Ideally, the structure would be brick where feasible.
Lower level would enter onto a wraparound porch (if works with overall elevation and where) and open into a foyer with a grand front staircase leading to the second floor (with generous coat closet space). Off the Foyer would be the formal parlor. The ground floor would also contain a formal dining room, a roomy kitchen with a breakfast area, a butler pantry with small wet bar (between kitchen and formal dining). Off the kitchen would be back stairs to the second floor, a back door, a full panty, a mud room (with laundry, 3/4 bath and the basement stairs). The mud room would lead to the attached garage. A 1/2 bath would also be to the front of the home where it could be easily accessed from the parlor or dining room. An office/library would also be on this level and a sunroom if space allows.
Large French doors between the parlor and the dining room to open up the lower floor for gatherings, or they can be held upstairs.
The second floor would contain a large rec room/home theatre/ballroom with a full wetbar (double basin sinks w/ disposal, dishwasher...) This would also be the command hub for audio to the first floor (kitchen/sunroom, parlor/dining/foyer, and office as separate channels), front porch, attached garage, and rear patio. The remainder of the floor would be devoted to most of the master suite (generous garden bath, dual walk in fitted closets, sitting room, actual bedroom) a full hall bath, and as many other bedrooms as feasible. Note this level will completely cover the garage. A second floor porch is a distinct possibility.
The master suite would also have private stairs to the third level. If this is a Victorian (possible), the turret room would be the sitting room rather than on the second level. This would also be devoted to private storage for the master suite. The remainder of the space would be approached by a main staircase from the second level. This would be devoted to bedrooms and storage with storage rooms and mechanical in the basement.
I would want the house on an elevated site, whether a hill, or bluff, or whatever. I would want a few mature trees, but otherwise a sunny and unencumbered lot of approximately an acre or so so there would be plenty of room for flower and vegetable gardens as well as generous amounts of lawn.
I would want a heated driveway, most likely made of concrete with a brick appearance with a courtyard type area between the garage and carriage house (no garage doors would be front facing).
A central vacuum system would be installed, and I would use a geothermal heat pump for both cooling and heating. Most of the home would be carpeted with the exception of the kitchen, mudroom, foyer, and bathrooms.
