PARADE OF HOMES: PART 2

So I may just have to make 3 parts to this because I spent this entire post talking about one house. This house one one of me and Spencer's top 2. It was open, gorgeous, and had impecable design. Ladies and gentleman, I introduce you to dream house number 2:

^^I didn't get a picture of the back but it's actually bigger then it looks because the back of the house drops off a small cliff/hill so that the basement floor is level to the ground and has a walk out patio. 

{This picture stolen from Kristen Krason's Instagram. Undecided it was much better quality then the picture I took} 

^^Amazing deck and view out those glass windows.

^^Even though I would probably change the lighting in the living room, the one thing I loved about them is they were totally DIY. They were made of wood and cardboard and similar pendants were through-out the whole house. 

^^I'm obsessed with exposed brick so naturally I was in paradise!

^^Behind this fridge was a tiny hallway with a giant custom made magnet board and pin board {below}.

^^Don't worry, those are protective booties Spencer is wearing and not the new style of shoes. 

Let's go back to the main level for a second now:

^^The master bed was phenomenal. Definitely not every one's taste, but the design of it was breath taking and you could tell it was totally custom. 

^^Floating fireplace in the master

^^The door dividing the bathroom and master, was a fun sliding barn door that doubled as a giant mirror! 

^^Another cardboard DIY light, and a tub that I envy.

^^Laundry/Craft room

^^Cute wood half-bath

Now let me take you to the basement for a bit: 

^^On the landing of the basement stairs was this cool/giant window that went to the floor. 

^^Now two kitchens is the new trend but I only really like them if there is a theater {because who wants to go upstairs to get your movie snacks}! Luckily this house did have a theater but it was sadly unfinished so I didn't take any pictures :(. Womp womp. But once again, notice the open shelving! Such a nice touch to a small kitchen. The cool thing about the house though, was that the basement mirrored the main floor. Notice the kitchen, and the living room below...

^^... the fireplace mimics the one above as if it is coming through the floor and the mantel is one giant piece. 

^^And another table mimicking the one above.Most of these houses are just set up with "staged furniture," while others have already been bought but not yet moved into, and their furniture is already in the house {usually picked out by an interior designer}. I think this home was staged {but I don't know for sure} because obviously no one needs 2 living rooms and 2 dining tables. If I was to design this, I would leave the kitchen but turn the rest of the area into a game room with a pool table, ping pong table, Foosball table, and whatever else my heart desired. This way the kitchen would prove more suitable as a "snack" station for when your kids have friends over. 

^^Obsessed with this paneling. I love that they keep with the wood sub-theme all throughout the house but use different types and shades. 

^^One wall in the downstairs bedroom of just brick.

^^The doors to every room were also cool and unique.

Alright... back upstairs we go:

^^So this is right when you get upstairs. They made a little homework/lounge area out of wood. I wish I had taken a closer picture but under the homework sign, are fun hanging terrariums and a homemade corkboard. You could tell the the designers did a lot of DIYing in this house which was cool. 

^^On the left is this fun little reading nook.

^^Another bedroom

Alright, so my favorite part was a total surprise. After we went through the house, we had to exit out the garage, and low and behold on the other side of the garage {see picture 2 of exterior} there was a guest room with it's own bathroom and mini kitchen! 

Anyway it was an awesome house and I highly recommend going to the parade of homes. It's such a fun date night. For all my Salt Lake friends, the Salt Lake one is in August so watch for that. There are around 20 homes and it goes for 2 weeks so if you don't have time to go to them all, then make the ones over $700k your priority because those will wow you the most. There is still a week left for the Utah Valley Parade so go check this house out and buy it for me for a cool $950,000 {but that includes the lot price if that makes you feel better}. 

PARADE OF HOMES: PART 1

So because I already have so many pictures and we have only seen a little less than half the houses in the Parade of Homes, I decided I needed to upload some of my highlights so far. 

This first house was our "Dream House" (so far), although it could have used a pool and an indoor basketball court.

^^ An open layout is by far my favorite and the space was so inviting. 

^^The dark hardwood floors were to die for. And look at the molding/paneling they have on the walls! Insane details!

^^This was in the basement of the house and they had these cool shelves with lights and a wallpaper backing. 

^^This was the basement kitchen right outside the home theater. Spencer was just playing around with the sweet stove top. 

^^Theater room

^^The backyard had a hot tub, water feature, and cool fireplaces. 

^^ And the doors!!! Oh lets talk doors! Double french doors are a MUST in my future house! 

^^Look at the detail in this bathroom door! Amaze-balls!

^^This mirrored barn door going into the theater was also breathtaking. 

Sadly I didn't get a picture of any of the rooms or of the kitchen in the Dream House because they had a not picture sign and I had to only take pictures where I could sneak them. Anywho, enjoy the rest of the pictures! 

^^That fridge and those lights!

^^Loved the sliding barn door, but it was weird that such an extravagant door was given to the laundry room. 

^^Emerald is the color of 2013. Oh didn't you know each year had a color? Well it is, and it is to die for! I even painted a chair this color recently. It's so rich and vibrant and I love it paired with black or navy. 

^^Ceiling envy!

^^Remember my last post and how I said metal (especially in the pipe form) is sooooooooooo in right now?

^^The view from one of the houses.

^^I want this night stand! 

^^I almost tried to fit this table in my purse. It was a work of art. It's hard to see in the picture but it looked like an exquisitely, glossy chess piece. 

 ^^This stubby horizontal wood flooring was really big this year, as was bamboo flooring. 

^^This home was NOT in the parade of homes but it was next door to one of them and it was gaudy and awful. Right down to that monstrous water fountain behind that skinny tree in the front. 

^^Right now I am in the process of making a little "dry" bar for Spencer and I at our house. 

^^Those cute side doors by the fireplace led to the cutest dining room. 

^^Enter the cute dining room. The picture doesn't do it justice but it had such a cute beachy feel with the shell chandelier and the wood chairs and table. 

 ^^This sun room/living room had gorgeous views, but Spencer and I weren't impressed with the rest of the house. 

^^I loved this island/bar combo. It's so huge!

 Now enter the collage of trends: 

^^Bold wallpaper

^^Exposed cupboards. This is a great trend because it allows you to show off any nice china you may have and it forces you to have organized cupboards. Take note though that none of these houses had ALL exposed cupboards. You just need a few to show off the good stuff.

^^I really liked the 2 sinks on the left, and then I was obsessed over the tile on the wall to the right. 

^^And if you all read my last post, you know how much I adore lighting! I think 40% of the pictures I took were of lights I loved. Haha, dorky much? But seriously how awesome are those. 

Well that's it. Most of the homes here were the mid-range homes. Can't wait to hit up some of the more expensive ones this weekend! I'll makes sure to take more pics with my crappy camera phone for you! 

Until next time!