My Parade of Homes Winning Home!! #6 by Steven Dailey Construction

I've been mulling it over for a couple of weeks and I finally picked my winning home for the 2014 Salt Lake Parade of Homes.  I'm sure you've all been up at night wondering, so wonder no more.  Here it is!  It's home #6 by Steven Dailey Construction.  Interior Design by Megan Rae Interiors.

Now, to call this a "house" is a bit misleading.  It's practically a neighborhood unto itself.  At 18,688 square feet, this is indeed a monster of a house.  In fact it's so big, it almost turned me off a bit, but I was won over by the lovely details and exquisite decor.  I'm sure the (seemingly) limitless budget didn't hurt.  The price was not listed.  I think it's one of those, if you have to ask, you can't afford it, situations.  

Here is the front of the house.  I had to take it in two pictures because I couldn't fit it all in one shot.  Seriously.

The little blue thing is a play house being shown in the parade.  It is not part of the home.

Right when you enter the home, there is a lovely entry way looking into the living room.  I loved the finish carpentry details on the posts (see the post on the left of the picture), the built in book cases, the light, airy, neutral color palette, and the fact that they used drapes.  This was one of the few homes that had any window treatments at all.

Here are some of the lovely details that I'm talking about.  Notice all the wood work around the doors and the transom above the door.  This little alcove leads to the master bedroom.

I also loved that they used WALLPAPER!!  I'm telling you, wallpaper is making a come back.  I love the diamond pattern one they used on three walls of the bedroom.  The one behind the headboard isn't my favorite, but over all, it's a lovely room and I love that they went for it.  

The master bathroom was elegant and airy.  White cabinets and sparkling light fixtures create a light filled sanctuary.  And then they stuck a TV in there.  I hate it.  Oh, well.

This shower is big enough for 5 people.  I'm not sure why you'd need a shower big enough for 5, but that's not my concern.

The basement was kept bright by using a lot of white painted board and batten, light gray painted walls and glistening chrome and glass light fixtures.  I've loved the barn doors that have been around for several years, but they were EVERYWHERE in the parade this year.  I STILL love them.

This basement includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full sized kitchen, a full sized laundry room (one of 3 or 4 in this house.  I literally lost count.), a craft room, theater room, rec. room, billiards room, workout room, and....

a freaking full sized indoor tennis court.  Because who doesn't have one of those, right?

Back up on the main floor, the dining room is totally chic, but maybe a bit small for such a large house?  Please ignore the dude in the mirror.  It's nearly impossible to get pictures without people in them during the parade.  I love the cabinets flanking each side of the mirror, the mix of metals (chrome on the light fixture, brass on the mirror, silver on the furniture tacks on the upholstered chairs and bench).  I love the mixed seating and mix of patterns on the fabric.  The seat on the bench was kind of a menswear inspired plaid that played off the cabana stripe on the drapes.

The family room is open to the kitchen and dining room.  I loved that they brought a little bit more color in here.  The windows and views were really breathtaking in person.  They used a lot of pattern in the fabrics in here and they all work together very well.  Can I convince everyone to please STOP with the TV's above the fireplace, though?  Please?  It's not an ideal angle for television viewing and it's just too prominent of a location for the TV.  (IMHO)

This kitchen was gorgeous!  I love the white cabinets, warmed up by the wide plank wood floors.  The subway tiles and light fixtures add the perfect bit of sparkle.  

Here is one of the laundry rooms.  I liked the painted finish on the cabinets and the bright coral light fixture.

The upstairs area was one of my favorite parts of the house.  It basically consists of two little girls bedrooms, a Jack and Jill bathroom, another full sized laundry room and an adorable play area.  Basically the entire area is broken up into the "blue" side and the "pink" side.  You'll see what I mean.  It's so fun.

So we'll start in the "blue" bedroom.

From here, we go to the "blue" side of the Jack and Jill bathroom.  This wallpaper.  I DIE!!  I'm SO in love!!

Here was another detail that I think a lot of people didn't even notice.  On the "blue" side of the bathroom, the tile inserts were blue, then they phased into taupe in the shared shower area, then turned to pink on the pink side.  Clever.

Here's the pink side.  LOVE!!

And then comes the pink bedroom.

And then....  the neighboring blue and pink play rooms.  Have you ever seen anything so fun?

Here is the main floor hallway.  I think it might just be one of the prettiest hallways ever.

And of course there is a mudroom to die for.  There is a small bench to sit on while you take off your shoes and then...

And then there's this entire wall of enclosed cabinetry.  For someone like me who doesn't like a lot of visual clutter, this is a dream.

So, there you have it.  My favorite home of the 2014 Salt Lake Parade of Homes.  This was just a nibble.  I couldn't begin to show you every room, but believe me.  It was spectacular. 

Salt Lake Parade of Homes Teaser

So, I've been busily running around trying to see as many parade homes as possible.  It's hard to work it into my schedule when they aren't open in the mornings.  So far, I've had to drag my kids around to all of them, which is not ideal.  Lucy hates the booties, but she sure looks cute in them.

So far I'm definitely noticing some continuing trends like white kitchens, gray, and fresh, bright interiors.  I'm also noticing that exteriors are favoring the cottage craftsman look more and more over the faux european look from a few years ago.

Here are a few pictures of some of the exteriors and a room or two from each home.  This is home #27 by Tailor Built Homes.  Interior Design by Osmond Design.  This home was bright and airy, beachy, and transitional in style.

This modern stunner is by Emerald Homes.  Interior Design by Prickley Pear Interior Design.  The design of this home is refreshingly different from all the others in the parade.  The views are spectacular and the interior is mid-century modern.

This is home #8 by Cadence Homes.  Interior Design by Four Chairs Furniture.  This may be one of my favorites so far.  It is surely on trend with the color scheme and bright, airy feel, but stays away from being too "beach themed".

Home #10 is built by Steven Dailey Construction and decorated by Red Door Design.  This lovely is loaded with traditional Craftsman/cottage detail and features incredible views.

Have you been to the parade?  What have been your favorite homes so far?  I'm still compiling my final list of trends for the year and also my pick for best overall house.  Can't wait to show you!

Door of the month for August

Is it August already?  My kids (well, one of them) starts school in just a couple of weeks!  I'm feeling the pressure to check off our remaining summer bucket list items.  I'm also totally ready to get back into the groove.  I admit, I thrive on the routine that fall and school bring.  Now that July is over, it's time to take down all my July decor.  I could do a back to school themed door, but it just seems wrong in August.  It's still summer and I need a summertime door.  Maybe I'll think about adding some back to school stuff to it in a couple of weeks.

For my summertime door, I use my bright and lovely red berry wreath that I got at Rod Works.  I switched out the blue ribbon for a yellow one and substituted a cute little bird for the flag in my flower pot.  I put my red table back on my deck and pulled my orange World Market table back out.  The little wooden "Blossom" plaque is from Rod Works and the yellow lantern is from Tai Pan Trading.  In only a few minutes, we are ready to welcome the rest of summer.

I can make it two more weeks, I can make it two more weeks, I can make it two more weeks...

Color Spotlight - NAVY!!

I have always loved the color navy.  It's so classic.  It will never go out of style.  It's rich and yet more interesting than black.  It's a neutral and a color all at the same time.  It's appropriate for any season and it's totally having a moment right now.

I'm using navy in my master bedroom (can't wait to show you) as the color pop against all the neutrals of gray, tan, white, and cream and I love the richness it brings to the room.

Neutral Navy Color Scheme by lindy-kingdon on Polyvore

Navy can also be the neutral that grounds brighter colors like in this fabric pictured below or in this fun girls bedroom done by Rhoda from the blog Southern Hospitality.  http://southernhospitalityblog.com/feature-friday-my-old-country-house/

Navy can also make softer colors like pink and peach look more grown up and less "sweet" like in the fabric/paint combination by Caitlin Wilson below.  http://caitlinwilson.com/paint-suggestions/

Of course we can't forget one of my favorite traditional color schemes or red, white, and blue.  This room was done by Darci Goodman Design.  

I really can't think of a color that doesn't look great when paired with navy.  Orange, tangerine, teal, light blue, all shades of purple, green...  They all work great.