Des Moines Home Show - Round 1
Happy Monday, guys!
Man have I been busy! It is certainly a good problem, and one I am happy to have, but being so busy pulls my attention away from the 'ol bloggity blog. But rest assured, I still love you. AND I have some shiz to talk about. A few projects I am working on in our own home, some client projects picking up steam, and this week, a few gorgeous houses I visited at the Des Moines Home Show. I will have a follow up post, hopefully next week, to wrap up the rest.
This was the first house I made it into, and it did NOT disappoint. I loved the first impression made by the detail and texture in the exterior finishes. I see more and more houses going up with cedar accents on the exterior, and I am in love with it.
Greeting you as soon as you step into this gorgeous open floor plan, is a beautiful polished chrome orb light fixture over the stairs to the basement. The large windows in the livningroom look out to a beautiful deck and wooded back yard. The full height stone fireplace is flanked by lighted shelving, done with lovely detail. Opening off of the living room is the dreamy white and gray kitchen. I think one of my favorite details in this house, was the way the shiplap was implemented. It is SUCH a trendy material right now that you usually see it ALL OVER houses, but in this house it was popped in to a few key areas to a nice added texture without being too overpowering. I also loved the herringbone marble tile in the main floor half bath as well as the light fixture that compliments the front stairway fixture perfectly.
The master suite in this home was also stunning and staged very well. I am positively in love with the growing trend of chandeliers in master bedrooms in lieu of ceiling fans. It adds so much texture and warmth to the space. One of the trends I noticed in the three houses I made it through in my 30 minute mad dash was mosaic tiled walls in the master bathroom. I love the way the tile was installed in this home, running vertically up the wall behind the double vanities and in the shower. The same tile was also incorporated into the other bathrooms, but in different ways, which was a nice detail.
A pretty standard, lovely, open area in the basement for media space, windows out to the beautiful view in the back and a clean, contemporary bar. Not to mention the breathtaking wine display/storage room. I love the way this space was executed, though it is not temperature controlled.
The second house I made it into was house #4. Again, I really loved the exterior here, with the darker gray trim. I thought it was a nice change from your run of the mill white trim and made a nice contrast.
Again, in this home, you had an open floor plan where the living room, kitchen and dining room all flow into each other. I did like the way this house split up the private spaces from the common areas. The rooms were really accessible, but nicely tucked away from the potential entertaining spaces. I loved the details in this home, the handmade railing on the basement stairs, the handmade furnace grates and mantle in the living room and the continuity in lighting.
This master suite also boasted a chandelier in the bedroom and pendants in the bath. I liked the simple gray and white palette, but would love to have seen some more color in the accents. The shower in this home was a dream, I think I could live in there. I considered having my mail forwarded....but that might get awkward for the mailman.
This basement had some great open space and a nice full bar. The detail at the TV with stone up the back wall and the flanking lighted shelving was a really nice touch. The custom made table in the basement tied in beautifully to some of the details upstairs, I love that they carried those elements throughout the home.
The last house I buzzed through was house #5. I really liked the window styles and installations on the exterior here, as well as the front door. Another detail I noticed on the homes I made it through on my first pass was that the front doors were all at 8' which was a really neat detail, making a nice first impression into the homes.
This home, like the others, had a gorgeous statement light fixture at the entry, throwing a beautiful pattern on the walls. A detail this home had that I did not notice in the others, was the use of barn doors. Another trendy detail on the market right now that can easily be over done. I think the way it was executed in this home was just the right amount. I also appreciated that this home had a nice spacious office off of the front entry, vs tucking it into the back of the house or the basement as other homes had done. One of the areas I really liked the barn doors on this home was in the living room as a TV hide, though I would imagine most homeowners would use a wider space for their TV, but the concept is really nice. I really liked the details in the kitchen on this home, with back lit glass front cabinets and the accented island with different cabinet and counter colors.
The master bath in this home had a lovely mosaic tile up the wall behind the freestanding tub as well as in the spacious shower. I also appreciated the lights over the sinks in this bathroom. They threw a gorgeous shadow in the space and were just enough glitz for the room to compliment the other elegant details.
Following suit with the other homes, there was a nicely detailed family room in the basement with an adjacent full bar. The tiles in this bar were fun, as they had signage printed on random tiles, it was a fun detail. There was also a pool table just to the right of the bar that I missed grabbing a picture of.
Well, there you have it folks, my very long winded review of only 3 of the gorgeous homes in the Des Moines Home Show this year. Check back next week for more! I promise I will try not to make it such a long post!!
Toodle-oo!!
- D
