As of 5:30pm yesterday we reached our second major Homearama Showhouse deadline. The builder hosted a preview party, so everything had to be finished, cleaned, and staged for realtors, prospective buyers, and the generous local companies that donated furnishings and accessories. Fortunately the weather cooperated at the last minute and gave us a nice photo opportunity.
It felt strange and exciting to have the house buzzing with people, music, and food. Caterers showcased the kitchen and appliances, and Sherry and I indulged after a full day of running around. In the final minutes there were still picture frames and window treatments being hung — it was one of those down-to-the-wire moments.
We managed to capture some “after” photos of a few rooms before the house filled up, knowing they’d likely never look cleaner. Impatient as ever, we sat up until 11pm sizing and uploading pictures to share them as soon as possible — fueled in part by the cookies from the party.
Here’s what we photographed before the crowd arrived: the study, the butler’s pantry, and the main bedroom. Expect plenty of photos and source credits.
You’ve already seen the office in earlier posts, including a mood board, but here it is in its final state.
With the double doors pushed out of view, the space reads warm and inviting. The rug and chair were donated by West Elm, the table came from local Green Front Furniture, the light is from our Shades of Light collection, and the curtains were sewn by U-Fab using the fabric we specified. Curtain rods are from Lowe’s. The walls are painted Benjamin Moore Simply White and the ceiling is Skydive.
We intentionally styled a more feminine office than the typical showhouse “study” look. Sherry enjoyed creating a spot that feels personal and polished.
Accessories such as a metal tray and vases came from Target, and the fiddle leaf fig was sourced from a local nursery.
Along the inside wall we added open storage to help our fictional work-at-home mom stay organized. The whitewashed wood and metal shelf is from West Elm and holds binders, file boxes, a few frames, and containers for office supplies.
For the showhouse we kept shelves a bit more minimal than we would in our own home — two weeks to outfit nearly 25 spaces meant editing down to essentials. Most items came from HomeGoods and Target, along with magazines and books we brought from home.
At a local craft fair we picked up a few motivational “wisdom cards” that we scatter around our house; one in the office reads “know when to show up.”
We also used smaller framed prints from Help Ink after the curtain placement left less wall space for the large 24″ x 36″ originals. Those smaller extras were framed at the last minute and finished the room nicely.
We considered adding a floor outlet based on final furniture placement but decided it’s wiser to let the eventual owner customize that location to their layout. For the show the desk holds a stack of notebooks rather than a real laptop.
Now let’s slip through to the butler’s pantry — the small hallway between the kitchen and dining room. It’s tough to photograph because of its size, but in person it became a charming focal point at the preview party. We envisioned this area as a spot for weekly meal plans, notes to family members, or a quick drink station, and for the show we styled it as a coffee and wine nook with a bold, playful look.
We invited a local chalkboard artist from a nearby restaurant to hand-letter a menu-style piece for the space. The artwork was created with chalk marker so it’s dust-free and won’t smudge, yet can be removed with a magic eraser or painted over if desired. It proved to be a fun surprise and a popular photo backdrop during the party.
Switching gears to the main bedroom: it shares a similar palette with the office. In the bedroom we were inspired by a large painting generously donated for the show by Lesli Devito, which helped guide the room’s colors and textures.
The king bed features a woven banana leaf frame from Green Front Furniture; the wood nightstands and a dresser by Universal complement it. Curtains match the office fabric but in aqua, sewn by U-Fab, and the walls are Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore.
We left the wall above the bed bare rather than hang something we weren’t sure about; the hanging light fixture helps fill that visual space at eye level. The wood ring chandelier above the bed was donated by Shades of Light.
Throughout the house we mixed finishes — gold and brass alongside chrome and oil-rubbed bronze — so fixtures feel deliberate and cohesive rather than matching everything exactly. The Fair Isle 9×12 rug was donated by Dash & Albert and the bedside lamps were found at HomeGoods.
Night tables were styled simply: a few inexpensive pieces from World Market and a mug and plate for small bedside items. We kept lamps restrained to avoid overcrowding the room visually.
Bedding from Pine Cone Hill complements Lesli’s artwork and helps pull the scheme together. Two woven benches at the foot of the bed from Target reinforce the texture-rich look and echo the woven headboard.
Across from the bed we balanced feminine elements with gray nailhead chairs and gritty framed photography, plus a gold planter and a small side table. You can glimpse the atrium and a driftwood fixture in the background, which ties into the rest of the home.
A local shop lent some yellow-hued urban photographs that echo colors in Lesli’s painting and helped finish the room at the last minute. We didn’t get to photograph the en-suite bathroom before the party started, but it’s one of our favorites and we’ll share photos of it soon.
We learned a lot during this whirlwind staging process and there are definitely things we’d do differently next time. Once the show wraps up we’ll consider a follow-up post with lessons learned, budget notes, and tips for decorating on a tight timeline. Stay tuned for more after photos and sources this week.