House Crashing: Four A Good Cause: a house log

Some of the same folks behind Richmond’s Homearama (who are working with us on our Habitat For Humanity Showhouse – which we are planning to update you folks on ASAP) invited us to similar-but-new show called the Massey Street of Dreams. Like Homearama, it features custom built homes that are decked out inside by designers & decorators who collaborate with each builder and their team. But this show’s the brainchild of cancer survivor George Emerson, so it is got a charitable slant in that all proceeds benefit our local VCU Massey Cancer Center. So simply like we had lively sharing these eight homes with you folks, we are psyched to share the four fairly places that make up the Massey Street of Dreams.

The homes are located side-by-side in a new community and (here is the part where I am jealous) they are in short right across the street from water views of the James River. Each house is done by a distinct builder and a distinct design team, so they are all fairly distinct. We enjoy these types of tours because we consistently find ourselves saying “I liked the kitchen in that one the most” or “I’d take the bath from this one, but the patio from that one.”

Let us start with the blue one first. It was likely our go-to kitchen of the group, since it was hitting plenty of the trends that we have fallen for like gray cabinets, an accent color on the island along with a distinct counter material, an exposed hood, etc.

The marble subway tile backsplash was a pleasant classic choice too, and I do not think we have ever met a glass-fronted cabinet that we did not like.

The butler’s pantry / dry bar area that connected the kitchen and dining room was a pleasant transition between the two spaces. The darker gray on these cabinets tied in with the color of the ceiling coffers (you can see that better in the next photo).

We enjoy ourselves a coffered ceiling – especially since it lets this room get away with a dark ceiling color without making the room feel too heavy.

The living room was fairly traditional by most measures, but there were two patterned orange chairs in the corner that brought in an element of glad-casual. The stone + raw wood combo on the fireplace truly cozied up the room.

The house also had our go-to en-suite bathroom, namely because of the giant freestanding tub. This type of tub is similar to the one we have slated for our showhouse project, so it was reassuring to see how excellent it could look in real life.

This nautical kids room was especially charming to Sherry, since she was (predictably) smitten with the egg chair. We both thought the details like the sail headboard (hung from an oar, no less) and the dock cleat hook rail were lively additions.

The teenage girl’s room was designed by – get this – an actual teenage girl. Apparently this high schooler is interested in going to school to be an interior designer so they let her get her feet wet in this space. It was a “Paris meets mustache” theme of sorts with lively details like actual photos of her and her friends, and this idea of a place for her friends to take silly photos against the big backdrop using props like the mustaches on a stick (in the bedside cup).

The second home had a more old world style to it, but the kitchen had one extremely modern feature. See that door to the left of the kitchen?

That is a prep kitchen! According to the project coordinator of the show, they enjoy sharing new trends in housing, and a prep kitchen is the next big thing. Essentially it is an area where you can keep things like your toaster and your coffee maker out and plugged in all of the time, without cluttering up your kitchen counters. We are not sure we are fancy sufficient to require a prep kitchen, but if nothing else it’d serve as a pleasant pantry with a bonus sink.

The house not only featured an open, covered porch with a planked ceiling (a kick you know we are right now on ourselves) but it also had a DOUBLE-SIDED, INDOOR-OUTDOOR fireplace. How sweet is that? Oh, and let us not overlook the outdoor TV.

The third house I dubbed as the one occupied by “Richmond’s Kris Jenner.” I do not know plenty about the Kardashian matriarch, but I have picked up that she’s got a thing for high contrast black-and-white decor thanks to Sherry subjecting me to bits and pieces of the show. This house was the less in your face version of that, so I mean it as a compliment. It felt upscale, with a lot of white and gray along with some strategic punches of dark brown/black. For instance, we enjoyed the visual oomph of this dark staircase.

This dining room, like the one in the first house, featured a transom window in its doorway, which is consistently a pleasant brought in detail.

The kitchen in this home was certainly the most grand. I mean, look at all of those cabinets. And oh yeah, I could not figure out how to turn that light off in the wine fridge. Oops. Simply pretend ET’s in there, phoning home.

We enjoyed the use of dark hardware to spice up the soft gray cabinets.

The breakfast nook off of the kitchen brought in some pleasant texture in the form of burlap curtains, which we learned was simply some fabric that the designer brought in a black ribbon to with a glue gun. Sherry stood there smiling at them for a pleasant long time.

This last house was certainly the most decked out of the four – and likely the one with the most distinct style. It was packed with ornate, rustic pieces – sort like things you might find at Restoration Hardware. How strong are those giant arched mirrors below?

Here is the dining room. Sherry consistently loves a beaded chandelier and I was digging the big cozy chairs at the head of the table… although I could see myself simply falling asleep in one after a pleasant Thanksgiving meal and then dripping gravy drool all over the pleasant upholstery.

We were both fascinated by the kitchen because it was a layout we had never seen before. It was hard to capture on camera, but picture three identically shaped workspaces staggered apart but parallel to each other – one was a peninsula, one was an island and one was a wall full of cabinets and appliances like the fridge.

In the front sitting room there was this truly interesting and well executed paint treatment that looked like grasscloth wallpaper. They even painted it in sections that mimicked where you might see the edge of one wallpaper roll meeting another.

This house featured the new home trend of dual main bedrooms – one on the first floor and one on the second. Here is the one upstairs (this picture does not do the tufted headboard’s immense size any justice).

The girls bedroom strayed a bit from the rest of the home’s style (well, in color scheme at least). It seems to have been inspired by the chandelier, so we thought bringing in some of the yellow touches was pleasant, like those lamp shades on either side of the bed.

And last but not least, the mudroom in this home was not styled yet but that did not stop us from ogling the mix of materials. The floor tile is what first got our attention, but it was pairing that with powder blue cabinets that made us excited to see how this space was coming together.

Obviously there is a lot more to see in person, but this is a smattering of what caught our eye. These houses are open to the public Thursday through Sunday, this week and next (Sept 19-22 & 26-29) and all the info is on their website. It is certainly a strong cause!

Psst – Wanna see a wrapped up showhouse that we designed? Click here for Our Full Showhouse Tour, which includes final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget info, a video walk-through, and shoppable showhouse furniture & accessories.