House Crashing: The house team Plus 8

You know how excited we get to snoop around houses and share the goods with you folks (we have even crashed open houses and stores), so simply picture our excitement to crash EIGHT houses on one block for your viewing pleasure.

It certainly was not our most traditional house crashing adventure – it was in fact a home show here in Richmond called Richmond Homearama, where home builders team up with local designers to construct and decorate eight houses in a variety of styles. Most of the homes are already sold by now, but you can still stroll around for ideas and inspiration. So we thought we’d show you a few of our go-to nooks and crannies.

It was fairly cool how from one house to the next you could go from a casual elegant dining room…

… to a polished transitional one. And since all of the rooms were done by local design pros, they seemed to be more layered and intricate than the average staged-for-sale new construction. A lot of the designers tried to do something distinct and take interesting risks (like two large light fixtures over a table or a backsplash made from river rocks) so it was lively to see them stretch the usual “keep it basic and neutral” house-selling rule.

As much eye candy as there was to take in, some rooms certainly stood out to us as go-tos. One being this could’ve-been-overlooked mudroom in the “European Elegance” home.

My penchant for old boxes and crates was satisfied, while Sherry appreciated the open space under the built-in bench where shoes could be casually kicked off while still remaining wrangled (let us face it, kids do not consistently put them in baskets, but the least they can do is kick them into that zone under the bench).

But our go-to details by far were these coat hooks made from brightly-colored valve handles. The designers picked them up at a local hardware store (Pleasants, for all you Richmonders) and spray painted them in a few glad colors (there are also ready-to-order collections on Etsy if you are looking to recreate the look).

This house also featured one of our go-to bedrooms. And come to think of it, this was also where we found the first dining room pictured above (who would’ve thought we’d be so into European Elegance?). See that cute dog on the bench at the foot of the bed? He’s not real. But he could have fooled us when we walked in (and we later admitted we were sad that he was not).

We liked this gutsy and graphic choice for the headboard. Perhaps cranes (herons?) are not something we are brave sufficient to do in our own home, but it was certainly lively and quite memorable.

We also liked that they woke up the room with a big blast of color on one wall, thanks to this kick butt piece of art (from Crossroads here in Richmond, for anyone interested). It is like, simply when you thought the room might be too gray-washed… BAM! How you like them florals?

Speaking of gray + color, this guest bedroom from the “Swift Creek Cottage” also had a cozy stay-a-while vibe. We thought the shutters on the inside was a lively touch to play off the whitewashed wood wall. The whole room felt like a comfortable sun porch or something.

Here is a closer shot of that wall, which they made from reclaimed pieces of lumber. And is not that yellow inset on the headboard a pleasant detail? Most of the furniture in all eight houses came from The Greenfront Furniture Market (although some of it was altered by the designers) so hopefully that helps if you are looking for something.

One room I am bummed I did not get better pictures of is what I call the “Angel Kitchen.” Why? Because when they flipped on the lights it was like a chorus of “Hallelujahs!” It was like we had died and gone to white, glass-fronted, brilliantly-lit cabinet heaven. Feel free to play this music while staring at this picture for the full effect.

This home, named the “Modern Craftsman” was likely the closest to our current style. In fact, speaking of which – see that upholstered chair in the background of this striped side table shot? We in fact used that fabric in one of our book projects!

This house is also a good place to point out one trend that we noticed across all of the houses: plenty of molding and trim that went the extra mile on both the walls and ceilings. For example, here is the staircase right beside the table shown above. This was a large double height entryway, so the trim-work cozied things up and made it feel less like an ampitheatre when you walked in.

This house also carried the feature moldings into the bedroom with this fairly tone-on-tone coffered ceiling. Oh to have high ceilings like this…

Coffered ceilings seemed to be all over the place in fact. Some were more subdued (like the one above) while others were more bold, like this living room from the “European Elegance” house that used a darker color to cozy things up.

This sitting room in the “Swift Creek Cottage” used the white paneled wall to offset a bold blue accent wall, showing that simply because a wall has some trim detail does not mean it needs to be the only focus.

Back on the bolder end of things, the designer of the “Vintage Rediscovered” home had this outside-the-box solution for the monstrous ceiling in the main bedroom – she had the builder add faux beams (surprise, they are in fact simply painted drywall).

Though in this house it was the en-suite bathroom that caught our eye the most. The mixture of textures and tiles simply made the whole space feel truly comfortable and lived in. Sherry was thisclose to drawing herself a bath (and rubbing her face on that grasscloth wallpaper).

Another trend we noticed across the homes was how the builders did not miss opportunities to steal extra storage space by adding nooks and recessed shelves in the walls. Like this stylish kids’ bathroom in the “Swift Creek Cottage” with some built-in storage on either side of the sinks.

It seemed like every kitchen island had an open shelf or built-in bookcase on at least one end. And the kitchen from this same “Swift Creek Cottage” also had a little shelf in the half-wall next to the benched breakfast area.

Now if only ceramic animals had been more of a trend in all of the spaces. Although we did find these folks chillin’ on the dining table…

And while we are still in the “Swift Creek Cottage”, let us finish out some of the other cool details that we spotted there that certainly go beyond average builder finishes. Like this hammered copper apron sink (the first one we have ever seen in person):

They also traded out standard double-doors for these cool rolling barn doors in an upstairs media room. Still gotta figure out a place to use these folks in our house somewhere…

We even found the entrance of the “Swift Creek Cottage” inspiring. Check out the lively green door:

Speaking of entrances and outdoorsy stuff – we noticed more than one home that featured rain chains (which are in short downspout alternatives since rain hugs the chain and is led down to the ground). Looks like those are becoming more and more of a thing, even in new constructions. Sherry consistently hoped one for our first house, so we might have to make it happen in our current one.

This home below was called “Simply Flexible” and featured another space that is apparently truly “in” right now which is known as the command center. See that area to the left with the pencil art? It was a small area that housed some built-in cabinets, a built-in desk and functions somewhere between a drop-zone and a mini office. Perhaps it is the 2012 version of having a small desk for a laptop right in your kitchen?

Of course, beyond these broader building trends there were still little decorating/crafty projects that we noticed. This Check Your Pockets sign in the laundry room of the “European Elegance” home (with jars to stash change, pens, candy, and money before they go into the washer) is a cute functional idea. Plus it is inspiration to make sign art from scrap wood with any message stenciled on the front.

The equestrian-themed kids room in the “Historic Richmond” home had this cool idea of showcasing prize ribbons by clipping them on a couple of old shutters. We thought it was a lively idea even if you’d rather hit up eBay instead of the stables for your ribbons.

And speaking of themed kids’ rooms, I could not resist showing you folks this Angry Birds room. Yes, it is certainly bold, but I have gotta give them points for creativity. I enjoyed how the bed, shelves, and even the nightstand were constructed to look like the game. Let us simply hope things do not fall over or get blown up as easily as they do on my iPhone.

Obviously we have only scratched the surface of all eight houses at Homearama, so it is totally worth a visit if you are a local (it runs Wednesdays – Sundays through May 6th). As a heads up, it is $10 for adults but free for kids 12 and under. Oh, and we’d enjoy to know what home jumps out as your go-to, or if there is a particular room or idea that you’d enjoy to make yours. Or what general trends you are noticing in new constructions when it comes to their layouts/design.

Psst- Still feel like snooping? Check out over 35 other houses we have crashed right here.