Fall Home-a-Rama in Southern VA

Last Thursday I drove out to resort living subdivision of The Riverfront at Harbour View in Suffolk, VA.  For two weeks (October 15-30), home builders, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and over 150 vendors are participating in the 2011 Fall Home-a-Rama.   After paying my $8 ticket price (I received a $2 discount for wearing pink on Sentara's Get Pink day), I proceeded through the set of tents known as the "Idea Marketplace." Every attendee must walk through the exhibitor booths which has a variety of vendors selling everything from bath tubs, blinds, windows, and gutter filters, to wickless candles, hormone-free home-delivered dairy products, and high-end sewing machines.  Besides spending a few minutes chatting with a design consultant about my desire for custom closets, I moved quickly past the eager sales reps and headed for the perfectly manicured cul-de-sac of nine custom designed homes.  

While I enjoyed touring these showcase properties and exploring the latest trends in home building, I was slightly disappointed in the interior design which was the main reason I attended Home-a-Rama.  I should have known brand new houses would be filled with brand new (and what seemed to be fairly inexpensive) furnishings.  My love for vintage, antique, and eclectic collections of furniture and accessories would have me coming up short on ideas and inspiration from the homes.  I did appreciate the individual architects innovations in floor plans, spacial design, and incorporation of modern amenities in the kitchens and bathrooms.  I also really liked the livable outdoor spaces featured in many of the homes, including porches, patios, and private pools.

Here are a few of the pictures I took of exteriors and interiors I enjoyed the most.

One of my favorite houses was first on the tour,
The Justin Kauflin Charity House

I love the wide plank distressed floor stained dark with the contrasting
white skin rug in this home office space

A first floor master bedroom with over 20 foot high ceilings,
 a dark wood four poster bed, and a comfortable seating area
framed by floor to a ceiling bay window

I loved this Morroccan inspired patio

The use of various natural woods and pops of color
is very much my style

A teen bedroom on the second floor has a Southeast Asian design inspiration

I have two vintage bird cages that look like these; I love the idea of housing
an orchid within 

House #2 (Tee Time) went way too literal with the golf theme, so I didn't
find much I liked within, except for this vingette on a wall in the living room

House #5 (The Coastal Cottage)'s exterior was one of my two favorite

I love the double front porches and timeless traditional architecture

House #6 (Tranquil Living) was my other favorite exterior with its
wrap around front porch

Beautiful fall mum's in unexpected shades of lavender and magenta
look stunning with the grey and white porch

Rockers on a porch; I'm sold

I liked this arrangment of mercury glass pillars on the dining room table

Fall 2011 Home-a-rama is opened until this Sunday, October 30th.  More information can be found on the website.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

My sister, who is only 14 months younger than me and my only sibling, is due with her first (a girl) at any moment. My niece will be a little NYC Upper East Side princess (the sweet, down-to-earth, but effortlessly chic kind, of course) as her first home address is Madison Avenue, just a block from the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Her Royal Highness will return from the hospital, wrapped in an organic cotton one-sie, and be placed in a beautiful room that sits ready for her arrival.  My sister's vision, combined with countless hours of research and contemplation, has finally become a reality with a beautiful nursery, worthy of a feature in any design magazine or blog.  The bold coral, combined with rich golds and yellows, soft creams, and a crisp white, make the nursery playful, yet sophisticated.  The dresses are pressed and hung, the diapers are folded, the pillows are fluffed...and my family is ready to meet her.

Here are some pictures of my sister's creation.

A little chick-a-dee mobile for my sister's little chick-a-dee's delight

The changing table has a removeable tray on top so it easily converts to a dresser

this upholstered chair is also a comfy glider 

a day bed for mom or dad to catch a few zzz's when the baby sleeps
(I love the Beatrix Potter bookends holding her first books)

she has a pretty monogram, of course I'm biased with an "E"

Sources:  carpet (Stark); crib and changing dresser ("Celine Collection" by Newport Cottages); crib bedding (Lulla Smith); crib corona fabric, day bed linens, and throw pillows (Lulu DK for Matouk); glider chair and ottoman (Angel Song); stuffed animals (Bla Bla and Bunnies by the Bay)