2013 Wake County Parade of Homes

Hello lovelies!

Last weekend, hubby and I participated in one of our favorite fall traditions: the Wake County Parade of Homes! This year's Parade definitely did not disappoint - there were several more million dollar + homes than there were last year (a sign of our improving economy I hope) and they all featured beautiful details and amazing craftsmanship. Here are some of my amateur photos from the gorgeous houses we saw last weekend. We plan on seeing more this weekend or next - the Parade continues on Oct 11-13 and Oct 18-20 from 12-5pm each day. Check out the fabulous Wake County Parade of Homes Website for all of the details.

Our first stop, of course, was at the "Million Dollar Dog House." As dog lovers and luxury real estate fanatics, we couldn't miss this one. There was a raffle outside benefitting the SPCA and 20% of the proceeds from the sale of all of the furniture and décor inside went to the SPCA as well. The house had dog amenities and dog décor galore - it was adorable! This house was in the gorgeous, relatively new Rose Hall subdivision in North Raleigh.

Ross and I LOVED this large covered porch. We want something just like this. They're everywhere in Texas but harder to come by in NC.

Cream colored braided whicker furniture. Swoon.

 

Dog shower!!

People shower + claw foot tub in the master bath. I love a claw foot tub! The chrome looks so good with it. These people have great taste.

Dining room:

 Spiral staircase with adorable puppy :)

 I loved these giant topiary trees in the roman looking urns. Gorgeous! I want to copy this.

 Well decorated kitchen table:

 Living room:

 Interesting/cute Moroccan glass tile backsplash:

The next house on our Parade of Homes tour was in a new phase of Chatsworth, in the back of the subdivision. This row of homes, all of which seemed to be completed in the last couple years, were absolutely breathtaking. They all looked very European, with lots of stone, turets, stucco, porticos, etc. It was one of the prettiest streets I'd ever been on. This house had dark accents, trim and features inside (very German feeling - which I loved) and I thought it was very well designed.

 Gorgeous doors:

 Kitchen:

I LOVVVVVED this dark bottom pool and hot tub. Everything about this pool was perfection to me: the tile around it, the color, the beach entry, the elevated hot tub. Perfection. Not pictured: a nice bathroom off the house just for pool use!

Our next stop on the Parade was at a Bost Construction home in The Registry at Bailey Farms. This one was a couldn't-miss for several reasons: we thought it looked a little like the BDH from the drawing, we saw a Bost home in Hasentree on the Parade last year and were SO impressed with everything about it, annnnd before we decided on the BDH we seriously considered buying a lot in this subdivision and later considered a house that was for sale in this subdivision (pictured below). Just like last year, Bost delivered. This thing was gorgeous, tasteful and just overall very well done.

Loved this tile work on the master bath tub:

 Loved the faux finish on the wall and also then stenciling.

Living room - isn't this fireplace remarkable? There was a similar one in the Bost home from last year.

 I thought this oven/backsplash/hood combo was really unique and gorgeous.

The screened-in porch had some amazing views. Probably better views than in the Million Dollar Dog House's porch (The rolling hills at The Registry are just breathtaking) but we liked the arches on the MDDH's porch better. Still, both were amazing outdoor living spaces.

Here's the Registry home that we thought about buying. It has a really cool, California vibe we thought, and we had always been in love with The Registry. The inside was gorgeous, but very modern, which wasn't really our thing. Before we could ever go see it, it had been sold.

Last but certainly not least was this mammoth of a home in Wakefield Estates. I think it takes the cake for being our favorite. The floor plan was so unique and dynamic and the upstairs seemed to go on for days. This place was just mind blowing.

This spiral staircase connected the below ground wine cellar to the first floor and then went on to connect the first floor to the library, which was about 1.5 floors up from the wine cellar. Such a unique layout.

 

Loved this library:

The wine cellar was amazing. I would have done the wood and paint in a darker brown, but it was still so gorgeous. The stone work was first class and not pictured here was a custom painted wall of painted wine barrels. So cool.

 

For me, this closet wins best closet on the Parade award! This picture really doesn't do it justice.

Gorgeous ceiling detail and chandelier in the master bath.

Master bath:

 

Sorry I didn't take more photos of this one barbies. Maybe I was distracted by its beauty!

All in all, the 2013 Wake County Parade of Homes was a delight from the homes we saw. We hope to see more while the Parade continues. While you're here, be sure to check out my 2012 Parade of Homes Post from our exciting Parade adventures last year.

As always, thanks for reading barbs! You guys are the best! xox

Tuscan Design and Decor

Hello Barbies!

As each of you know, my love for European, particularly Tuscan, décor and design is no secret. I fell in love with (and frankly, first became aware of) this decorating and architectural style when hubby and I moved to Texas for me to go to law school in 2009.

Growing up in North Carolina, virtually every home I'd ever seen or been in was colonial, traditional or occasionally craftsman style, and always with décor to follow each of those themes. My mother always had a very traditional decorating style, as did most of my friends and their parents, but in Houston, Old World Tuscany had found its way into almost every home. From the architecture to the wall colors and finishes down to the use of wrought iron anywhere and everywhere, Europe was everywhere you looked... and I fell in love. How could you not fall in love with this look?

Tuscan décor is characterized by drama, romance and feelings of Old World Europe. Some people take Tuscany down a rustic route (like we tried to do with our dining room table that Hubby just built) with intentionally crumbling stone walls and distressed wood while others do the refined Tuscan look, with heavy crystal chandeliers, ornate wood working and tufted upholstered furniture.

What has been cool for me to watch is this style of decorating seeping into homes outside of the Southwest and California. For example, in NC I'm now seeing more dark bronze (or "oil rubbed bronze" as many companies refer to it) door knobs, fixtures and faucets. I've also begun to notice more East Coasters beginning to decorate with iron and tufted furniture, especially tufted headboards. First the iron appeared in gardens and on exterior walls of the house but now I see iron scrolls over doorways and iron balusters on staircases, just like they always were in Texas. Tuscan design is making a move! I love it!

If you're as captivated by Tuscan design and architecture as I am and you're looking for books and style guides on the topic, I highly recommend The Ultimate Tuscan Home Decorating Guide by renowned European decorator, Patrice Walker. To order it, click here . This e-book really is a fabulous source  for Tuscan decorating and design tips. Even if you don't end up incorporating any Tuscan touches into your current house, the pictures are just mesmerizing to go through! My favorite parts of the book were the tips on using existing and new lighting sources to create the Tuscan ambiance and the section that teaches how to faux paint your walls (on the cheap!) with Tuscan painting techniques. Ross and I are toying with the idea of doing an accent wall in our lower hall in one of the faux techniques from the book. It also has tips on picking out curtains and furniture with Tuscan undertones.

Some of my other favorite things about Tuscan décor? THE DOORWAYS! With all of their iron and beveled glass, aren't they just breathtaking?

I also love all of the courtyards. Italians are famous for their love for outdoor living - and they sure do it in style.

How about the Tuscan kitchens? We tried to model ours after this style in many respects, including iron scroll on the oven hood, using the distressed white cabinets, using distressed cream colored stone tiles for our backsplash and incorporating our giant iron chandelier, but we certainly fell short of these amazing Tuscan kitchens. I'm sure my horrible cooking would just bring them down anyway.

And the pools! Ahhhhh! Such great pool inspiration!

And if you dream of Tuscany but want to start slow, you can always buy art or tapestries that exude the Old World Italian vibe until you're ready to go all-in. This one is a cute example (sorry barbs, don't know where this can be purchased).

Thanks for indulging my love for Tuscany barbies! If you have your own favorite Tuscan design books or architectural elements that define Tuscan design for you, be sure to comment below and share your ideas. Thanks for reading barbs! xox