250,000 views!

Late last night, as my birthday was winding to a close, I got a very special birthday surprise from you all - the blog hit one quarter of a million views! I can't think of a sweeter coincidence! Thank you all for your wonderful support!

To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to count down the top 5 viewed BDH posts since the blog's creation.

5. Our DIY chalkboard tutorial (for under $10!)

4. A compilation of some of my favorite dream swimming pool inspiration photos.

3. The recent reveal of our dining room makeover, with custom paint job and wainscoting.

2. Our 2013 Christmas Home Tour, complete with 26 full sized Christmas trees!

1. The reveal of our 11 ft Restoration Hardware inspired table, 100% built by hand by my hubby.

Thanks again for all of your loyal visits barbies! You're fabulous!

Swimming Pool Photos

Hello dolls!

I hope you're all managing to stay warm despite all of these recent snow storms that don't seem to discriminate against any region of the US! We've had a couple major snow storms here in NC (including a couple snow days from work!) and all of this cold weather has really got hubby and I dreaming of warmer days and beginning to put our pool construction wheels in motion.

Ross and I have both known we wanted a pool since before we even built our house. He grew up with one in his backyard and I basically spent my entire childhood in a pool (I was a competitive swimmer). We got a really ghetto used inflatable one on CL (for $30 - we were big spenders) for our old rental home in Texas and we LOVED it. We spent every sunny, waking moment in it, bought all sorts of pool toys (which was kind of hilarious since it was only like 12 ft wide and 4 ft tall) and even built a "waterfall" for it. Eventually it popped (which is the risk you run mixing inflatable swimming pools and dogs) and we've been sadly poolless ever since.

So now that several things might be beginning to align, we've begun researching pool options and designs. What I've found so far is that they're pretty freaking expensive even for the most basic, not upgraded setups. Sheesh. On the other hand, I've found some absolutely AMAZING inspiration photos, many of which are even more spectacular than my pool inspiration photos from 2012. Many of these are indoor, a notion I'm obsessed with despite it's complete lack of feasibility with our current house.

This shape - Roman - is my favorite right now. I also love the dark bottom and the fountains crossing it.

This indoor pool has a convertible lid! 

I generally don't prefer the lagoon type pools but we might end up doing one for no reason other than doing a beach entry like this one. I love this! I'm also partial to the elevated area for laying out!

I love this combo! Ross has come really close to building us an outdoor fireplace like this a couple times (he's a super handy professional engineer - we've even toyed with the idea of him getting his contractor's license and leading the pool construction himself!), but we keep holding back on this and other backyard projects to ensure that the entire backyard is cohesive once we get around to it.

Love this indoor pool! It feels so perfectly integrated into the house - like its just another room.

Can we take a moment to swoon over this dramatic indoor pool? Agghhh! I'll take five of these please.

Here's another dark bottom Roman pool. I don't like the grass around it but the pool itself is gorgeous.

This pool has its own custom water slide (which I'm sure is worth more than our entire pool budget!). Look at the tile work on that thing!

I don't know why, but I love the island in this one. It takes away a lot of the pool's functionality, but its still so cool. I'm also digging the beach, which again only seems to fit with lagoon type swimming pools.

Now last but not least, these guys just seem to be showing off! It's a pool and hot tub surrounded by a personal lazy river, with a bridge of course. This is a little crazy but I definitely wouldn't complain if someone put it in the BDH's backyard!

I'll update you guys if we make any more concrete (pun intended!) progress on the pool front. What are your preferred pool styles and amenities barbies?

xox

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