Star Struck

John Gidding from HGTV's Curb Appeal: The Block was in Salt Lake for the Home Show...and we got to see him! Woot woot!

When there's nothing else on, we'll usually watch Curb Appeal or House Hunters so I was so stoked to see him, besides he's not that hard to look at. 

I asked him lots of questions, got his autograph, and snapped a photo. Learned lots about the show, where he got to where he is now, and oh, lots more. 

I love shutters on homes because it's a perfect way to add a pop of color. I heard it was a faux pas to add shutters on double wide windows because it's obvious that the shutters don't work. Eric and I discussed this issue for a while when we read about it on a blog and we both agree it's fine because it's for decorative purposes but don't want to have a design faux pas on our future home so at the expo I made sure to ask the guru of curb appeal this very important question. 

The verdict:

"Cynthia, I say go for it! Since the shutters aren't a functioning piece to begin with, you're not putting them up for function but for decorative purposes so they don't need to appear functional. But be sure not to hang them on the frame of the window like most people do". - John Gidding.

I didn't know what to expect from the home show, but it wasn't what we expected at all. At least John saved the day and made it worth it. Don't think we'll hit up the next one.

Parade of Homes

Like most people in America (and Canada I suppose since most of their shows are based there), we love HGTV and gazing at photos of reno's, dream homes, green homes, and any other home they put together for some lucky duck. We hope to be one of those lucky ducks someday and occasionally browse by the "Be on HGTV" tab to see if they're ever in our area (yes we're renters but don't think that will last much longer).

Thanks to the Parade of Homes, we were able to peek in some of the most beautiful homes in the Salt Lake Valley. Some homes absolutely took our breath away, while others left us uninspired. We loved a home mostly because of the styling and decor, new construction these days seems to look the same.

This was a two day event for us and we still didn't get through all the homes, but I think we made it to the most popular. The parade of homes was Grandma Fuessel's idea. She told us she would watch Leila if we wanted to go...we couldn't turn her down and were so glad she offered. Eric and I were able to enjoy day one without Leila. It's so nice to have time to ourselves without worrying about schedules, naps, etc, and focus our attention a little more on each other.

The coolest home was the recreation of the "UP" house. Everything was exactly like the house in the movie (which was mostly the outside, staircase, and living room - the rest was left to their imagination).

Even the characters from the movie were there and added to the fun. Why can't all new construction have as much character as this home? They can obviously build it, but they choose to build big brown boxes with tiny decks and backyards instead. 

This was the only home that had a line, the rest we were able to walk right in. I took hundreds of photos for design inspiration, here are just a few of my favorite rooms (note: the pictures don't really do them justice):

Loved this deck, great idea to add these curtains. Adds dimension and shade to the backyard.

All the beds we saw looked so comfy and plush, it made me just want to jump on them. I can never get my bed look like this...I'm workin' on it.

Great idea to store craft stuff in this old shelving unit. If I had a laundry room that looked like this I'd do laundry every day...so bright and organized. 

This next home was to die for...the location was amazing, the views were amazing, the home was amazing, and the decor was amazing. It sold for 1.3 million (as pictured) and it wasn't missing one thing. Every part of the home was decorated perfectly, there wasn't one thing I didn't like. This home won a lot of the home awards for the parade, it had our vote. It was nestled in the avenues and every room had a perfect view of the city. I was kinda diggin' the monochromatic color palette too.

I want to make a chandelier that looks like this...it just had little love notes scattered everywhere. Good idea.

Want this cabinetry. 

My dream garage door (but maybe not as see through).

Think I'm gonna scratch the idea of getting my masters in school counseling...I want to go to design school! Eric and I have already talked about it and we're gonna start our own design company together...one day!