Homearama 2012

It was another fun outing to see these fancy houses, though many had similar layouts, so I wish some would get more creative. You walk in to dining room on left, library on the right or reversed. The first house was so dramatic & overtly detailed from the ceilings to the basement, to the bedrooms. I'm not a fan of high beds & huge four poster beds though I know, many love them.

Most of the colors were more neutral this year for kitchens which was a nice change. Many times the back splash is so busy I would get vertigo looking at that in my home (Not kidding!) But again, the kitchens have started to look the same the last few years. I tend to love white cabinets and a brightly lit kitchen. One had an island so huge it would be impossible to reach the center unless 6 feet tall!  I did love the huge refrigerator though, with built in cabinets to hold it. It was two fridges side by side with spacious easy-to-pull out drawers. Price? $8500 each! So the pair over $16,000!

One bedroom had graffiti on two walls which was weird and cool at the same time. If I had done the work or the kid who lived in said bedroom it was cool. Or if the kid wanted the design. But it was an odd urban feel to an otherwise suburban home.

Another house had that distressed old paint look everywhere! Inside shutters, all the woodwork and cabinets.  A modern house over all but the wood work all looked like it was peeling and could promote splinters. After 55 pictures my little camera ran out of juice and C left his cam in the car. Wah. So didn't get to take pictures of all the things I mention here. I also made a silent slide show of the photos.

Oh and rhinestone studs on walls are common and one house had walls with cut up pieces of glass. I ran my fingers over them and they were sharp. I could only imagine the dust they would hold.

There was a James Bond 007 room (complete with a hidden room, behind a partially open wall. In it was silver unfinished foil walls with lots of video games. There was a James Bond mannequin inside a huge bar. Creepy.  Though not as creepy as the headless mannequin (!?) in another bar. The bars were nice and some more lit than others.  All had great movie set ups.  One had a cigar grotto which was, frankly, a joke. It had cigar boxes & signs in a small room, with no windows and no ventilation system? Yikes.

Some of the outdoor decks were great and our favorite had decks on many levels on two sides of the house, a covered patio with fans, plus a huge screened in porch that overlooked a small woods.  They would be known as very awesome "Tweetdecks!" Many had televisions and one had a tv that could stay out in the snow or 115 degree weather. Didn't ask the price as the guy could not get his smart phone to work to turn on the tv. So that was a drag.

The putrid lime green dining room was way too much. Why cross elegance with retina piercing colors? But, that's why we go to these things.

Oh, another trend? Taller bathroom counters. Who thinks this is a good idea? As a shorter person (barely 5'3 inches) this would never work. Also to sit at a counter and put on makeup? The counter would be almost at chest level. Um, no.
Some showers and bathrooms went on forever and personally, a waste of space to us and would be cold in the winter. Some tvs were stuck in odd parts of the bathrooms as well.

But, hey, it's always interesting to get ideas at Homearama.  Lots of rocks and stones and fire pits.  Oh, and I didn't get a picture, but one outdoor kitchen had a special built wood fire oven for pizza! Some indoor kitchens have that fabulous feature of water faucet over the stove for pasta or soup makers. However, again, some were so tall a short cook could barely reach the faucet. I tried.

New shag like carpet is everywhere (frieze sp?) and a small black, gray & silver rug appeared to be made out of fake, flower petals. Can't imagine cleaning that.  There was also a pillow covered in two inches of cotton ball like pads on a string? Not baby or pet friendly but my camera was out of juice by then :(

Oh and some sectional couches had throw pillows made out of - are you ready for this? --burlap bags! See photos.

The  '5 minute Cafe' had limited foods  and way over priced  snacks, but I found a $2.00 hot dog. Also the SPCA was there with dogs to encourage adoption.  All in all, a good time but still we always wonder: Who wants a huge house that is 6 feet from your neighbor for almost a million dollars? I'd rather have smaller house & bigger lot as would most folks I know for quiet and privacy.

P.S. My favorite dream room was the golf simulator. Like the pro's use.  You can have one as they start out at only $29,000 !!!!

Also, here is a link with some photos. The dark, ornate ceiling is from a basement movie theater room. In person the LED lights  ~or whatever they used ~along the detail had a weird blacklight effect. Kinda ugly in person but many thought it  awesome! On this link, image #22 is the wood oven for pizza! If you hover your mouse over the photographs, it gives a description of each one. That is a good thing.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120606/BIZ/306060101/New-looks-technologies-Homearama