remember this project?

Remember the parade home from this summer?  Refresh your memory by viewing my portfolio.
Just looking at these images this morning brings back a bit of summer warmth to my soon to be snowy winter day.

A big thanks again to the talented Bry Cox {aka RC1 on this blog} for the photography.

more parade home images

can now be seen on Bry's blog where he gives a few glimpses into our parade home as well as showcases the artwork he created to hang in the home.  It was a fun process to sit in each room with him and go through his images and pick the perfect one specifically for each space. His photography captures the imagination and helps create the emotion I believe makes an interior space successful.

As always, a real pleasure working with Bry on a creative project. If you ever need a photographer, I know just the guy.

{above images borrowed from his site.}

a few parade home photos

In the early stages of designing this home I imagined using a wonderful painting by Tony Cox as the focal point..  I had seen it at a few of his shows over the years and it has always been a favorite of mine so as I thought about the color story of the home I thought it should be reflective and fresh, like water and nature.  Perfectly captured in his painting. I continued making selections for the room, ordering furniture and the rug, all the while still imagining pulling everything together with his painting, but never working up the courage to actually ask until weeks into the project. I'm so glad he agreed, and as he and his dad hung it I sat across the room with goose bumps seeing it all together for the first time.

The parade started on Friday the 24th {happy birthday to my dear brother} and we've had a great turn out and wonderful comments from the guests walking through the home.

It has been a really fun project to work on and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out.

Now if the house could sell, along with everything in it!

Last Thursday, the day before the parade started, we had the home photographed by the very talented Bry Cox and he also installed his photography into the home putting the finishing touch on each room.  Many of the compliments to the home have been people's enthusiastic interest in the beautiful large scale photography.
{The images in the post unfortunately are not his.  They are mine, and not at all close in comparison to his quality. Sorry folks.  I'll direct you to his site when/if he posts them.}

Later that evening I took my Grandma and Aunt Vicky through the home for the first official tour I'd given of my very first parade home {kinda a milestone in my wee little career don't you think?}.  We went outside after and enjoyed the sunset reflecting off of the giant clouds rolling through the valley while the fighter jets did their maneuvers.

Custom Order 40% Sale

As part of our Parade of Homes Sale {50% off one accessory when you visit our parade home in Layton #18} we are doing a 40 off sale on everything in the store, including special orders.  If it were me, today I'd like one of the tables above, with the white base instead of the black and white Windsor inspired chairs, also seen in black here. 

 And then maybe some comfy chairs in a fresh Kate Spade-ish green and a pretty grey sofa from Lee, along with a few accessories from Uttermost...

A hefty wish list for one Saturday morning isn't it?

Parade Home - stats

With just under two weeks until the parade of homes starts, I thought I'd give you a few details about the builder, Guy Haskell of Haskell Homes, and a few details about the home:

• Building homes for 22 years, including 8 Parade Homes.
• Utah’s exclusive "Green Lean" builder with average of 23.5% more energy efficiency than Energy Star at NO additional cost.
• Nationally certified Green Builder.
• Grandeur with unmatched affordability.
• Revolutionary E-Nook - A Must See.
• Generation’s Room - From bedroom to apartment to mother-in-law suite.
• Theater room with snack kitchen.
• 4 large bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and 3-car tandem garage.
• Guest suite or apartment with separate entrance.

 Info and rendering borrowed from UtahParade.com.

 For floor plan and more info go here.

sneak peek: upcoming parade home

A tiny {tiny} sneak peek of what is going on.

Just under a month until the parade of homes begins.  I am really happy with how things are looking when we visited the site yesterday.  The floor plan is very open and has lots of natural light and the kinds of details we all love in a home.  

If you are in the area I hope you'll come see my first parade home.  

June 24th - July 10th

More info here with updates coming soon.

snippets of details

Parade Home to do list:

Exterior/interior finishes selected - check

Furniture ordered - check

Accessories...

 This morning I spent some time collecting a few things on the floor that could work for the home and took pictures of the options so we could determine what else needs to be ordered.

Shopping list:

Lamps

Art

Bedding

Happy Weekend!

Stay True: the path to Personal Style

Every designer unquestionably wants to be trusted by their client to navigate the decision process because, after all,  that is what we are there for.  There is something to be said about having a client with exacting likes/dislikes guiding the design in the right direction.

There are two ways to design that I'm familiar with:

First, designing for a client is like guiding someone down a familiar path, but letting them pick out their favorite things along the way.  Nudging them to consider new possibilities, pushing them to be a bit more creative.  Informing them about the impact of  their decisions, keeping tabs on the budget and how to get the most out of it, allowing them to roam free a bit, reigning them in when needed.

Second, when I'm designing for myself I can pick my way around and choose at random to veer off the path and take risks, hoping to be surprised by what I find. Spontaneity and careful execution mixed together into something that is isn't easy to pin down because it is like an exploratory expedition.

So it gives me a little thrill to know I'm teetering in an uncharted area right now as I'm in the middle of space planning the parade home and playing with color ideas that will need to do a few small things: sell the house for the builder, showcase our design/products at Noble House, and be unique and fun to make me happy on top of all of that. 

Asking myself questions along the way about what the design should be, I get a kick out of being the closest thing to my own client right now.  {did your just skip a beat like mine did?} A dream job with untethered possibilities. {With a tight budget of course, but I love tight budgets}  Well then, isn't that when personal taste is potentially threatened by so much criticism it is bound to get skittish around the edges?  Illusive and hard to pin down?  Yes.  My usually quick, decisive moves are a bit more sluggish.

Stay true.  That is what I come back to when I start waffling and thinking I have too many choices.  My biggest hope for this home is that it won't look like staged or watered down.  It should be collected, not decorated or too showcase-ish.  Hmm...expect much?

fixtures

Yesterday and today have been full of decisions for the parade home.  Some decisions are scary in life.  Picking the details that make a home special doesn't have to be one of those hair pulling experiences.

Rules I follow:

Start with the must haves.  Whether it is the perfect hardwood flooring, or cabinet color, start with what you determine to be the most important thing on your must have list.  From there everything should relate to that decision.

Don't over think it.  The decision making part of your brain doesn't have language so go on that gut instinct.  When I worked in the wedding dress industry, almost every bride I helped went back to the first dress.  Same goes for that granite/tile/light fixture.  You know what you like, if it is in the budget, go for it.

Speaking of budget.  Find wiggle room with things you can live without to get the things you can't.  We chose a beautiful carpet for the upstairs, then chose a grade or two lower for the basement to save.

Hippie advice {but it's good for your wallet too} go with Energy Star rated appliances/lighting and whatever else you can so that you can get those rebates.  We are getting $50 back for every fixture we chose. 

Then comes paint.  I had in mind the color paint I wanted to use in this home, but that is because it is a tried and true color that I've used and loved.  When it comes to your paint, pick it because it relates to those must have items on your list.  And don't skip the step of painting a sample wall and watching it as the light changes. 

I included pictures of the plumbing and lighting fixtures I have been pulling off the internet. The builder didn't have a huge budget for these two choices but we're going to find room for them.  Consider it the jewelry of your room.  Perfect accessories pull an outfit together. Same goes for this details of your home.
{All of our options are Energy Star.}

{moen and csn lighting}

Parade Home Exterior Finishes

 We submitted our selections for the exterior finishes last week for the parade home.  I love the colors we selected because I feel like they are current while staying true to the craftsman style of the home.  We want the color scheme to be restful and interesting.

{Kwal Paint}

Parade of Homes this summer

Big news for us here at Noble House - we have teamed up with Haskell Homes to be in the Parade of Homes this summer!

I was thrilled when I saw the plans for the first time today because the craftsman style is one of my personal favorites and the floor plan will be a lot of fun to work with because of the reasonable size and layout. 

They brought us in at the beginning stages so we picked the exterior materials today: stucco color, stone, door style, roofing, fascia and garage color... et al.  Have I mentioned how much I enjoy making decisions?  I really love it.

Next up: Interior colors with a big focus on the kitchen.  I plan to keep you posted as we work on this home.  It will be a really fun project for us!