Browsing through model homes is one of my favorite ways to spend a lazy afternoon. I adore the upscale finishes, the interesting furniture, and the designer touches. No matter how large or small, expensive or frugal, I always find something in the models I could apply to my own home. Our recent visit to two communities is no different.
We began our trek with a visit to a community called SPACES, which offers a different feel for the valley of the sun. These houses sported mid-century modern architecture and interiors by IKEA. Unfortunately, the community just opened a couple of weeks ago, so only two models are available for touring. However, the layouts are available online at www.spacesforlife.net. The real appeal of these homes is the sleek, easy feeling of the building and interiors. The kitchen cabinetry shown is plain, dark wood with modern stainless steel handles. The island cabinetry is in a contrasting color, and the counter top is high end on the island, but more economical around the edges. This idea is one Jeff and I are toying with as we approach some upgrades to our own kitchen. The idea of leaving our current counter tops (which are a nice, black laminate that looks like granite) around the edges and spending a little money on a solid surface with some wow factor on the island makes sense for us. (We'll be doing a lot of the work ourselves and only putting in one slab will be much easier than trying to work around the sink, stove, etc.) In addition, the contrasting color of the island cabinetry really added to the upscale look and is something we could easily do.
Another lesson we took from SPACES is using a few modern finishes - like stainless steel hardware that ties into our appliances - to give our house a sleeker feel without being cold. These houses also sported black anchor furniture which contrasted beautifully against the white woodwork. This is an idea we have already worked on for our own space, and one we've seen used repeatedly on HGTV's top design shows. It seems to give a timeless, uncluttered feel to spaces, which is what we're after. Our house is currently done in reds and golds, which are pretty but feel a little warm and formal for us these days. We're moving toward clean and casual - a simplified style of living. (Am I sound transcendentalist yet?)
The other community we visited is Encanterra Country Club, and boy was it posh with a capital P! This place actually has nearly all of its homes modeled on a side street next to the club house. We walked through 12 houses, to be exact, but didn't agree on which is our favorite. Jeff liked one of the larger models because it had a secret room hidden behind a huge, framed mirror at the end of the hallway to the master. Behind the mirror rests a gorgeously traditional den complete with floor to ceiling bookcases, a massive carved desk, and lovely leather chairs. It looked like something straight out of a 19th century English novel. While I do love this room, and the idea that it is hidden, my favorite house is a smaller (comparatively) model with 2,121 square feet built around a central courtyard. Because of its location in the center of the house, it is in shade most of the day, making it an ideal Arizona outdoor space. In addition, two sides of the courtyard had huge sliding doors that opened the entire walls up to the house, giving it a true indoor/outdoor feel. The rest of the house is beautiful and functional, as well, but that courtyard is something I've dreamed of for many years. You can check out this community at http://www.trilogylife.com/communities/arizona/encanterra/.
While these communities are night and day versions of housing in our area, both offered quite a few green perks, including solar panels integrated into the roof to help offset electricity costs (especially while running the air conditioning in the summer time). This seems like a no brainer where the sun shines 300+ days a year, but these are the first houses we've seen where this kind of technology comes standard or as a featured upgrade. This is also a project we'd like to undertake, though it carries a pretty hefty price tag, even with tax credits and rebates. In the end, we'll keep looking and dreaming because we usually manage to find a way to make those dreams realities in our own house. In today's market, it's all about loving where you live now.
We began our trek with a visit to a community called SPACES, which offers a different feel for the valley of the sun. These houses sported mid-century modern architecture and interiors by IKEA. Unfortunately, the community just opened a couple of weeks ago, so only two models are available for touring. However, the layouts are available online at www.spacesforlife.net. The real appeal of these homes is the sleek, easy feeling of the building and interiors. The kitchen cabinetry shown is plain, dark wood with modern stainless steel handles. The island cabinetry is in a contrasting color, and the counter top is high end on the island, but more economical around the edges. This idea is one Jeff and I are toying with as we approach some upgrades to our own kitchen. The idea of leaving our current counter tops (which are a nice, black laminate that looks like granite) around the edges and spending a little money on a solid surface with some wow factor on the island makes sense for us. (We'll be doing a lot of the work ourselves and only putting in one slab will be much easier than trying to work around the sink, stove, etc.) In addition, the contrasting color of the island cabinetry really added to the upscale look and is something we could easily do.
Another lesson we took from SPACES is using a few modern finishes - like stainless steel hardware that ties into our appliances - to give our house a sleeker feel without being cold. These houses also sported black anchor furniture which contrasted beautifully against the white woodwork. This is an idea we have already worked on for our own space, and one we've seen used repeatedly on HGTV's top design shows. It seems to give a timeless, uncluttered feel to spaces, which is what we're after. Our house is currently done in reds and golds, which are pretty but feel a little warm and formal for us these days. We're moving toward clean and casual - a simplified style of living. (Am I sound transcendentalist yet?)
The other community we visited is Encanterra Country Club, and boy was it posh with a capital P! This place actually has nearly all of its homes modeled on a side street next to the club house. We walked through 12 houses, to be exact, but didn't agree on which is our favorite. Jeff liked one of the larger models because it had a secret room hidden behind a huge, framed mirror at the end of the hallway to the master. Behind the mirror rests a gorgeously traditional den complete with floor to ceiling bookcases, a massive carved desk, and lovely leather chairs. It looked like something straight out of a 19th century English novel. While I do love this room, and the idea that it is hidden, my favorite house is a smaller (comparatively) model with 2,121 square feet built around a central courtyard. Because of its location in the center of the house, it is in shade most of the day, making it an ideal Arizona outdoor space. In addition, two sides of the courtyard had huge sliding doors that opened the entire walls up to the house, giving it a true indoor/outdoor feel. The rest of the house is beautiful and functional, as well, but that courtyard is something I've dreamed of for many years. You can check out this community at http://www.trilogylife.com/communities/arizona/encanterra/.
While these communities are night and day versions of housing in our area, both offered quite a few green perks, including solar panels integrated into the roof to help offset electricity costs (especially while running the air conditioning in the summer time). This seems like a no brainer where the sun shines 300+ days a year, but these are the first houses we've seen where this kind of technology comes standard or as a featured upgrade. This is also a project we'd like to undertake, though it carries a pretty hefty price tag, even with tax credits and rebates. In the end, we'll keep looking and dreaming because we usually manage to find a way to make those dreams realities in our own house. In today's market, it's all about loving where you live now.
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