Annual Parade of Homes, Part 3

Welcome to the last installment of the Builder's Association of Northeast Indiana Parade of Homes tour. I saved one of my favorites for this last post! After seeing all the homes, try and guess which one I rated as number one. The answer might surprise you!

Click on any pic to enlarge it so that you can see the details.

This first home is called the Cove Dreams built by Dennis Spidel Custom Homes. This home was located down a path into the woods and on the shore of Sylvan Lake. It was such a charming home with a huge front porch and in such a quiet peaceful location.


This dining room was to the left, just inside the door.


It had such a pretty living room with the highest ceilings that I had seen on the whole tour. It's windows looked out over the lake. I could not get a good pic of the lake view because this room was all roped off! This is because there was a homeowner already living there. Also, the lake was marshy and swampy looking in front of the home, not nearly as pretty as the other lake shores.


This was my favorite kitchen of the whole tour hands down! Oh, how I love white cupboards, and the decorations and accessories are just my style!



I know that you rooster lovers will love this big boy perched on the oven hood.


The breakfast nook was adjacent to the kitchen.


This was one of my favorite bedrooms on the tour. I love those windows.


There was a lovely ensuite bath. There is a second vanity right across from the one shown.


I just love clawfoot tubs!


Between the bedroom and the bath was the most luxurious dressing area across from not one, but TWO walk in closets! Heavenly!


There was also a finished basement level to the home. It was as lovely as the upstairs. I first saw the family room, and thought it was so comfy with lots of lovely beachy touches. I have noticed that some beach themes are including browns, tans, and oranges rather than the traditional soft greens and blues.


No detail was overlooked, including these fantastic pillows.


I really liked the side table in this reading area, and all the accessories. Check out the sailboat pillow on the chair. Too cute!


There were two more bedrooms downstairs, including this light and lovely bedroom. I think it looks so soothing here!

It had a peaceful view of the woodlands and lake.


I especially loved the furniture and bedding in this room.

I told the builder that I was waiting to be wowed on the tour, and that this was one of the first homes that really had that WOW factor. I asked who decorated, and he told me that it was done by the homeowner! I have to say that I thought she did as well...or better...than the designers on the tour!


The last home was called the Bennington by Ideal Suburban Homes in Kendalville, Indiana.
I didn't take an outside pic of the last home I toured as it was part of a "villaminium" and though pretty, was not especially remarkable, especially as there were several other homes exactly like it. The decorating was also not remarkable, but as this was not one of the big showcase homes, perfectly appropriate, and I did really like some of the touches. The living room was decorated in browns and aqua, a color combination that I really like.


The color theme was carried into the master bedroom.


I included this because I have seen these hanging pictures online before and think they are awesome!


I also thought this combination of colors and patterns was cute, but would like to have seen the bed on a frame. The shelves behind the bed are a creative idea.

That's the last of the homes I have to show. There were a couple homes that were so minimally decorated or not decorated at all, so I didn't include them.

The last place on the tour was actually a business,Club Paradise in Angola, Indiana on Lake James, a local hot spot.


Theirs was a remodel or new addition to the club by Designing Innovations Co. They added on an area that they called the Thirsty Flamingo where an outside patio had once stood. Unfortunately, my pics of the club did not turn out at all, so these are purloined from the Club Paradise website, and to get there you can click on the link above. The club has a Key West theme (though I will let you judge for yourself if it achieves that goal), and I thought it was really a fun area with the brightly painted walls and the mural behind the stage.


I would go there to dance! How about you?

Well it was really fun sharing the Parade of Home tour with you. I have to say though, that I have been attending these for years, and they are just not the same as they used to be. It used to be that there would be at least one or two homes each year which were over-the-top spectacular and decorated lavishly. While this is not a time where such excess is appropriate given the current economy, I really do miss seeing those homes. I also thought that there was not the same effort given to decorating and detail as there have been in past years. I left a comment saying so on the forms they asked us to submit at the end. We were also asked to vote on our favorite. Did you guess which one I thought overal was the best?

My choice was....drum roll...the Pearl Bay Bed and Breakfast! Though there were some features in the other homes that really wowed me, I have to give kudos to the builder for maintaining the architectural and historical integrity of the home. Not to mention that the master bedroom suite was something out of my wildest dreams with it's airy-ness, enormous dressing and closet area (not pictured sadly), and that sweet outdoor shower! Yes, the furnishings were dated, but this was a home that people had been living in for many years and a professional had not gone in to decorate. I was also wowed by the lakeside tiki bar and that incredible outdoor kitchen.

So which would you have rated number one?

Don't forget to scroll on down to my Pink Saturday post so that you can enter my 200th post giveaway!

Annual Parade of Homes, Part 2

Welcome to my second installment on the Builder's Association of Northeast Indiana's Parade of Homes tour. This is a scattered site tour spread over a three county area, at the low cost of only $5 per person. I spent much more in gas, but it was well worth it. I attended this last weekend, and what fun it was! Oh, I have two special gems for you today!

You can click on any pic to enlarge so that you can see the details.

This first home is called The Hollywood by Bob Buescher Homes. This home was located on Crooked Lake in Indiana. It was a stunner, and had my favorite furnishings of all the homes that I had seen. Most of the furniture was provided by a shop called The Vault in Angola, Indiana. Sadly, the upstairs was not decorated, but the first level just wowed me. Isn't this the most adorable lakeside home?


I love the freshness of the living room, so light and airy with a lot of beach and lake themed accessories.


This fireplace would be perfect on cooler nights, many of which will be here soon as fall is rapidly approaching.


Can you imagine sitting in your living room and having this view of the lake?


I just loved the cottagey feeling of this pale green bar set, also in the living room. It's something I would have in my own home...if I could afford it! It was pricey by my standards.


There was also a matching cupboard, perfect for holding games and books. This shows the true color of the green pieces.


The kitchen was not huge, but I really liked it.


I was a bit in love with this dining set...


...and with the adorable and creative table settings.


This gorgeous table and chair set in the dining nook also. How cute is that tree table?


I wish I could have taken this vase home with me.


They didn't neglect the outside deck either, as this pretty and shabby chic white wrought iron set demonstrates. I would love to have taken this home too!


But like I said, they didn't decorate the bathrooms and the bedrooms. That would have made this an A+ home in my book if they had. I sure did enjoy what I saw though.

The next home is called the Misty Moorings by Homes by Jim Ingledue Construction. They always have an entry in the Parade of Homes, and have never failed to impress me. This house was at Otter Lake on a little dirt and sand road at the water's edge and its only real fault was that it was next to an unsightly property.


This little sitting area was on the main level of the home.



But there was a main living area on the second floor. The kitchen was upstairs too, opposite this room, but I didn't get a picture as there was a radio interview going on for the event, and I didn't want to distract.



The dining room was part of the living area as well. It had the prettiest hutch cabinet full of dishes.


This tiny den was on the other side of the wall.


This master bedroom was a lovely feature of the home.


I liked the richness of the master bath, and especially liked that little bench.


Before I left the home, I took in the lake view from the second floor deck in the front of the home. What a peaceful place to live!


Hope you enjoyed this part of the tour. I'll be back later tomorrow to post the final leg of the tour.

Don't for get to check scroll on down to check out my Pink Saturday post where I'm having a giveaway in honor of my 200th post!

Annual Parade of Homes Tour, Part 1

Last weekend I attended the annual Builder's Association of Northeast Indiana Parade of Homes tour. What fun! There were eight homes and one business that were recently constructed or remodeled. I have been attending this event for probably close to 15 years and have missed only a very few years. I blogged about this last year here, here and here. I also posted about the charming town where the tours originate, Angola, Indiana.

You can click on any picture to enlarge and see the details.

The first home I toured was the Pearl Bay Bed and Breakfast on Coldwater Lake in Michigan. This is the first year that the Builder's Association allowed remodels in the tour, and I am so glad I did or otherwise I would not have been touring this exceptional home. This home was built in 1929, and the remodel and add-on reflect the original features of the home. The builder Musson Builders saved bricks and wood from the walls that were torn down in order to construct the new added part of the home. Isn't the picket fence adorable?


The led us directly into the new part of the home and the new master bedroom suite. This picture does not do it justice as the room had an incredibly light, airy feeling. The floors are a dark hardwood, and decoration was minmal creating a beachy feel. With the double doors opened, I truly felt as if the master bedroom was part of the outside, and part of it actually was, as you will see!


Can you imagine sleeping at night with the doors open like this, feeling the breeze and waking up to this view? Sounds a bit like heaven to me.


Here is the vanity area of the bathroom, incorporated into the suite. This leads to a wonderful shower with a rainfall shower head. There is actually a door in the shower which leads to...


...this outdoor shower! Oh, how I loved this feature! Can you imagine taking a shower in this little nook overlooking the lake? I think outdoor showers are so cool, and a bit of oo la la sexy!


Back inside, a stairwell led to a guest bedroom upstairs which was also part of the new addition. This room was also very large, open and breezy. It was 95 degrees that day, but the room felt cool even without central air. The home was decorated by the owners, and I loved this antique bed they owned.


I could imagine myself sitting in the little nook near the window, reading by the sunlight as I sat in the comfy chair.


Here is another bedroom in the home.


The stairway led back downstairs to the living room. Notice these lovely windows, original to the home. These windows are recreated in the new addition, and even in the garage!


A big sun porch the length of the original part of the house led out to the lake.


Pretty, isn't it? Although I didn't get any pictures, on the lake level, there is a big storage unit and a Tiki Bar! There is also a spigot at the edge of the stairs so that bathers can rinse their feet off after leaving the sandy beach.


One of my favorite features was this outdoor kitchen. The owner was making cookies and pizza for all of the tour guests in his outdoor oven. One of the best features was an outdoor fan rigged to a beam which swung around so that it could be positioned to service several different areas of the adjacent dining area. I didn't get a pic because the builder was demonstating how it worked. Outdoor kitchens are very unusual in this area because of the harsh winters and short summer season. However, this was built with very durable materials such as concrete countertops. They have to be durable to withstand temps as low as -15 degrees!

I so enjoyed my visit to the Pearl Bay Bed and Breakfast! If I lived there, I would never want to leave during the summer! I asked if there was a website for the home so that I could be a guest at the Bed and Breakfast, but was then told that this was merely the title of the property. It wasn't actually a working bed and breakfast? Wah!

Another home I toured was the Lakeview on Crooked Lake in Indiana by RCI Developers. I believe I heard a representative say that it was for sale in excess of $600,000. It was in a gated area, adjacent to the Crooked Lake Beach Club. I was disappointed that the rooms were really not decorated much, some not at all, but some of the features were so outstanding that I wanted to share them with you.


Here was the living room with a view of the lake.


A charming dining nook:


Here is a better view of the lake.


There was a great kitchen.


And also the laundry room of my dreams.


I would love to have had a mudroom like this for all my kids! It's incredible.


It had a great bathroom. There is another vanity just like this on the other side of the tub.


It had a nice shower. Hard to see from this pic.


Several of the homes had pretty doors just like this. This particular door led to this...


...the most incredible and spacious walk-in closet that I have ever seen! I love the idea of that high bar, so high that you need the hook to take your clothes down! I think you could own a ton of clothes and still have room for everything. Maybe you could just have the hubby put his clothes there. Ha!


Though this house was not directly on the lake, there was a little road for golf cars that led to the Crooked Lake Beach Club, directily on the lake. It was cool to take a ride down the hill and through a tunnel under the road and coming out onto the patio of the club. It was not really a big building, but it had a full kitchen with indoor and screened outdoor eating areas, a storage area so that people could store their beach equipment over the winter, a sandy beach, a firepit area, and it could be accessed for residents to have parties and get togethers. It made it almost as good as living right on the lake.

Well, that concludes part one of my tour. I will feature several other homes, but not all of them as I did last year. Some were merely spec homes that weren't even furnished for the event or unremarkable. You know I would only save the best for you!

Tune in for the next two parts, and don't forget to enter my giveaway in my prior post in honor of my 200th post!