BIA Parade of Homes Preview & What’s Trending Right Now

I look forward to our local Parade of Homes every year and this year is no exception (16 builders are participating this year so lots to see)!  You can imagine my excitement when I got invited to attend the media tour of the Parade a month before it is opened to the public (it opens to the public September 3rd- September 17th).

I had so much fun touring the homes that I wanted to share the experience with you!  You will see in the pictures that the homes were in varying stages of readiness.  Some homes were fully decorated (most weren’t yet) while others were still drywalling and installing flooring.

I think it was pretty neat to see it in progress because it made the bones and architectural details of the home stand out even more.

I will be sure to point out some of the common trends I saw amongst the homes.

Let’s begin with my two favorite exteriors!  The contrast between light and dark colors really makes them pop.

 

Two cool ceiling features!

A beautiful archway! I saw a lot of these lantern style pendants in many of the homes.

Many homes incorporated shiplap in their homes.

As well as a lot of brick–brick accennt walls, brick backsplashes, brick floors, brick fireplaces, and brick painted white.

These free-standing tubs (that I personally think look really uncomfortable but are beautiful) are still all the rage.

I love this gray subway tile!

And such a cute wallpaper for a girls room.  Can’t wait to see how they decorate the room!

There was a whole lot of custom cabinetry in the homes.  I’m just a bit enamored by this one.

And this one!

Plush, upholstered headboards are still the trend in the bedroom (you can see how to make one for a lot less, Here).  And several of the homes had rooms with wood ceiling beams.

Isn’t this a lovely gallery wall!

Such a dreamy master closet and the built in bench is a great use of space.

The hidden space behind this built-in is pretty cool!  Did anybody else dream of having one of these when they were a kid?  I wanted one to hide in just in case a “bad guy” came into our home. 🙂

Range hoods are still popular and I thought the idea of having two lantern pendants on either side of the hood is a cool idea.

The herringbone pattern was used in many homes.  I love it on the stair runner.

Lots of hexagon tiling too!

There were a few features I had never seen before like this chair height counter connected to the kitchen island.

And a countertop that charges any smart phone, all you have to do is lay it down on top of it!

Like years past many of the homes boasted a loft upstairs but this one was different than any I had seen (note the gray walls and modern lighting another trend I saw repeated throughout the homes).

Most lofts are an open space but this one had a sliding window/door that could be either opened or closed!

Which brings us to my favorite room.  You guys will probably laugh at me but let me explain why.

I still have a dream to one day have a home built customized for our family.  I’ve always thought that instead of a dining room that I will want a large room like the one above that has many of the functional uses listed above.

I had never seen it done the way I pictured though until this Parade of Homes!!  And it’s so cool to see something I’ve dreamed in my mind, in real life.

I loved this home (the exterior is the 2nd picture in this post) and plan to take a video of it for you guys when I go back in September.  A glimpse of it’s kitchen below.

I hope you enjoyed the preview tour as much as I did.  If you are in the Central Ohio area you won’t want to miss this year’s BIA Parade of Homes!  You can check out all of the details, Here.

As always I appreciate you coming by!!:-)  Hope you have a great week!