Welcome to this year's Parade of Homes! I went to about 15 houses with the kids, spread out over several days. Gerrit took the kids to 11 houses, all in 1 day, while I was in Rexburg. He would like to point out that you should never do that. Here are some trends that we saw while we were out!
Outdoor spaces
Does our home really have any outdoor space? No. Do I even spend much time outdoors? Also no. Do I like to imagine I would with outdoor spaces this pretty? Of course.
That view!
This fireplace is open to both the patio and the hot tub.
It's a master bedroom balcony and it's just so pretty.
I love this combination of porch swing and black-and-white tile.
A covered porch for eating with that big grill and huge table would be so nice for having people over in Utah's very narrow time frame for outdoor eating :)
Colored Kitchens
The very large majority of Parade kitchens are all white, but I love a colored kitchen so those are the ones I have pictures of.
These first three are all from the same kitchen. Dark green cabinets, gray tile, hot pink interiors, and the most stylish pantry ever.
Can you even get to those top three lazy Susans? I for sure can't reach the top one.
I love the crazy colored ones, but if I were actually to do one in my own house it would be the bottom one. Lighter gray cabinets, white subway tile backsplash.
It's a Jungle In Here
Animals were a common theme in the decorating this year, whether it was giant stuffed animals, giant pictures of animals, or very intense animal wallpaper.
Same wallpaper, two different colors. That one with the metallics and bones above the leopards is CRAZY.
Made for readers
Our family loves to read so I love little reading nooks.
All you really need is a good book! Elliott saw Runaway Bunny on a bedside table and wouldn't leave until he finished it.
Just for Kids
Some things are just major kid-pleasers.
This house was aimed at the 55+ crowd, but the room over the garage was all for grandkids.
That waterslide is HUGE
The kids love these built-in bunk rooms for sleepovers.
Captivated by a player piano.
Molly was obsessed with this little playhouse.
This area also had a little motorcycle and a car to climb on along with a climbing wall.
All kids love these dressing room style mirrors.
Conspicuous Consumption
All of the Parade houses cost an enormous amount of money. Some of these houses show that a little more than others.
One of the houses in my neighborhood has a ton of rusty cars parked in the backyard. Apparently, the expensive version of that is to turn one into a custom water feature.
A custom dog wash in the garage! One of the houses also had a custom urinal in the garage. I did not take pictures of that.
Why have a normal table when you can suspend it from the wall?
Speaking of things that come down from the wall, this is a giant drop-down batting cage.
Because the thing that your laundry room needs is a soda fridge.
I have seen a lot of custom murals in these houses, but not usually graffiti ones for a man cave.
Golfing!
This is far and away the biggest sectional I have ever seen.
Oh Hey, Light Fixtures
The Parade never fails to have a collection of the neatest light fixtures around.
Ball lights were super popular this year but these were my favorites.
Two Kinds of Tile
There were a lot of really beautiful tile floors this year and there was also a HUGE use of cement tile.
Stuff So Cool I Own It
While I do not technically have these Rifle Paper Co. prints, I did give my sister-in-law a calendar with them, and I own a LOT of other things from the brand.
This pillow fabric I used in our front room shows up almost every year.
Molly owned this dress when she was two years old and I loved it so much.
This wood and marble cheeseboard from Target also shows up often.
Headboard Hunting
I've been looking at a lot of headboards recently. I may make one if I ever get around to it. I've been considering the more traditional type of tufting in the top two pictures for a while but now I'm thinking I might do channel tufting instead.
Cactus Everywhere
Four years ago, every house had succulents but this year the big trend was cacti.
I think this is probably agave but that's close enough!
This cactus was resting on Lemony Snicket books so it wins.
Bold Wall Choices
These are mostly wallpaper, but there's also an intense paint/wall hanging combination I wanted to include. Some of these are VERY intense for me but I like some of the calmer ones. I still wouldn't really want to put any of it on my walls because one day, I would have to take it down.
Gerrit's phone camera is not working well, but it's really neat Star Wars wallpaper.
I'm pretty sure that this is a custom photo mural of the Alpine Loop or somewhere else in Utah's mountains. It was a nice choice for an exercise room.
The Random Grab Bag of Things I Like
Otherwise known as "This doesn't fit into a category but I really liked it"
This bookshelf is super cool. Not going to lie, it drives me insane that so many of them are displayed pages out because I would never be able to find anything.
Giant Scrabble!
We finally bought a dresser last month so I don't have as many pictures of dressers this year. However, I'm still trying to figure out how to style the top of it.
If only things worked this way...
Love the copper siding and the dark wood.
I really love this color scheme, especially the teal couch and that citrus tree pillow.
Gilded mirror also gets a thumbs up.
There was a lot of exterior wood this year. I liked it on the top of the porch.
Emerald green is my favorite color of all time.
The neatest of bathroom accents.
Most of this particular house was all neutral colors but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shower curtain.
This is perfect. Living so close to the mountains has given them a special place in my heart.
I dream of a place like this to keep the backpacks, coats, and shoes.
The mirror is cool but the picture Gerrit got of the kids inside the mirror is even cooler.
And now, for that time-honored tradition
Kids Being Crazy in Closets
One picture. One. Taken in 2012 to Miles calm down, and now I have hundreds of these pictures. You can probably guess which of these Gerrit took. I'm usually the person telling the kids to be gentle in closets. Gerrit is the one lifting them to the top. Elliott is the one crying because he thinks he's going to fall.
