I’ve spent hours on the internet perusing real estate websites to look at the insides of houses, just to get ideas of my perfect “dream home.”  I don’t know if we will ever be able to afford one of these homes, but I can’t help but think that “if I dream it, it will come.”  So I do.  I dream about the 12 ft. ceilings and the two laundry rooms I’ll have.  I dream about the chef’s kitchen with the two dishwashers and the breakfast nook surrounded by walls of windows.  I also dream about the fireplace in the master bedroom and my very own, double-wide walk in closet.  The closet that will allow me to hang-up all of my clothes instead of packing away last season’s items under the bed.

I dream about these things often.  So much so that it’s probably not healthy.  Some might even call it an addiction.  So when my husband suggested that we attend the Virginia Parade of Homes last weekend, there was no way I could say no.  This was my opportunity to see, in person, these things that I usually only admire from afar.  

The home I am posting about today is one of the first that we visited.  If I dreamed of a modern-style house, it would probably look like this:

This home was a tear-down.  In other words, a completely different house stood where this one is now.  The builders came in, tore down the original house, and built this environmentally friendly, custom-made home for the new owners.  The owners who, incidentally, just moved in this past August which explains why some of the rooms weren’t completely decorated.

After taking off our shoes, we walked in and were immediately greeted with this view.  It took my breath away. 

 

The wood floor was stunning and the fireplace, made of stained cement, was gorgeous.  Those double doors open to a large patio and then a huge back yard complete with an open fire pit for cold autumn nights. 

Back inside, this is the view of the living room from the opposite side of the fireplace.  You can see how it merges with the dining room (which is beside the front door).  I’m not usually a big fan of huge, open spaces in homes as they often seem like a waste of space.  But this room felt warm and inviting, and instead of feeling wasteful, it felt light and airy.

Directly off the living room was the kitchen.  The two rooms were seperated by this large metal staircase. 

We walked into the kitchen first.  It was everything I could do not to drool, which would have been most unbecoming, not to mention messy.

While bright green is not my color of choice, it worked because the space is so large.  The wood cabinets (with glass doors, no less) matched the wood floor perfectly and the stainless steel appliances were sleek and modern.  And the lighting – the lighting was fantastic!.

In the picture above please note the sliding doors on the right.  Those doors opened to the outside patio which was really just an enclosed room.  It had wood floors that were made to withstand outdoor climates and a ceiling fan helped control the temperature.

I think this picture of my husband shows the look of amazement and wonder that we both felt. 

Looking into the kitchen…

Here is the view from the kitchen as you look into the living room.

Next, we climbed those amazing stairs and headed to the top floor.

The small landing gave us a great view of the main floor.

 

I couldn’t get enough of this view.

After finally leaving the landing, we made our way to the first of the bedrooms upstairs, one of which was this geometric little yellow number.  The windows are really unique and all, but I couldn’t help thinking, ”where do they get dressed?” 

On to the master bedroom, which was unique in its own right.  Check out those high ceilings.  Even my husband (all 6′8″ of him) wouldn’t hit his head on those!

And finally, the pièce de résistance – the master bath.  Oh my!

Can’t forget the shower!

We left the bathroom and made our way back downstairs.  There was more to the house that I didn’t take pictures of – a basement with a huge family room surrounded by huge glass windows, an upstairs office with its own bathroom, and of course the enviable walk-in closet.  The whole thing was simply amazing, pictures do not do it justice.

I tell you, it’s a double-edge sword going to these home shows.  I want to see the beautiful houses that we can’t afford so that I can get ideas for the future.  But I don’t want to see the beautiful houses that we can’t afford because, well, we can’t afford them. 

It’s all good though.  If I had to choose to either have my “fix” or go without, I’d choose my home fix any day!

Now I want to hear from you – what’s your dream home?  Would it be modern or traditional?  Colonial or ranch?  What features do you dream about having? 

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