This fall, the Home Builders Associations (HBA) in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, both sponsored Homearama events. Between the two cities, a total of 16 homes were open to the public and ready to inspire.
In the eastern Cincinnati suburb of Anderson Township, the Cincinnati HBA presented five luxury homes on private wooded lots. Prices ranged in the neighborhood of $1.3 to $1.7 million.
In Lebanon, the Dayton HBA sponsored a Lifestyle edition of their show in Union Village, a master-planned community with a focus on charm, inviting front porches and a small-town, urban lifestyle. Prices ranged from the lower $300s to the upper $800s.
Here are some of our favorite picks from the Cincinnati show.
If these walls could talk
While neutrals, especially beiges, were prominent in most of the homes’ furnishings—sofas, chairs, primary paint colors and cabinetry—it was the bold pops of color and patterns on the walls—that really told the story at this year’s show. Wallpapers made an appearance in each of the entries. Some of the picks were striking, like the mural-size floral that adorned a wall of a guest bedroom in The Charlotte.
And some were subtle, like the grasscloth-style wallpaper that covered the powder room wall in The Woodford. But all demonstrated a strong ability by the interior designers who made the selections to envision the end result—usually before the walls were even constructed.
Dark paint colors—in various shades of blue and black—found their way to studies, master bedroom accent walls, lower-level bars and even a bourbon room.
Tile and stone wrapped up the walls in bathrooms, wet bars and fireplace walls, to sometimes add color, but always texture and pattern which contributed an inviting layer of depth.
Artwork, the majority of which leaned toward contemporary abstracts—was large and in charge in each of the homes. Light crisp walls presented the perfect stage for the artists’ colorful imaginations.
Work hard, play hard
Home offices and studies have moved from seldom used spaces in the front of the home, just off the entry, to dramatic, yet functional spaces suitable for a 9 to 5 shift. Often there is a space—sometimes shared, sometimes separate—for both homeowners to set up shop from home. Dark charcoal walls made for a dramatic, albeit masculine office space in The Woodford.
While right next door, in The Charlotte, a slightly more feminine office space was painted—on the walls and ceiling—in a soft, but deep blue. While their moms and dads might need to carve out a space to work, now, more than ever, kids need a place to play inside the safety of their home. Two of the homes—Double Eagle Ranch, and The Charlotte had surprising, and slightly secret—clubhouse-style spaces that wrapped under the lower-level staircases. La Bella Vita had a second-floor bonus room set up for a fun-filled sleepover for four.
Keeping a messy kitchen at bay
This year, as in most every year, the kitchens served as striking centerpieces in each of the homes. Due to the wide-open floor plans, where the kitchen’s contents are on full display to those in the great room, dining room, and often to the front entry, savvy builders and homeowners are now carving out room for an oversized pantry that serves as a messy kitchen of sorts.
Often these spaces have a second fridge, a sink, dishwasher, and microwave. La Bella Vita featured this type of space which ran the length of the kitchen and offered plenty of storage space, some of which was accessed by a rolling ladder.
That’s entertainment
If you want to drink where everybody knows your name, this year’s homes had just the place for you. Lower-level entertainment areas rivaled any neighborhood bar with their trappings.
Elkridge II featured two bar/seating areas, one a bit more out in the open near the beer cave with its wall-mounted beer tap. Another, a little more tucked away, was a brick-covered, barrel-style vaulted ceiling space that felt a little more private.
A high-tech golf simulation theater was a major draw for visitors to Double Eagle Ranch.
Getting out is definitely in
A couple of the homes featured inviting front porches with room to gather, but standouts of the show were the incredible outdoor rooms that were given a serious amount of space and attention.
All of them were placed in a prominent position in the home, and often appeared as a flowing extension of the interior great room.
For example, in The Woodford, the beamed vaulted ceiling and chandelier that grace the interior are mimicked, almost mirror like, in the outdoor space that is seen through a bank of windows.
A few of the outdoor spaces had soaring cathedral ceilings, most had fireplaces and televisions. Lower-level outdoor rooms allowed for easy access to the back yards and inviting woodlands that lined the back of each of the properties. And for the first time in several years, an enticing inground pool made a presence at the show in the back yard of La Bella Vita.
Horsing around
It may have been the show’s proximity to Anderson Township’s Belterra Park, but horses seemed to be a theme that made its presence known in each of the homes.
Just a few of the many examples: There was a carved wooden horse at the stair landing in La Bella Vita, and horses in a grand painting hanging over the great room fireplace in Elkridge II, along with a slightly more abstract painting of horses near Elkridge II’s beer cave.
BUILDERS AND INTERIOR DESIGNERS FROM HOMEARAMA® 2021 IN ANDERSON TWP.
La Bella Vita
Builder Redknot Homes
Interior design Designs on Madison
Elkridge II
Builder Zicka Homes
Interior design The David Millett Studio and Zicka Homes
The Woodford
Builder Wieland Builders
Interior design Interiors821, and Wieland Builders
The Charlotte
Builder Sterling Homes
Interior design Designs on Madison
Double Eagle Ranch
Builder Redknot Homes
Interior design Designs on Madison
For a complete list of show resources, go to: SHOWS 2021