I didn’t take any photos during the tours because I thought it would be very awkward to ask people to take pictures of their homes, I instead came up with a list of home tours such as this one are good for.  Obviously, I am no home owner and won’t even be thinking about the words mortgage or inspection for at least a couple years, however I found the tours useful even for people like me and for more than just a way to kill time during the weekend.

Here are seven reasons to tour home in your area:

1) Gather Inspiration – I’m sure if you have been reading my blog for a while, or even just a few days, you have seen that I love to collect inspiration from all sorts of avenues.  Touring other homes is almost better than collecting photos from magazines and online galleries because they offer what real people do to decorate real spaces.  Also, houses are 3D unlike the photos I usually collect, so I am able to see how people place furniture in a room and the real scale of everything right before my eyes.  Just collecting inspiration is a great reason for touring homes in your area.

2) Collect Ideas – This goes hand-in-hand with gathering inspiration, but is different as well.  Gathering inspiration can help a person determine what color schemes, layouts, etc. they like while collecting ideas may involve learning about new innovative kitchen products, lighting, doors, uses of rooms, and many other things that you had not heard of or thought about before.  For example, we toured a small home that integrated an office, laundry room, and mud room together for a very usable space within a small amount of square feet.  I loved the idea of putting a built-in desk in the mud room, as it is a high-traffic area where a family can stay organized and know what is going on at all times.

3) Scope Out Different Styles – If you are unsure what your decorating style is, what a better way to figure it out than to see real styles in person?  We saw many different styles ranging from modern to traditional, from country to cottage-inspired.  You will definitely find something you like on a home tour!

4) Meet Architects and Designers – The homes we visited all were remodeled, so most of the time the architects and designers who worked on the remodel were there ready to answer any questions we had.  Also, they brought brochures and pamphlets so you can easily reference them later on if you decide at a later date to remodel.  I don’t have a house now, but I may use some of the architects and/or designers at a later date if I ever decide to remodel a home, so you don’t have to be going through a remodel right now to obtain useful information.

5) Learn About Other Neighborhoods – If you are thinking of moving or just interested in a certain area, touring the homes can not only give you a good sense of what the other houses in the neighborhood are like, but touring the homes gets you into their neighborhood so you can easily check out the amenities.  I learned of some very nice and safe neighborhoods that I may think about when the time comes to buy a house.

6) Learn About Retaining A Home’s Character – All of the homes we visited were historic, so keeping the home’s character was key in all the remodels.  It was very helpful to see how homeowners and architects worked together to not only create a functional and beautiful space for the homeowners but also to preserve the integrity and character of the home so that the remodel does not seem out of place.  We learned so much about mixing the modern styles, appliances, fixtures, etc. with the 50 or more year old ones.

7) Free Fun – If all else fails, you will have a good time.  Some home tours cost money, but I’m sure if you live by or in a big enough city, you will find some sort of home tour that is free.  Seeing as I have little money to spend on entertainment, this was the best part about the whole day.  I was in a good mood for a few days after the tour because it was so much fun and because we didn’t have to spend a dime.

I hope this post has encouraged you to get out and tour some homes in your city or one nearby.  So much, even more than what was mentioned in this post, can be gained through this experience.  If you do go on a home tour, please email me and let me know what you thought!

Have you ever been on a home tour?  What did you gain from the experience?

All of the tile work in the entire house was done by my dad.  He is a carpenter and can do just about anything house-related.  He is very handy.  There is a clear shower door which swings out and a nice jetted spa tub next to the shower with two huge windows above.  Now, you can really see that we live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods.

        All of the cabinetry on the main floor of the house is the same, as you will see in the kitchen.  It is cherry wood with a nutmeg stain and a chocolate glaze to make it look aged.  I drool over the cabinets on a daily basis.  They fit the house perfectly.

From the bedrooms on the right side of the house you can see straight across, past the living room and dining room into the kitchen.

The kitchen is the heart of the home here.  My mom designed the kitchen around a huge island which was created to look like a table built into the room.  It is a great space for cooking with its two ovens and granite-tiled countertops. 

On the other side of the kitchen are huge cabinets used as a pantry with a buffet in the middle. It is full of Christmas treats right now.

  My mom received this punch dispenser (on the left) last Christmas and leaves it out year round because, well, look at it, it’s a decoration in itself!

Off the kitchen is a laundry room/mud room which leads to the garage with a half bath attached.  Even it has a little Christmas bling!

  Off the kitchen in the other direction is the sun room where, as you can see, people (and pups) do lots of relaxing, just as my dad and Stewart are showing.

A little Christmas tree is found in this room as well.

   On some bookshelves in the sun room you can find my dad’s favorite Christmas accessory.  He is very proud of our Scottish heritage, so my mom bought him a Scottish Santa to add to all the Christmas decor.  I told you she likes to have fun!

Off the sunroom is the deck, where you can usually find our cat, Pickle, lounging or clawing at the door frame (which is NOT cool).

The deck has some garland and two trees to carry Christmas outdoors.

  To end the tour, because I couldn’t help myself, here is the gorgeous gazebo covered in snow.  Even in a horribly crooked picture, it looks beautiful.

And that concludes the tour.  I did not picture the bathroom off of my room, the office, or any of the basement (which is not finished but includes a guest bedroom, an exercise room, another bathroom, and a large family room) because they were not decorated for Christmas, but I’m sure you will see them in the future.  I am so happy to share my parent’s pretty home with all of you with it all ready for some Christmas celebrating!  I would love to hear all about your favorite Christmas decorations or you color schemes as a comment, but any Christmas-related talk would be well appreciated.  I just can’t get enough of decorating at this time of year.  Well, at any time of the year, but you know what I mean.  Merry Christmas!

After taking all the photos of the house, I realized my mom has a few rules she stands by when decorating for the holidays.  #1 – Work the holiday decor in with your regular decor.  If any of your accessories can be Christmas-ified, than by all means go for it.  It saves you money and time looking for all new accessories.  #2 – Little hints of Christmas decorations go a long way, especially when spread throughout the house.  There are not very many grand Christmas displays in the house, besides the front door and the Christmas tree, but there are many small details that bring everything together without being tacky or overdone.  #3 – Have fun and be creative when decorating.  You don’t have to follow anyone else’s guidelines during this time of the year because Christmas is all about family and traditions, so start your own trends.  #4 – Work with the colors in your home.  My mom has decorated our house with lots of golds, maroons, browns, and other warm colors, so she used the same colors when decorating for Christmas.  It would look strange if she decorated with a lot of silver, blues, white, and other cooler colors.  Christmas decor looks best when it fits with the rest of the house.  This makes everything cozy and comfortable.  Please look for how my mom applied all of these rules during the tour. :)

I love the blue door and the stained cement portico.  It is very inviting.

Here is the entry way.

My mom made most, if not all, of the garland and wreathes in our house.

The living room can be seen from the front door.  I love all the archways in this house.

Putting bows on everyday objects makes automatic impact and can make anything more holiday-ready.

She added small ornaments to a flower arrangement already used as well as a stack of Christmas books.

The dining room connects to the living room with a grand arch flanked with columns and small shelves.  I love the color combination of the golden tan and the maroon.

In the dining room, my mom uses this vintage dresser as a small buffet.  This year, she created a small grouping of angels to bring it into the Christmas season. On the table, she added gold presents and pine branches to the existing sugared fruit arrangement.

          Now we’ll move into the bedrooms.  My mom put all of her effort into decorating my bedroom for the Christmas season as a surprise for me when I got home from school, so the master bedroom does not have many Christmas decorations, but it is beautiful nonetheless. My window was full of Christmas cheer.

I love how she added starry garland and little accessories to the nightstands.   Now on to the master bedroom.

Walls are a very earthy, yet neutral shade of green/brown and most of the furniture is a deep chocolate color.  The colors were picked to fit with the colors in the amazing master bathroom, which you won’t be able to see until tomorrow.

I split the tour into two because there were tons of images, but also because this house is so beautiful it deserves a couple days to fully digest.  Sure, I’m biased because it’s my mom who decorated it and I live here whenever I’m not at school, but I hope these pictures show just how beautiful this house really is.  I’ll see you tomorrow with the rest of the house including the master bedroom, the kitchen, the sunroom, and some of the outdoors.