I almost didn’t make it to yesterday’s Modern Home Tour. With weather forecasts of rain and flooding, I imagined slippery floors (not an accident-prone person’s best friend), hazardous driving conditions, and getting chilled to the bone. Fortunately, all of the meteorologists were wrong and it turned out to be a great day for the tour.
New wheels made the day even more of a blast. The folks at South Point Nissan allowed me to take this 2012 Cube out for the day as an extended test drive, since I am debating between purchasing this superfun car or a Kia Soul.
Could this 2012 Nissan Cube be the next Room Fu mobile?
We saw some amazing homes and design features yesterday, and among them, I noticed these major trends:
COLOR
Austinites appreciate color, and for me, the more saturated, the better. You can imagine how excited I got over this stuff…
This dramatic, chocolate dining room is the perfect foil for the pop of red in the artwork.
Natural wood tempers the lime green in this kitchen.
Memorable details like this funky blue counter/sink really make a space!
Love the orange wraparound.
How I yearn for my own colorful Big Chill fridge.
Finger pulls on this mod cabinet are both decorative and functional.
Want.
Colorful house numbers pop against this neutral mailbox and fence.
SOARING WOOD FEATURES
Wood walls and ceilings are a coming back in a big way. The distinction between modern wood elements and ’70s paneling is a big one…the modern approach is to go for a more simplified look. Incorporating sleek lines, rich tones and fine wood grain are the keys to pulling off this look.
Not only is the wood in this kitchen amazing-looking, the backsplash tile is gorgeous and the air vents are supercool.
Also note the slivers of Kelly green and bright orange of the pocket doors peeking out on the right!
The wood grain on these stairs is gorgeous.
How beautiful is this seamless, wooden air vent?!
UNIQUE LIGHTING
Many of the homes on the tour featured beautiful light fixtures and interesting lighting effects.
Combining casual dining furniture and a rockin' light fixture allows your dining space to feel appropriate for everything from family breakfasts to elegant dinner parties.
Another dining room doing double duty between casual and fine dining.
How I covet this hallway's lighting feature!
Minimal wall sconce.
Love the combination of the circular sconce mounted on the mirror and the globe table lamp on the vanity!
Painting the ceiling collars on these pendants adds an unexpected, fun detail.
LUXE BATHROOMS
Square House Building's hotel chic bathroom.
Their shimmery pink wallpaper is swoon-worthy.
More great wallpaper in this glam powder room.
I adore the "hidden" bathtub beyond the shower. This gives you a bench-like ledge and makes an already roomy shower feel even larger.
The tile never ends in this amazing shower.
How's this for a skylight?
Sure, the view is gorgeous, but how do you shave or brush your teeth over this sink? With an accordion wall mount mirror, of course!
Get a lot of bang for your buck with this striped tile wall treatment. Alternating bands of inexpensive larger tiles and spendier small tiles allows you to stretch that costly material farther.
OUTSTANDING EXTERIOR DETAILS
My favorite exterior design of all the homes on the tour.
Butterfly roofs are the best.
Your moment of Zen.
Mod take on shake shingles.
This second-story bathroom looks out over the first floor's living roof.
What a simple way to modernize a basic sidewalk!
WIDE OPEN SPACES
There’s no better way to erase the barrier between indoor and outdoor than a continuous ceiling treatment and a glass wall system.
My jaw dropped when I saw this room. I may have even drooled.
HALLWAY STORAGE
The great benefit to including tons of storage in hallways is that this allows you to maintain a more minimal style in main rooms.
IKEA Expedit bookcases have never looked so good!
This mudroom-style hall alcove turns outerwear into art.
MODERN MOROCCAN
Moroccan elements have been trendy for years, but Austin homeowners are putting a much more modern spin on the style.
ODD CHARACTERS
In true ATX fashion, I noticed a lot of fun figures hanging out in unusual places. These are accessories I can really get behind!
Bedside Darth.
Big Boy looks pensive.
Dia des muertos!
Propped in the corner of a powder room window, this voodoo doll cracked me up.
OTHER NOTABLE DETAILS
A mirrored desk and ghost chair keep the focus on the view in this office.
Nice tile.
Sheri Bingham, the founder of furniture fave Iron Thread Design, displays one of her button benches in her home on the tour.
This retro-inspired chair is another of Sheri's designs. She disguised a small tear in the upholstery with a funky little patch.
Check out these industrial-looking air vents, reflected in mirrored closet doors.
The terrazzo look of this counter was created from concrete by Newbold Stone for NoackLittle Architecture and Interiors.
Drop your keys in this handy hollow!
Hands down, the biggest shag I've ever seen in a rug.
Take that view all the way to the floor, baby!
Sheri Bingham made this button display for her Iron Thread Design furniture. It looks so great, she uses it as art!
Here's a budget-friendly way to update an old dining table. Wrap the top in oil cloth and add a glass top!
Bo Concept's Imola Chair hurts me with both its greatness and its spendy pricetag.
A collection of wood boxes looks great on a concrete coffee table.
A new book to add to my reading list, thanks to this cool cover design.
Interesting to note how badly these wool FLOR tiles shed with the traffic of the tour.
Check out more photos on the tour’s Facebook page. Videos will be added soon too.
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