Parade of Homes 2020
October 27, 2020
I’m back to share the highlights from our annual Elkhart County Parade of Homes!*
*yeah, I’m a little late posting this (because this event took place four months ago) - so what? In 2020 4 months is 4 minutes and 4 minutes is 4 years, right??
Each year I do my best to walk through every home and then bring you the highlights and trends I’m spotting from homes around the county. This year the event had fewer homes than usual so I made it to every one! Let me share a few trends I noticed across the eight homes, and then I’ll share a highlight or two from each home. If you’d like to see more about the builders or see the floor plans from any of the homes, you can flip through the virtual planbook here.
Trends
White: EVERY house had white trim and white interior doors. Speaking of doors, 6 panel doors are still simply not done, with none of the houses using them. Everyone went with 1 panel, 2 panel or 3 panel doors (and 3 panel is still the most popular):
every house had gray walls, white trim and doors
Black: five of the eight homes had black hardware on doors and/or black metal in their lighting. And four kitchens had black granite sinks. I did wonder if I’d see a lot more black interior windows, but I only spotted black windows in three of the homes:
black granite sinks, black lighting, windows, and shower surround
Gray: Every house had gray walls throughout the majority of the home (no picture needed, right??).
Wood: Every house had wood (or wood -look) floors throughout the main areas, including the kitchen.
Subway tile backsplash: six of the homes had subway tile backsplashes. Four of the kitchens used subway tiles were either unique in texture, color, or placement, and two kitchens went with classic white laid in a brick pattern:
Kitchen: Six of the kitchens had white perimeter cabinets with a dark wood or painted island. One had wood cabinets with a painted island, and only one was all wood with no white or painted cabinetry. So white cabinets are still trending, and making the island something different from the perimeter is still trending. However, I noticed that the island and the perimeter had the same counter in every home (that trend to make the island counter different from the perimeter counter was not here this year). I also saw more variety in countertop materials, with quartz, quartzite and granite counters this year:
Perimeter cabinet color differs from island color
Microwave: Only four of the eight kitchens had the microwave placed above the stove. I was thrilled that half the homes found another place to put that clunky appliance and/or had a lovely hood over the range:
Exterior Materials: Vertical siding, horizontal siding, shakes, and stone/brick continue to be used in combination. It was a “pick three…or four” situation and every house except one had at least three of those listed exterior finishes on their home. I also saw a few homes that combined asphalt shingles and metal roofing:
Exterior Color: I don’t know if we’ll call this next one a trend or an anti-trend. Last year a lot of homes were dark, but there was a LOT more variety this year. We had green siding, brown siding, red brick, brown brick, gray siding, and white siding:
Highlights
I loved the set up of the shower in this home. There were clerestory windows across the room, so lovely light came into this space. It felt spacious without being too large, and I liked not having a door to deal with.
Isn’t this railing fantastic? It really sets the tone for the style of the homeowners. I loved the other touches of black brought in throughout the home as well.
The pantry here was so spacious (I’d be adding some wallpaper or a fun paint color, because why can’t a pantry be fun?)
I loved the double front door on this home! So pretty!
There were also a lot of upgraded finishes throughout the home, like this beautiful wood ceiling in the dining space and the rustic shiplap on the fireplace:
And details like great flooring and this beautiful soaking tub:
This home had a secret pantry! When closed, it looked like a standard 2’ deep pantry. But open the doors and….
This kitchen caught my attention because of how spacious it felt. No island in the middle really did lend itself to an open feeling here, and multiple people could be in the space without bumping into each other:
This kitchen was a lovely traditional space with great details. I loved the detail on the range hood, the application of subway tiles in a herringbone pattern, and the gorgeous quartzite selected for the countertops! Running the cabinets all the way to the ceiling, selecting that wider 6 burner range, and using extra long hardware on the cabinets also add to the look.
The exterior landscaping down to the water was spectacular, and the upper deck off the kitchen had great railing choice that allowed for pretty clear views of the water:
from a distance those cable lines virtually disappeared
I’m not sure when I last saw a bathroom with separate vanities that were both so large:
This fireplace tile - isn’t that gorgeous??
That wraps up another review of our Parade of Homes!
Now tell me - what trends are you loving at the moment? What are you sick of seeing?
Because I’m so immersed in material selections and design trends in general (since I’m an interior designer) I have my own opinions on these trends, but I’d love to hear yours!
AND FINALLY:
If you’re interested in comparing this year’s trends or highlights to previous years, you can find all my past Parade of Homes posts in my archive.
If you’re interested in knowing more about the organization that makes this event happen every year or you’d like more information on any of the builders in Elkhart County the BAEC Facebook page is a nice place to get started.