HGTV DREAM HOME 2012 – The Good, The Bad, No Ugly
HGTV is currently showcasing its 2012 Dream Home, located near Park City, Utah. The riverside residence’s architecture is part mountain lodge, part English Tudor, with tons of great outdoor living space. Grey panel siding, timber, and stone make up the exterior. Its Utah Limestone embellishment sets the stage for a mix of yellow and grey neutrals used throughout the house’s interior. It’s sure to be a “dream come true” for some prospective entrant in their annual contest.
My Designer notes on some of The Good:
Linda Woodrum, Dream Home’s designer in chief succeeds again with her “Rustic Modern Ranch” concept. Lots of furnishings sourced at Ethan Allen’s New York showroom are at home in this ski town-adjacent abode. Greeting visitors in the entry foyer are a pair of modern paintings (Architecture of Lines) that seem comfortably reminiscent of Aspen bark. That foyer yields a peak into the Great Room where limestone is carried indoors accentuating the two-story space. The walls are clad in the stacked material up to a standard ceiling height, then transition to creamy painted paneling that provides a nice backdrop for the exposed, grey washed trusses. A series of French doors and clerestory windows provide good light and views.
The Great Room reflects the dominate color palette throughout the house; a sophisticated spin on red, white & blue. The colors are toned down. White is replaced with neutrals that range from cream, straw, goldens, taupes, & warm greys. In lieu of the primary red & blue are clarets, burnt spice, indigos, and pale cottage. There is a nice marriage of eclectic furnishings, mostly traditional with some modern, country & global notes. Good use is made of pattern variety in fabrics; lots of stripes and checks with a good dose of paisley’s, and the über trendy Ikats.
The fabric in Bedroom One’s bold blue and white striped drapery with a hint of chocolate (chenille?) is so chic. I’ll take yardage of that any day! A great addition to this room is Ethan Allen’s Hyacinth Drum stool. Casual yet very refined, its woven strands of hyacinth look like French braids.
Another good example of pattern and fabric choices is in Bedroom two. A more masculine space but, not so much that us gals wouldn’t be comfortable. Ticking stripe fabric is upgraded by its drapery treatment. The combination of the stripes, bandana-esque paisley duvet, and the buffalo check carpet are very smart. I’m a big fan of two choices in the room’s bath; 1. bringing the same drapery fabric into the bathroom makes a shower curtain elegant, 2. an unexpected rich blue vanity is an excellent example of color in a neutral bath…its lovely.
I loved the shock of bright wall color in the Master Suite sitting room, (Sherwin Williams’ Independent Gold SW
6401- reads a preferable apple green on my TV & monitor), and that it was carried into the Bedroom’s quieter neutral palette with select furnishings.
In the family room: Ethan Allen’s Triad storage ottomans, particularly useful for tucking away bedding for the sleeper sectional makes a big lounging space for TV nights – kick those feet up! I’m crazy about the Chenille cut paisley circles pillow fabric. It looks rich and dreamy against Ethan Allen’s Parker chairs in cream leather.
Another Ethan Allen standout in this room are the red pendant drum shades (unfortunately used in too great a number). The often forgotten design opportunity in light fixtures is not missed in this home. From the surveyors floor lamps in the great room, photographers pendants in the laundry, glitzy wagon wheel chandeliers in bedroom two and the grandly scaled but fine featured chandeliers in the garage & master suite, these lights proudly do double duty as room accessories.
Overall this is a great home but, Aaaah, just a bit of Not So Good:
Only one interior design note of merit was in the Dining Room in the use of Ethan Allen’s Burton Armchair at the heads of the table. The beautifully over-scaled and lyrically lined version of a spindle chair seems out of synch in this dining configuration. I love mixing chairs and playing with scale but, the great lines of this chair is hidden beneath the table – and more importantly dysfunctional as the high arms prohibit pulling it up to the table.
As for the building; some flow seems a bit awkward. In an odd choice for privacy, stairs off the entry foyer lead directly into the Master Suite. Another dedicated staircase near the Family Room leads to Bedroom Two Suite. There is no access between the two spaces on the second story. Additionally, some space seem wasted; a sitting room off the Master Suite (don’t know a soul that uses one) and a potential fourth bedroom that was sacrificed for a “Changing Room” by converting its closet into a dry sauna.
Mostly these space issues reflect a little feeling of guilt – celebrating the building of a 4000 SF spec home in the middle of undeveloped land in Midway, Utah. HGTV touts the builder kept a clean construction site so as not to disturb flora and fauna. It is inexplicable what difference a “clean construction site” makes, during the presence of earth movers, trucks, and heavy equipment used for months during the erection of this large building. Did they not disturb flora and fauna?
Efficiencies were considered in the HVAC system, insulation, etc. as well as, some environmentally friendly materials (i.e. the locally sourced stone, for one) and I applaud HGTV for doing so. I wonder if they would consider taking a more significant initiative in the next Dream Home or Green Home. Could the foot print be much smaller or even better, build in an urban infill location or re-adapt an existing building. This would be a wonderful way for HGTV to really show its environmental interest. Sign me up for that project!
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