If you are a reader of Southern Living, you know that every year they do an Idea House. A few years ago it was built in Charlottesville (although sadly I never got a chance to go through), and this year it is at Bald Head! Tickets to tour the house were $15, and I couldn’t wait to go inside. You can tour it through the early fall I believe, so if you are near the island, it would be a fun extra to add to a day trip over.
I have adored going through model homes since I was little. In fact, my family used to hunt them out just to walk through them. Since the house I grew up in was built in 1833, I have always loved the crisp, fresh feel of a brand new house. The Idea House was gorgeous, inside and out! The porches were just stunning, and I loved all the cottage-y details.
The living room had windows on three sides and was filled with so much natural light. I loved the pops of coral, and I thought the light fixtures were show stoppers.
The porch off the living room and kitchen was to-die-for! The pass-through window between the main kitchen and outdoor kitchen would be so great for entertaining al fresco.
I will say that if this was my porch, it would look a lot dirtier!! Everything was so clean and new.
Sadly, I neglected to get a picture of the kitchen, but it was wide open and central to the house. I loved how the back wing, which housed the master bedroom, bath, laundry, pantry and mudroom, had all these little passageways to connect them all. There’s a little peek into the kitchen there with all its farmhouse sink glory!
Master bedroom of my dreams! Can you see the hardwood floors in the photo above and in the closet pass-through here? They were thick, rough planks, and they were my favorite feature in the house. They made the whole house feel so grand.
This shower!!! There was an outdoor shower, too! Loved the floor tile. To get into the master shower you just walked behind the glass. No doors to open or pinch fingers. Although I will say that if I had a house full of guests and was showering in here I might feel a little exposed with all the glass, two bathroom entrances, and windows!
Upstairs there were two bright bedrooms. I generally prefer paint to wallpaper, but I loved this cheerful yellow! It made the whole room feel dressed up and put together. Note the matching shams! Also digging the natural bed frame.
This private bath was my favorite room in the house. The tile work was stunning, and that shower looked so cozy — but in a good way.
The kids’ room had beautiful upholstered headboards and a small attached bath with a huge soaking tub.
The upstairs porch spanned the whole back of the house and would be ideal for naps!
Or reading. Or both!
The house also had great storage. Look at this cute doggie corner, which would also be a great place to store tons of beach towels, baskets with sunscreen, and other beach island essentials.
Finally, the porches connected the main house to the crofter, which had a fourth bedroom and bath that the designers turned into a game/relax room.
I didn’t love the monkey wallpaper in here (neither did the two ladies touring with us), but I guess you gotta take risks on a big design project like this! The rug, however, was fab. The whole house was furnished with decor from Hayneedle.
I loved how clean and decluttered the house felt, but it also had a great dressed-up feel. It really made me think hard about my own house and ways I could improve on the decorating. Thomas and I would like to build a house someday, so we had lots of comments on things we liked and disliked. And I thought it was funny how all of my comments were on the decor and flow and his were on the craftsmanship and materials! #buildertalk 😉
What is your favorite feature in your house? First-floor master? Built-ins? Upstairs laundry?
DIANNE says
The House is gorgeous. I love all of the light that comes in. By the way I love reading your blog. Keep up the great work.
KathEats says
Thank you!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
That is such, such, SUCH a beautiful house. I can only dream!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Chelsea says
Funny, I grew up in a brand new home and I couldn’t wait to buy an old home with all sorts of character. Shaun grew up in a house that was built in 1829 and he wasn’t so jazzed about “character”. We love our house built in 1912 though :).
KathEats says
The grass is greener!! : )
Kelli H says
I love this house! It’s beautiful. I love touring houses too. My mom and I used to go to open houses just to see what they looked like inside.
I love the floor plan of my house. Sometimes I feel like I could live in this house forever if it was in a different location. 😉 I also love the hardwoods and natural light in the front living room.
Linds says
Love this topic, because I’m closing on my first house on Friday! My favorite feature is the double size sliding glass door in the living room. It’s a regular size door, with door-size windows flanking either side. It lets in amazing natural light 🙂
Sally says
That house is stunning! I went to see the idea home they did in C’ville a couple years ago and was blown away. It’s so much fun, and such a neat concept.
Kelsey says
My favorite part of that is DEFINITELY the outdoor grill. Ooh, I’d love to have a giant porch and outdoor cooking area like that. Although in Austin, it would be too hot to use it for about 5 months out of the year, ha!
Megs says
What a lovely house! I so enjoyed touring it with you!
You and Thomas would like to build a house someday? You just moved into your current house pretty recently, didn’t you? Man, when I bought my little house in 2009, I swore that this would probably be the house I would have forever because moving is such a pain, LOL! You must be more motivated than I am! I also tend to find that the smaller size of my house (about 1300 square feet, no basement) really forces me to keep clutter to a minimum and to be very thoughtful about what I buy! You’re lucky to have all of that extra storage space!
KathEats says
A lot has changed since I bought this house, but we’re also not planning to build anytime soon. Just someday. And I actually secretly like the moving process!
Aimee says
I love moving…my husband calls me a gypsy lol
Amelia says
Wow! I would like to move right into that gorgeous home! So neat that it was on Bald head while you were there. What is a crofter? Is it like a guest house/wing?
KathEats says
I have never actually looked it up, but all the little outbuildings on BHI are called crofters. It looks like it dates to Scotland when crofter cottages were used to house extra farm hands or overflow guests.
Cindy says
I love your decor taste! That house is so fresh + fun. New reader here – what has changed since you bought your current house? Did you buy it before your son was born? My current house is plenty big, but since having kids I’ve found myself restless for a more kid-friendly home! lol
KathEats says
A different life partner : ) (I got divorced last year)
Mary | Momma Be Fit says
I would pay someone good money to come in and style my home like a magazine. IT seems so simple looking at it but my mind gets so twisted when trying to do it myself. I LOVE that double shower head and tiled bathroom! Exactly what I hope to have in our family’s future forever home. That, and a huge kitchen.
Denise says
That house is pretty. I always think that homes like this that are decluttered and organized do not have a lived in feel. Things appear too perfect and imagine the look of horror on a moms face of a kid walking through the house touching a white surface without washing their hands first. At Christmas time, I went to the homes of dreams (million dollar+ homes) where the insides were decorated for Christmas and all I could think of was the little kids that lived there not being able to touch any of the decorations and it made me sad.
Enjoy your week.
Chelsea says
How cool! And not at all related but since I was coming back to your blog to find it, I wanted to say THANK YOU for the plug for Gus’s dinosaur “Dolly”. We got it for my dog and it’s been close to indestructible! Some of the edges are a little frayed which is why I’m getting a back-up for Prime Day, ha, but anyway, the point is you’re the first person who said a dog toy was indestructible who even came close to my little terror. 😉 Thanks!
KathEats says
Awesome!! I actually put Dolly in the washing machine recently and she came out looking brand new again!
elle says
I love house tours! My favorite thing about my place is the open floor plan. I live alone in a condo. The building is from the 1800 when 2 ship’s captains families lived in it. It was made into modern condos a while back. My unit is 2 floors, and both of them are just an open floor plan. There isn’t even a door on the bedroom, it’s just stairs up and then the whole second floor is the bedroom. I love having all that space and open air.
KathEats says
that’s really cool!