I’m curious. After reviewing the HGTV Dream Home 2010 floor plan, which indoor or outdoor space do you think will be your favorite? Have you already envisioned what it will look like or how you’d decorate it? If you won the home, where would you plop first — the great room, the master bedroom or maybe that awesome casita? Tell me what you’re dreaming about today.
We’re back in the office today, but I am still dreaming about that amazing sunset over the Sandia Mountains and wishing I could chow down on one last green chile chicken burrito. Hope you enjoy the photo of the online crew.
Shown from left: online design director Robert Felker, senior editor Mary Graff, photography assistant Jerry Hammarlund, photographer Eric Perry, interactive planning director Jeannine Pace, photographer Bruce Cole.
And just for fun — and as promised — I am throwing in a few teaser photos this morning. In which rooms do you think these images were snapped?
It’s the last day of our trip and a pretty quiet one at that. Photography wrapped up in the morning, then we headed out on a little road trip through the Cibola National Forest to Sandia Peak, an elevation of 10,678 feet. What a view! Then it was back to HGTV Dream Home 2010 in the afternoon to chat with the landscape designer, tie up loose ends and greet the crew who will spend the next few days filming the Super Fan.
This evening, nature put on quite a light show, the perfect way to cap off this memorable trip. Not sure why, but being out West seems to clear the head and set you right again. I envy the winner of this home.
Enjoy today’s photos. I promise a few sneak peek pics of Dream Home interiors in the days to come.
Yesterday afternoon, interactive planning director Jeannine, Donna (house planner Jack Thomasson’s sister) and I headed out on an adventure. We decided to soak up a little local culture and hit the Turquoise Trail in search of old ghost towns. The scenery was amazing; the sites haunting. Ramshackled and rubbled remains of what once were booming little communities filled me with a twinge of sadness. What must it have been like to be right in this spot almost 200 years ago, when gold seemed to tumble out of every crevice and turquoise was king? And then to be one of the last residents standing when the boom faded — along with friends and rivals?
Enjoy the photos … see if you can identify where these shots were snapped.
The online crew arrived in Albuquerque on Sunday, and it’s been sunny and in the mid 60s ever since. Snow from last week’s squall is still visible on the mountain tops and, when we first arrived, was scattered about the desert landscape like cotton balls.
I don’t want to give away too much information about HGTV Dream Home 2010. But I must say … “Wow.” Sonoma was cozy and definitely designed with a family in mind. This sprawling 3,900-square-foot compound screams rock star to me. The kind of secluded getaway that might make the likes of Jay-Z and Beyoncé supremely happy.
And when I say getaway, I mean out there, in the middle of the desert and surrounded by nothing but mountain ranges. Sure, you may see a few luxury casitas as you stare westward from the courtyard, but they seem nothing more than mere twinkles at night. And the only sounds? Song birds chirping, crows cawing and the wind, whistling through the low pinon pine. And if you are lucky and listen very closely, you may catch the howls of coyotes, as they communicate back and forth from some distant den. We were fortunate enough to hear just that on Sunday night. Unforgettable.
I am sitting here, on the floor in the kitchen at this moment, eavesdropping on our still photographer Eric Perry, as he chats with our interactive planning director Jeannine Pace, and our panoramic photographer Bruce Cole, announcing the next room he plans to shoot for the 360-degree tour. Our photographers have discovered that sunrise and just after sunset are the best times to capture the detail and set the mood in snapshots.
My companions’ voices bounce down the corridors and seem to echo around the house – these 16-foot-tall ceilings give the home an interesting acoustic effect. But it feels comforting to hear the chatter as I jot down this quick note to you. And it helps me to envision just what this home might be like when its new owner fills the space with the laughter and conversation of loved ones.
Today, our Super Fan gives you the skinny on the eco features of HGTV Dream Home 2010. And tomorrow, the online team hops on a plane for New Mexico. We will be spending the week snapping photos and taking notes for the virtual tour, due to launch December 14. Stay tuned for some updates from the home next week. I might even share some nighttime photography — builder Mark Roccaforte tells me the night sky is simply amazing in the San Pedro Overlook neighborhood.
Check out this awesome photo house planner Jack Thomasson sent me from his iPhone during load-in day!
Jack told me that while furniture was being loaded into the house, a big truck arrived, carrying a rock the size of a whale for the front landscape. It’s amazing!
Suffice to say, after you win the HGTV Dream Home 2010 you can tell all your friends to just “keep going until you see the house with the big rock.”
Good day, bloggers.
