Dec
17
On the Eve of the Virtual Tour Launch
Are you excited? Ready to dive into the virtual tour and click through room pics? Our online virtual tour of HGTV Dream Home 2011 launches on Monday at about 9 a.m. EST or so. Wrap a string around your finger, mark your calendar and set the alarm, so you don’t forget to pop by on December 20 to join in the excitement.
In the meantine, I want to alert you to some interesting information being shared on our Green: Home blog. HGTV Green Home 2011 is taking shape and our friends at HGTVPro.com recently launched an interactive home tool that breaks down the home’s best eco-friendly details. Take a peek, then post your comments.
I loved the 2006 Lake Lure, NC home, with its beautiful natural stone fireplace in the Living Room, yet another inviting stone fireplace in the Family Room, and spectacular lake and mountain views. I dreamed of the 2010 Sandia Park, NM home and its breathtaking mountain views and viga-beamed interior, glass-tiled kitchen wall, and cozy entry foyer fireplace. I imagined myself snuggled up in the 2007 Winter Park, CO mountain lodge, which welcomes from the minute you step into the rustic wooden beamed foyer. I planned festive parties for family and friends at the sophisticated 2009 Sonoma, CA wine-country farmhouse, so full of charm and home of so many great childhood memories for me. I sunned and swam in the warm turquoise waters facing the Islamorada, FL 2008 Dream Home, with its white sand beaches and tropical ambiance, its Living Room French Doors opening wide to bring in the ocean views and sea breezes.
A quick decision? Surely you jest. I loved them all, and now I must choose just one? Oh woe is me…can I pick them all?
Twas the night before reveal, when most are weary, Many are working, including our Mary! Beverly cont.
The guests are gathered on the terrace out back, with Robert and Monica and of course, Jack! Beverly cont.
The lights shining bright yellow at the Dream Home so well, and hanging up the stockings was our own sweet Gail! Beverly cont.
The kitchen is dazzling, with no innuendos, while drinks being made, Ooh by Linda! Beverly cont.
As Santa lingers over Dream Home and mountains so steep, he shouts Merry Christmas! Now Go To Sleep! HO HO HO! Beverly
Oh, yes I can't wait to see these beautiful pictures! I swear everytime HGTV rolls in with a new dream home it's like food for the soul, it just feels good.
This is probably how the bowl of chocolate kisses in the DH is going to celebrate the "Eve of the DH reveal" tonight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca5wvawBil0&NR…
This is probably all the blogger community standing at the DH front door "ringing the door bell".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HtSLF4vlrk&fe…
Twas the night before the tour
and all through Stowe
not a thing was stirring
except for the snow
all the beautiful art was hung
in hopes that the winner will see
the bloggers were all snug by their screens
while visions of the house danced in their heads.
Great poem, but now all we have to do is make it rhyme…any ideas?
Coop in my opinion I think the DH/10 in Sandia Park, New Mexico was the best in all 15 years but that's just me. Everything about this Home is amazing from the foyer to the backyard living space I had pictured my self cooking in the beautiful kitchen even how I would be doing laundry so comfortable ah I loved that House so much. But like I said that is just me.
I guess I'm going to go with the 2010 Sandia Park, NM Dream Home as my favorite from the last 5 years, just like pixelecho69 suggested.
But that means I'll have to choose it over the 2008 Islamorada, FL oceanside dream, and you know how drawn I am to anything tropical with sandy beaches and a gorgeous water view.
Maybe I'd better take more time to think about my final choice before I make the big commitment.
NM is a top location and the DH was stunning, BUT I think it was located in a development that was gated. If that is true, a gated development will knock it out of contention for me…. that is just too creepy, IMO.
And if I choose the 2008 Islamorada, FL home as my favorite, that leaves the awesome 2007 Winter Park, CO Dream Home out in the cold.
Who wouldn't go for a rustic mountain lodge and the chance for a spectacular white Christmas. After all, it's that time of year for sleighbells in the snow.
Maybe I'd better take more time to think about my final choice….
Islamorada was one of my 3 favorites, (in spite of some bloggers writing cautionary posts about hurricanes and alligators swimming up to the beach..) Having a water view, the sunsets & sunrises, and inspired perspective and meditation of such a location is pretty hard to top.
Then again, if I go with the 2007 Winter Park, CO home as my favorite, what about Dream Home 2006 in lovely Lake Lure, NC? How could I pass up voting for that impressive lake view jewel and its perfect four-season mountainside location?
Maybe I'd better take more time to think….
Between Lake Lure and Winter Park the choice would be easy for me– since Winter Park is my last choice overall, and I was so "LURED" by the NC mountain surroundings and abundance of recreation choices; the proximity to Asheville. Both homes were wonderfully decorated, but I think I invested too much of my soul in the Lake Lure home somehow.
I don't know, DBCoop, I really like the 2010 Dream Home the best. I guess it really just depends on your favorite type of climate.
But if I vote for the 2006 Lake Lure, NC Dream Home as my very favorite of all from the past 5 years, how can I ever again face looking at those dreamy photos of the 2009 Sonoma, CA charmer, knowing that I didn't vote it my favorite?
After all, the area was my childhood home, with thoughts of those sweeping vineyard views and dreamy sun-drenched landscapes, delightful wineries, gourmet restaurants, and temperate seasonal climate. And that's even before I add that delightful Sonoma home into my decision. I loved its curb appeal, and every nook and cranny of its spacious interior.
Maybe I'd better take more time….
This might help you decide…. the question was actually specifically about the location, not the home itself. It's phrased "The Best HGTV Dream Home Location Was:". Does that help narrow it down?
Scroll back and reread DBCoop's recent post and you will absolutey get the picture. In the spirit of good humor with all of the decisions to be made here on the ol blog corral, we often take a little side road tour, just for the sake of possibility.
I am very excited to finally get a clear view of everything in the DH 2011! The sneak peaks have been very tantalizing. I have so say, so far, I absolutely adore all the spaces and the house itself, and the Stowe neighborhood.
The decorating doesn't seem to match my style in every room, though. (I go more for the modern look – I liked a lot of the decorating in the 2010 DH more. In my dreaming about the DH these past few weeks, I actually put together some mood boards for all of the major rooms. I know – I'm a total design nerd!) But I can't wait to get a good look at everything before I make my final judgments.
Kind of lurking this week rather than posting, but definitely excited for tomorrow morning.
Also- I didn't really say this before, but i am kind of jazzed about the remote control for the window blinds, etc. that was shown on the news preview…I wonder what all this fancy little universal remote controls
Thought ski dorn looked cute and liked red bath with the 3 sinks but other rooms not very vermont in style
Coop, It sounds like you you are in a bind, but I can totally understand It's to much of beautiful homes to take,
but just remember we are about to see another Dream Home and is just going to make it worst or better.
Tick Tock, Tick Tock, the mouse ran up the clock, the clock struck 9,eastern time! Tick Tock! hehe Beverly
I'm trying to decide which DH in Mary's survey is my favorite. I've placed my "first choice" vote several times——but after reading a few of the bloggers thoughts–I decided maybe this needs further research—-rather than simply choose sunshine—-lots of sunshine and desert. So I did. Here's what I found:
PAST DH—STATE SLOGANS
North Carolina states it's: A Better Place To Be
Florida says it's the: Sunshine State
The next two tell us we can:
Colorado: Enter A Higher State
California: Find Yourself Here
And last but not least:
New Mexico claims it's the : Land of Enchantment
Whew, what a day! All those eats and treats and mingling…I'm worn out. Now that I have a few minutes to relax before another big day tomorrow (after all, it's going to be the Dream Home online reveal!!!!!) I think I've finally decided which Dream Home favorite to vote for from the past 5 years. And so the winner is — all FIVE! Yep, I'm going to vote for a different one each day of the week. That way I won't feel guilty about leaving a single one behind in my personal voting tally.
I'm sure MARY will be just thrilled to read of my decision! Well, as long as she gets a clear winner from her poll, I don't think she'll mind if I waver a little on this one.
I changed my work shift at the hospital to be home for the HGTV 2011 Dream Home tour launch. I can't wait…..T minus 3 hours.
Ok, so I am a 40yo blog virgin. And I feel like I’ve been eavesdropping for too long (sorry!). As mom of 4, my blog visits are inconsistent but none-the-less eager. Nice to know I’m not the only one who escapes into the (unlikely) possibility of becoming a DH winner! Can’t wait to see– gotta get kids off to school first…
I just came across a bunch of short sneak peak videos of the DH that mostly were done by Gail and I don't recall having seen them before. But perhaps I missed them earlier. If they haven't been shown before I don't understand why not since they are supposed to be releasing the 360 online tour today? Oh well…here's the link for the 90 second tour with John G. (If you've seen this I apologize) http://www.hgtv.com/video/90-second-interior-tour…
Here's Gail showing the gathering room. http://www.hgtv.com/video/gathering-room-tour-vid…
Living Room. http://www.hgtv.com/video/living-area-tour-video/…
Master Bedroom. http://www.hgtv.com/video/master-bedroom-tour12-v…
Master Bathroom. http://www.hgtv.com/video/master-bathroom-tour4-v…
There's apx. 8 more that show the other parts of the house.
Thanks for posting these vid's Kathy
Thank you!!!
Okay- 4 minutes…that's time to get a cup of coffee and settle in with my computer…I'm ready to tour!
Wah- countdown ran out and no tour up!
is it up yet? i cant access it!!! waaaaaaaa!:'(
The 90 second tours are on, but they are very choppy to watch…my daughter begged for me to turn it off and wait until the virtual tour is up…so, off to get the coffee I didn't get around to before.
Happy 3D Tour Day Everybloggie !!!
OMG ! The HGTV Dream Home 15th Anniversary Ski Lodge is SPLENDID in the extreme !!!
Thank you, it's the perfect gift that needs no wrapping :O)
GoldieLocksBear
XO
woohoo-full tour is up! time to play!
wah- all of the links are broken on the virtual map…my daughter always has the most fun looking at it as if we are walking through the house…guess we have to try the individual room pages instead.
Don't suppose we can get a link for the tour on the blog page so that it is easier to flip back and forth.
My favorite feature of the front of the house is the walkway up to the front door!
No secret room in car barn like people were guessing…just really high roofs…not even any real storage.
Doing close ups on the windows- I knew there wasn't.
While I wasn't in the group saying secret room up there, I was a little hopeful that what they were right…especially when I saw the light through the window- it looked more like a room style light. I am a little confused on why there is so high of a ceiling …it would have been nice if they made a storage loft out of it.
Dearest OurArmy Family, I hope that you and your family are enjoying a beautiful and blessed Christmas with all of the joys and wonders to behold. With you as their mom, I know the children are having alot of pleasure celebrating the holiday. I have tremendous respect for the way you are keeping on keeping on, even though your hubby is serving the country. Your creativity, strength, imagination, business sense, great hearted spirit, and wonderful presence on the blog and in the community is very much needed. You are loved Our Army Family. Many blessings and all good things for 2011.
why do i get an error message on the virtual tour? is it up yet? i can't access it!!! is it only me? can you guys access it? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:'(
Go to the individual room pages rather than the virtual floor plan.
Okay- curiosity is killing me…what is the little bag sitting next to the sink in the mud room…I even watched the video hoping Gail would say…but no.
Maybe dog food/ treats… (?)
I'm looking at the Dream Home now :0)
Not all of the way through the tour yet, but at this point I am wondering if the surprise luxury feature is the remote controlled lighting, window blinds and music as that seems to be featured in every room.
You bet it… Either that or the "secret" hut tub.
The catch is that when the "secret" came out we already had pictures and talked about the hot tub.
I like the fact that in such a cold area the doggie dream home is indoors…although I already see some people commenting on the fact that you can only use it with a pocket dog…which doesn't bother me as we don't have a dog now, but talked of getting a pocket dog if we get one.
i already desided that i'm going to get a Pomeranian. Like Boo! The Facebook/YouTube famous Pomeranian. B)
Waiting for comments on the master bathroom similar to last year's comments about privacy.
I think it's totally fine, after all it will only be the owner and his/her couple there… right?
Even with that, last year there were comments about things like that there is no top part to the toilet area…some people made comments that even married they didn't want to hear their spouse "go" or smell it afterwards.
LOL hahahah! that's funny, too bad i was not around for last year DH, i would have LOL-ed soo hard! People complain about everything these days! Besides, that's "fixable", just wait till he/she is "done".
There were full blog topics dealing with bathroom issues between the master bath and the casita bathroom last year.
So, surprisingly, I still think that the bunk room is my favorite room…despite the fact that when we first found out about it I thought I would hate it. It's neat to see that the bunkbeds are not built in…when I first saw the preview they looked so natural I thought they were built in, but they are one of the featured products afterwards.
Like I said on the other blog- where do these people put their luggage. If its a weekend place people would bring luggage and if they live there -there aren't mant dressers/closets. That beautiful organized space could become a hazzard with bags all over.
Hoping maybe there are closets that we aren't seeing…maybe Gail will go back again and give just a closet tour like last year.
Well folks, i guess there was nothing over the car barn after all! LOL and we were all thinking our heads off to figure out what was that "secret room"… LOL
BTW, i read in the rules that Disney was a sponsor, but i see not a single Disney item in the house!! Plus, whats that about not showing the closets? At least the master closet??? please! Also the powder room near the mud room is not shown anywhere! At least i ca't seem to find it… =/ :p
Agreeing on the Disney…they were listed on the sponsor page.
They are now off of the sponsor page…maybe when it was listed before it was showing old sponsors from last year.
As for the car barn, I think there may be some disappointed people who were holding out hope for something special and secret when in fact we pretty much knew all of it ahead of time.
The photo gallery for the entry hall shows a picture of the powder room (photo #11):
http://www.hgtv.com/dream_home/hgtv-dream-home-20…
Photo #11 in the photo gallery for the entry hall shows a picture of the powder room.
The dorm bathroom does not do it for me as I'm not so into the locker room style bathroom when you are bound to have mixed genders in there…which I am sure that someone will make the comment of family, but it may not always be family and even if you have family of a certain age it can be awkward.
Can we get a confirmation on what the luxury feature is? Am I right in guessing that it is the electronic system to the house, because the only other thing closest would be the hot tub…which when we got the announcement about a surprise luxury feature we already knew about the hot tub.
I am with you on that one, and what about the secret Room above the car barn ?
Nope…that was something assumed by bloggers, but instead it is just high ceilings.
Hi Our Army Family, I'm assuming the luxury feature is the gas fire feature behind the hot tub.
I do like that fireplace by the hot tub…kind of cool…although it would be neat if it would have been in a place where it was accessible without being in the tub too- for summer evenings…although I guess you can go in without turning on the hot tub.
My overall thoughts, while the house is nicely done, I personally feel that past dream homes had a cozier feel to them and this one feels a little streamlined in some of the decor…both built in and decorations. I personally would have loved a cozy feel to the house to go with the cozy snow atmosphere. Also a little surprised that I only saw one fireplace and it was streamlined too…looking a little more like an oven than a cozy fire to curl up in front of. Just my two cents.
I do not see a sink in the living area kitchenette. It says there is a sink. Do I need new reading glasses or what?
I looked again for you, but i don't see it either.
Hi Sweetest Liz, Merry Christmas dear blog friend and Happy New Year. Good great luck in 2011.
Right back at you Janzee! Christmas was all about family and food. We had a white Christmas and didn't have to drive too far. Looking forward to a quiet New Year's eve. See you on the blogs.:D
Hi sweetie Liz, Christmas Eve I came back to Vegas and then Christmas day we drove up to that lodge I've talked about built about thirty years ago. We sat around a large fire and enjoyed the Christmas lights,the lodge trees and a view of a frozen pond. Then something very unusual happened, I looked up on an antique table and saw pictures of all the fellow bloggers on the site, twinkle twinkle. A big guy walked through the front door with a rudy complexion, some snazzy ski atire and a huge bag of goodies. He said "have you been good this year"? And then he turned to the pictures of all the bloggers and said " I know they have been very very good, and I have a huge surprise for one of you. Mmmmm I said, could you mean the HGTV DREAM HOME in STOWE. With a smirk, and a wan smile, Santa grinned and said, "Stay tuned pussycat, the best is yet to come". Liz up to you, but if you like could you reprint this on the main board?
Done! Happy New Year!
Yes, the Home is beautiful, nicely decorated well planned and constructed of course, Good location wonderful scenery, lot's to do inside the neighborhood and this adorable Rustic Dream Home is the talk of the town and best of all there will be a lucky winner.
The new link is up.
YAY! The link is up! wow, what a house! Truly amazing.<3