That’s a wrap, folks! Our time here at the HGTV Dream Home in Sonoma is coming to a close (it’s hard to believe five days have passed already). We’ve snapped more than 2,000 photos and I’ve filled dozens of pages with notes. We’re ready to head back to the office (on the other side of the country) and pull all the copy and visuals together into what will surely be the most amazing HGTV Dream Home Tour the world has ever seen. (Okay, so maybe I’m a tad bit biased.)
Here’s a shot of the whole crew, a bit beat from our busy schedule but pleased with our work and happy to be heading back home to our families.
The Crew: Robert, Kevin, Bruce, Mary, J-9, Jack and Eric
The week wasn’t all work and no play – we’re hoping to squeeze in a winery tour before we hand over the keys to Jack this evening.
Yours,
Mary
Good morning HGTV Dream Home Bloggers!
I am so excited to introduce myself to you and get your questions answered! First, a bit about myself. I am a mother of two living in San Francisco. My husband and I were married in Sonoma and often talk about moving there.
I not only love HGTV, but have been a fan of the HGTV Dream Home for years. My personal favorite was Winter Park, Colo., though I absolutely loved last year’s house in the Florida Keys as well. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the posting looking for an HGTV Dream Home Super Fan for the Sonoma Home. (I think I actually said to my husband, “Why didn’t they just call me directly?”) When I got the call that I had been chosen, you probably all heard me screaming.
I can only hope that my passion for design and the HGTV Dream Home connects with you. I thank you all for the well wishes and promise to investigate everything that you want to know. We are all Super Fans in my book, and I am honored to represent us all on this journey.
For now, please post more questions. I am already busy tracking down answers to a bunch of the questions you’ve asked. This job is an absolute dream, and the house is just phenomenal!
Your Super Fan,
Gail
PS-Check back later today for a message from the online team finishing up this week’s photo shoot. And for more information about Gail, visit her Reimer ReDesign website. FC
I told you we were going to have some surprises this week. I’ll start by introducing you to Mary, our new editor here at HGTV.com who’ll be taking over editorial duties for HGTV Dream Home and HGTV Green Home. I’ll still be here at Scripps Networks world headquarters, working on e-mail newsletters, and I may pop up every once in a while on the blog — just to make sure y’all are behaving.
And now, Mary’s first report. FC
First, I’m thrilled to be working on the HGTV Dream Home project. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing blogging duties with our Super Fan and experiencing each and every moment of the excitement right along with you.
Now, a travel update. Our dream team of photographers and online staffers landed in the “Golden State” on Saturday for our week-long photo shoot — right in the midst of a torrential downpour! Our able leader and HGTV Dream Home director Jeannine (J-9 for short) was like steel under pressure as she maneuvered our SUV through the nasty weather and past rolling farmland and marshy bay areas on our way from Sacramento to Sonoma.
Once the rain slowed to a trickle, and after several wrong turns on the outskirts of town (mostly my fault: “We make a right turn at a flashing light … umm … before we reach town … umm … maybe it was once we reach town?”), we arrived at the site. Trust me when I say this property looks like a photo out of a picture book. The home is dreamy, for sure, but somehow maintains that cozy welcoming feeling that only a home filled with family and generations of love can possess.
We walked up the steps, onto the wraparound porch and through the big stately front doors. There was a moment of silence — or maybe my mind just went blank for a sec — as our eyes scanned the foyer for the first time. Then came the flood of “oohs” and “ahhs” as we sauntered through the rooms and up the stairs to see the master and kids’ bedrooms. I can’t give away details just yet, but I am certain you’ll approve of the color schemes, room themes and casual-chic decor. The craftsmanship and attention to detail just knocks my socks off.
Guess it’s time to wrap up this post and get back to work. Jack will be here this afternoon to chat about the house and get his picture snapped by our photographers. Stay tuned for more sneak peeks and photos in the days to come (I just love this image art director Robert captured on Sunday after the skies had cleared).
To wish you all a Happy Halloween, I’ve got a special treat today: an early look at our new HGTV Dream Homes Favorites of the Past video collection! Go back through the years and tour the best of the best with a dozen clips featuring kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and more. Watch all the videos then come back here and tell us which one is your favorite.
And remember, next week’s going to have even more surprises, including a report by the online team who will be on location in Sonoma shooting the home for the HGTV Dream Home 2009 online tour. Plus, we’ll be officially introducing our first-ever HGTV Dream Home Super Fan.
Have a fun, festive and safe Halloween. See you next week!
FC
The voting ends tomorrow for which of three outdoor party themes will welcome the winner of the HGTV Dream Home in Sonoma. Designer Monica Pedersen came up with three gorgeous layouts, all incorporating influences from the home’s location in California wine country. You can vote once a day, so go ahead and get your vote in now and come back tomorrow before 5pm for one last chance to let your voice be heard.
In other HGTV Dream Home news, you’ll want to check the blog often next week. The online team is leaving for Sonoma this Saturday, and they’ll be at the home next week taking tons of photos for the next online tour. I’ll see if I can’t get at least one blog post from them while they’re out there. Also, we’ll be introducing you to the HGTV Dream Home Super Fan next week.
Time really is ticking away, it’s hard to believe that the 2009 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway is only a couple of months away. Mark your calendars, you’ll be able to enter for a chance to win the home in Sonoma starting on Jan. 1.
Also next week, we’ll be revealing the location of the next HGTV Green Home. That’s the eco-friendly home we build and give away each year. Get all the clues on the Green Home blog and see if you can figure out where we’re going. There’s a super location video too, once again starring that dashing raconteur and house planner extraordinaire, Jack Thomasson. And you Jack fans are really going to love this one. Three words: Jack on horseback.
Stay tuned!
FC
While you may think I’m just the guy who puts up these blog posts, my real job here at Scripps Networks World Headquarters is working on e-mail newsletters. Among my official duties is putting together the weekly HGTVPro.com newsletter.
So today I’m working on the next HGTVPro newsletter, which will mention new photos and videos they’re adding to the Building of the HGTV Dream Home feature next week. And I’m flipping through some new photos from the job site in Sonoma, and I found this really cool image I thought I’d share.
That’s builder Bruce Lee, designer Linda Woodrum and of course our handsome house planner Jack Thomasson at work in the kitchen of the home. What could they be doing? Ordering lunch, maybe? I have no idea. Make your best guess below.
Stay tuned, there are some fun HGTV Dream Home surprises coming up in the next couple of weeks.
Yours,
FC
Guest blogger Loren Ruch oversees the HGTV Dream Home television special in his job as Director of Original Programming for the network. He just filed this special report from Sonoma.
I had the incredible opportunity to hang out in Sonoma, Calif., at the big load-in day when all the furniture arrived and let me tell you, it was exciting!
Loren and designer Monica Pedersen
You know how in the real world moving can be stressful and never-ending? Not here! I saw the entire home go from a blank slate to fully decorated in six hours.
I don’t want to give too much away, but I can reveal that this year’s HGTV Dream Home 2009 special will be hosted by the gorgeous Monica Pedersen from Designed To Sell. We’ll also feature two guest designers: Kim Myles from Myles of Style and John Gidding from Designed To Sell. Kim and John are each designing their own rooms, in addition to the fabulous Linda Woodrum, who flawlessly designed the rest of the home.
Some of this year’s highlights include a kitchen with not one but two islands, a study featuring a leather desk (very contemporary) and a kids’ room with some of the grooviest auto accessories used as artwork that you’ve ever seen!
HGTV designers John Gidding, Kim Myles and Monica Pedersen take Sonoma by foot, Segway and horse
I’ve shared a few pictures of us goofing around while in the wine country. Seeing Kim Myles on a Segway was one of my highlights for the trip, and Monica’s horseback ride (the original Segway?) was a close second.
Don’t forget to watch the show premiering on New Years Day! More to come…Loren
For more behind-the-scenes details of this year’s home, visit HGTVPro.com for exclusive videos, photo galleries and reports from the HGTV Dream Home 2009 job site in Sonoma.
We’ve chosen a Super Fan, and she’s already getting her feet wet at the job site in Sonoma. You can help by sharing your questions on what you’d like to know about the HGTV Dream Home so our Super Fan can get down to some super sleuthing. Share your questions below and I’ll make sure she gets them, then look for her first report coming in the next few weeks.
In other news, our compatriots over at HGTV Pro continue to add to their behind-the-scenes coverage of the building of the 2009 HGTV Dream Home. They’ve got an interesting report on what it’s like to build a custom home with a TV crew watching your every move, all the while keeping disturbances to the neighborhood to a minimum. You can read the full story here.
Yours,
FC
HGTVPro.com just added some new photos and videos to their behind-the-scenes look at the building of HGTV Dream Home 2009. Get their latest reports now from the job site in Sonoma, Calif., including a chat with designer Linda Woodrum on how she’s bringing Sonoma style to the interior of the home.
And if there’s something else you’d like to know about how about the next HGTV Dream Home, go ahead and submit your questions below. We’ll see if we can’t get some answers for you in upcoming blog posts. (And if you’re wondering when you can enter the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway for a chance to win the Sonoma home, the sweepstakes starts January 1.)
Now you can watch full episodes of several HGTV Dream Home specials online. See eight years of homes, from the 1998 tin-roofed cottage-style home in South Carolina, to the massive 2005 home in Lake Tyler, Texas, which included a separate boathouse.
Each special offers a full tour of an HGTV Dream Home, with guest appearances by the architects, designers and builders who created each incredible house. Plus, get design tips you can use in your home.
Watch them all now and tell us which HGTV Dream Home is your favorite so far. And check back, as we’ll be adding more episodes in the coming weeks.
