All posts in "Location"

Greetings, HGTV Urban Oasis fans.

We’re closing this blog to do a bit of housekeeping. A new and improved blog format is coming soon. We’ll alert you when it’s live.

In the meantime, please pay a visit to the HGTV Dream Home blog and cast your vote in our 2012 banner competition. Voting runs through Nov. 23 at noon ET.

Hi all,

As promised, I present an exclusive Q&A slideshow, featuring insider details from HGTV Urban Oasis designer Vern Yip. I want to give a big shout out to Vern for sharing so much information ahead of the virtual tour and television special launches.

Please read through and let me know what you think. Vern’s thoughtful approach to design is such an inspiration to me. His passion for his work certainly shows through in the finished product.

Without further ado … Please enjoy our location announcement video on this fine Monday morning.

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So here we are. We’ve landed on the final clue. I was pretty easy on you this time. No riddles. No math problems. If you can identify the location captured in this image, then you know the location of Urban Oasis 2011. Happy day!

See the connection? How sweet it is!

Photo by terren in Virginia

Doesn’t it feel like things keep coming around full circle? Or is it just me? Here’s today’s location clue. Think you can crack it?

Photo by wolfsavard

Hi all.

I know you’ve been eagerly anticipating this moment. We’re ready to starting dropping location clues, hints that will lead you on a trail that might eventually turn into a guess, which could possibly be right … or wrong.

The above picture is today’s clue. Says it all, I think.

Why an apartment in the Big Apple? House planner Jack Thomasson shares the behind-the-scenes details.

Q. How did this whole project come about? And how did you land on New York City?
A. About a year ago HGTV came to me with the idea to create a “dream pad,” basically an apartment residence in an exciting urban location. I loved the idea and was certainly excited that they asked me to execute it. The next question was, where? Our country has some wonderful cities, but I kept coming back to New York City. After attending a sales presentation hosted by the W, everything started to point to New York as the right city and the W New York-Downtown as the place.

Q. What was the scouting process like?
A. I visited over 50 other buildings in cities across the country. I searched for about six months before finding the place that I was excited to present to the network. New York is our country’s largest city, and arguably the most exciting: “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” right?

Q. What challenges did you face as you built out this amazing apartment?
A. It was definitely a new experience to be the small fish in the big pond. Our unit is a lovely 900 square feet, but in an over-50-story building. I had to learn how to navigate the challenges of building within a building! It was amazing to watch the coordination of a huge team of construction professionals, as each contributed his part to the whole.

Q. What would you consider the greatest rewards of this project?
A. With great challenges come great rewards. Getting our unit completed on schedule was very gratifying. HGTV Dream Home, HGTV Green Home and now HGTV Urban Oasis have their own unique challenges. None is easy and each is unique, but I’m really excited to apply what I learned during our first Urban Oasis to next year’s project.

Q. Did you envision a certain person when planning this space?
A. I leave the who in my projects to fate. After all, literally anyone can win. I simply — and sometimes not so simply — try to create spaces that fit into their unique environment, and leave the rest to chance.

If urban living is your idea of a dream come true, soon you will have a chance to live the dream in the capitol of the world.

HGTV has teamed with house planner Jack Thomasson and world-renowned designer Vern Yip to create a posh pad located in the heart of New York City. The location? The Residences at W New York-Downtown. The space? A 900-square-foot fully-furnished residence that boasts sweeping views of the city — including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Our online virtual tour of this amazing space begins on August 12, 2010. Then, starting on September 1, we invite you to enter once daily on HGTV.com and FrontDoor.com for your chance to win the apartment and a luxury vehicle. Our first on-air tour of the home premieres on Monday, September 6, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Mark your calendar! And make plans to visit this blog regularly for updates, exclusive videos and more.

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Photo by diametrik

… and money were no object, where would you live, how would you spend your time and who would you hang with? Would you buy a sailboat and spend your summers on the Hudson or in the Hamptons? Or would you put all your money down on a sweet pad overlooking Central Park? Dream big and share your thoughts here.