Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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The Process Of Decorating A Showhouse

For the last few weeks we have eaten, slept, and breathed all things showhouse. We knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I’ll be the first to admit that we completely underestimated how much time, effort, and – well, shopping – it would take to turn a 3,500 square foot blank-ish slate into a lived-in-ish looking home. In two weeks, no less. So as you can imagine we’ve pretty much been camped out there. Or driving back and forth with a car full of stuff, unloading it, placing it on various surfaces, and repeating.

SH47 Kitchen

We thought most of the major hurdles had been cleared after choosing fixtures and finishes over the last few months, but that’s because we didn’t realize just how many surfaces there would be to decorate. We’d been gradually collecting items for the house since January (which is when we picked out a lot of furniture, honed in some art selections, ordered curtains and bedding, and started stocking up on general accessories) so after our furniture-unloading-day two weeks ago, we (naively) expected the house to look pretty complete. Instead, most spaces just looked like this. #sadtrombone

SH47 Nook Before

Sure, those breakfast nook built-ins were a big task on their own, but we fell short everywhere – on tabletops, vanities, counters, porches, beds, desks, etc. Everything looked sparse, and we had a minor freak-out. But our builder and the Homearama folks reassured us that we were in good shape. We just had to shop our little hearts out. Thank goodness we bought a bigger car because it looks like this almost constantly. We estimate that we have made close to 20 car-completely-full runs from small local boutiques, thrift shops, and larger retailers with everything from pillows, rugs, planters, tabletop accessories, bedding, books, and beyond.

SH47 Shopping Car Full

Picture us filling multiple carts at HomeGoods, Target, and World Market on at least four occasions, to stock up on everything from frames and pillows to dishware and towels. And as we rolled towards the checkout (and watched various cashiers get wide-eyed) we profusely apologized every time.

SH47 Shopping Target Carts

We even found ourselves at the grocery store to pick up items to stock/style the kitchen. I think the cashier just chalked up our unusual purchase to pregnancy cravings. Well, at least the 9 bags of powdered donuts. Which, btw, pro-tip: don’t put your donuts out so early that they get mostly eaten by everyone working on the house (there are still people dropping by to fix scratches in the floor, touch up paint, make last minute electrical updates, finish a few carpentry projects, etc). But it was nice to reward such an awesome team… so maybe the tip should be: motivation can be handed out in donut form.

SH47 Shopping Groceries

As of yesterday, the house was looking about 85% done – including those breakfast nook shelves. Sherry still has a bunch of tweaks that she wants to make (just sharing this not-completely-done shot makes her twitchy) but they’re a lot further along than they were a few weeks ago. A crew rolled through on Friday and shot video & photos to use while promoting the show (our first deadline) and the builder is hosting an event there today (our second deadline), which is why it has been such a rush to get things in order – even though each of these seven showhouses don’t open to the public until May 1st. Oh, that and there’s a baby coming soon for us (nine days and counting) so we have our own little deadline going on too.

SH47 Nook After

You’ll notice the shelves above also got painted gray in the back, which was one of those 11th hour tweaks that we found ourselves making. We’d thought they might need some color back there, but it wasn’t until things started to come together that we decided that the same gray tone from the kitchen cabinets would tie them together, so we held up paint swatches to find a match (the winner was Timber Wolf Gray by Ben Moore if anyone’s wondering).

So yeah, they juuuuust got painted yesterday afternooon by Parker, the same guy who hung the laundry room wallpaper for us. Speaking of which, we made a last-minute change in there too. We were staring at it with the builder and the woman who runs the entire event and said “should we add a shelf? A chunky white floating one would probably be really functional.” Both voted yes, and it was on. The carpenter came over and knocked one out within 24 hours (including hanging it and painting it) and we all love it. Hooray for final-hour updates.

SH47 Laundry

Here’s the foyer area, now sporting a big white driftwood mirror that we grabbed at HomeGoods on Thursday. We had hung framed art there just two days before, so our decorating process definitely hasn’t been a straight line. Trial and error is the name of the game. Sometimes we just have to see things before we know if it’s IT or if it’s “meh” – and then there’s a mad scramble to turn as many “mehs” into “heck yeahs” as we can.

SH47 Entry Mirror

In the background you can see a bit of the living room, which plays host to a big painting of Burger that our amazing friend Lesli Devito made just for that spot. Sure the real homeowner probably won’t put a giant pet painting up there (there’s a TV hookup behind there in case they want to mount theirs in that spot) but we thought it’d be a bit cheeky and fun for the show. A nod to our handsome four-legged friend, if you will. Especially since there are a bunch of more serious furnishings and accessories in the rest of the kitchen and living room.

SH47 Fireplace With Burger

A lot of you guys have asked where these furnishings and accessories will go when the house is sold since they’re all purchased (or donated or borrowed) just for the show. The answer is that once the show’s over, the homeowner has the option to buy a few items of furniture or art if they’d like – but they will mostly be furnishing/decorating this house so it works for their family (and not the fictional family that we’ve created in our minds). So many of the donated items will be paid forward to the Habitat ReStore or returned to the vendors, while things that came out of the builder’s decorating budget might be re-used in future model homes.

One of the toughest spaces to fill was the playroom/reading room upstairs, which I don’t think we’ve shown before. We wanted to do big bookshelves (with a built-in bench) in this room so it could be used as a quiet reading spot if the future owner didn’t need a younger kids play space, although we decorated it somewhere in the middle – both with games and books so everyone in the family could picture a spot to chill out and relax. We’re still waiting on our upholstered bench cushion for the window and a few other touches, but it’s coming along.

SH47 Playroom Full

Of course last fall when we chatted about this room with the builder and the architect, we didn’t really think about having to get books upon books to fill all of those shelves that flank the window bench on both sides. So a few weeks ago in a moment of desperation, we called our buddy Kelly at a favorite local bookshop (Fountain Bookstore) and she said she had boxes and boxes of early-sample paperbacks that she was just going to recycle (they’re not allowed to be sold or donated since they’re advance copies). Phew!

SH47 Playroom Books

We realized that we also haven’t shared this fun light fixture in there. It’s a spun glass chandelier from Shades of Light that looks great against the Dragonfly-colored walls, but is a little tough to see when photographed against the window. Can you tell we’re still learning our photography angles in this house?

SH47 Playroom Light

One of the biggest car-fillers when it came to shopping was bedding and pillows. Not just decorative pillows for the couch and stuff, but more basic things like shams, duvets, quilts, sheets, bedskirts, and other various staples for the four beds that we had to make. A lot of it was picked up on the fly, but we did get this pretty patterned bedding donated from Pine Cone Hill for the master. It looks pretty awesome with another Lesli Devito painting that she loaned us for the show.

SH47 Master Bedding

It’ll feel good to have the last remaining bits checked off this week, so we can hopefully squeeze in a few normal-ish days before normal gets redefined by baby Barnacle’s arrival. Our parents have been a big help in watching Clara outside of school hours, and she has clocked some pretty great quality time at the showhouse with us as well. She’s “breaking in” a lot of the rooms – like coloring at the desk in the girls room, playing make-believe with the Monopoly pieces in the playroom, and assembling Legos at the desk in the boys room.

SH47 Clara In Boys Room

This week will be showhouse heavy since we haven’t had much time to do anything else. But being so close to “finished” is getting us really excited to fully shoot each room and share the full monty details (listing sources, alternate angles, explanations for what went where and why, etc). So if you could hold any “where’s that from?” questions until we share each room, we plan to source every last item for you in those more detailed posts, which we’ll hopefully be rolling out this week (we’re planning to start shooting “after” photos before the party today if things come together like we hope).

I’ll leave you with one last glance of a space that we’re CRAZY excited about. We hired a local artist to deck out the chalkboard wall in the butler’s pantry (which has become a coffee/wine station for our imaginary family) with a chalk pen mural full of coffee and wine terms, and boy is she decking. it. out. It’s not dusty or smudge-able with a finger, but it can be scrubbed off with a magic eraser if the future homeowner doesn’t want to keep it. She’ll be back tomorrow to put the finishing touches on it, and then we can’t wait to shoot a million wide shots to show you how that awesome little hallway between the kitchen and the dining room has evolved.

SH47 Butlers

We realize it – as well as lots of other design choices in the house – aren’t necessarily everyone’s cup of coffee tea, which might be an issue if we were decorating a spec or a model home (where the goal is to sell it by appealing to as many potential buyers at possible), but as a showhome, the purpose of this house is a tad more complex. Each of the seven Homearama teams have been encouraged to make unique and specific choices to keep the show varied and interesting – and oddly enough, these homes tend to sell pretty fast thanks to all of those special features, even though they might not be safe/universal.

So while these builders create dozens of more basic and mass-appealing homes each year, these showhomes aren’t like that at all. In fact, on Friday we got to run through a couple of the others in this year’s event, and we can’t wait to share some wide shots when everyone’s done decorating. In the meantime, here are just a few examples of some specific choices that other builders & design teams are integrating:

SH47 Other Houses

Please bear with us while we power through this last intense week of showhouse stuff (knock on wood) and slowly work our way around the house to share all of the afters (and sources) with you guys. Speaking of powering through, I’ve been killing it on my FitBit steps thanks to this job lately. And poor Sherry, her feet have just been killing her. That reminds me, seeing as it’s 10:32 on Sunday night as I wrap up this post, I probably have a foot rub that I should be getting to…

Psst – Wanna see more showhouse info & photos? Click here for Our Full Showhouse Tour, which includes final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget info, a video walk-through, and shoppable showhouse furniture & accessories. 

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    I love how the house is coming all together!! Excited for your family for the new baby to arrive. I did have a question about all of the items that you are buying for the show house. Are you using your personal money on all of the purchases such as those last ones at Target, World Market, and Home Goods? I wasn’t sure if you were given a certain amount of money to spend on this, or how it worked. Hope you all have a great week. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have a decorating budget provided by the builder which breaks down to about $500 a space, but since one rug or bed could bust that budget we’re relying on a lot of borrowed furnishings and donated items, etc. For things like Target runs where we fill our carts with accessories, those come from the decorating budget, so the builder pays for them (we actually charge them to our business credit card and then invoice the builder and he pays us back :)

      xo
      s

  2. Natalie says

    You’ve been so quite lately I thought the bay may have come early with the stress. This must be so rewarding and fun do the finishing touches.

    Reply

  3. Krista Lord says

    It’s all so awesome. Y’all are rock stars!! I love the art on the chalkboard. It would be great if the artist could make that available on print to buy. I would love it for my kitchen. Just a thought. Maybe you could pass that along to her. Thanks.

    Reply

  4. monica green says

    collecting items for the house since January, it indeed is a big project.and every details of your house is so inconceivable? so many things I want from there to add to my home , oh, my god!

    Reply

  5. Whitney says

    I’ve loved seeing the work that goes into your showhouse design! And, donating your fee to Habitat is pretty amazing. What good neighbors you are to spend so much of your precious time and energy to help others!

    Reply

  6. Gnome Lover says

    Wow! It looks great! I think my favorite part (besides that amazing kitchen) is definitely the fun wall paper in the laundry room. I love that! And good choice on the shelf!

    Jenni

    Reply

    • Morgan says

      Hello! I was wondering where that blue poof came from? I would really appreciate if you could tell me where :) I am redoing my room and know that it will make the room!

  8. Maria Bisceglia says

    Oh wow. A year ago, I started my own corporate housing business. I rent apartments, furnish them (including ALL housewares, linens and decor) and sublease them as corporate housing. I usually have about 2 weeks to complete them, and the last 2 days are ALWAYS complete craziness! The endless trips to Target, Goodwill, Homegoods, IKEA…but I love every minute of it! The whole reason I started the business, was because I saw this cool urban loft apartment that I just HAD to decorate….that was a year ago, and I just finished my 8th apartment on Friday! BEAUTIFUL job on the house, guys…all of this incredibly hard work is CERTAINLY shining through!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Maria, you’re so sweet! We have so much respect for what you do! It’s amazing how many details there are! My lists look like mazes. Haha!

      xo
      s

  9. Amanda B. says

    Oooh, love that chest in the foyer, that rug, that table runner, that stool, that low game table… SOOO looking forward to reading all the delicious details! You guys rocked it!

    Reply

  10. Casey says

    I am in love with all the “risks” in this place. So fun. This project has made me totally geek out thinking of what I would do with it. :)

    Also—was totally admiring one of the plated doorknobs at Target last night and did not even realize it was your display. I kept moving, then 10 minutes later walked out of an aisle directly across from it and noticed that turquoise octopus. Stopped me in my tracks! The aqua picture hanger came home with me with no place to go in my house (yet), just because I loved it and like to support you guys (it is mutually beneficial, so you can keep giving me something to read every day). Haha. Congrats again. :)

    Reply

  11. gayle olson says

    I know you won’t have time to read this for weeks but yesterday I bought the Apr. May Gun and Garden magazine. I am paging through it and removed the tear outs and loose ads when I see Clara! I said “I know that little girl” and then I saw the whole Va. ad and little booklet. You guys look amazing and fun! I hadn’t read you were doing this campaign. Good surprise for me.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t that amazing?! We couldn’t believe it when VA Tourism asked us to be in their real people campaign. Clara had so much fun at that beach!

      xo
      s

  13. Mariecel says

    I’m loving how this is all coming together! I got my tickets for my husband and I! We live in Gloucester, about 1 hour and some change from Richmond, so I am very excited to have the ability to see this in person! We’ll probably be there May 11th. Would you be at the house as well? Or are designers not present? Just curious. Thanks for all your hard work. I can’t wait to see it all “in the flesh.”

    Mariecel – The DC twilight girl

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’d love to be there, but I’ll most likely be laid up from my c-section for a while. Might get to slip through the last weekend of the show! Here’s hoping :)

      xo
      s

  14. Sarah says

    I work for a residential designer and every time we go to accessorize a space we pack two cars worth of stuff and say, “this is WAY too much”. And we almost always feel like we could’ve brought more when it’s all said and done. It’s amazing how much stuff it takes to make a house feel like a home!

    Reply

  17. Elissa says

    Wow Sherri! I don’t know how you do it!! Super MOM!! Though it seems like you have an amazing husband to help you.

    I know you are super busy and may not have time to answer this. But what type of school schedule do you have Clara in and when did you start? I remember you taking her to some sort of music school when she was really little. I have a 6 month old boy and want to make sure I start him in interactive things since he is at home like Clara was. So I thought you would be a great person to ask.

    Thanks!
    Elissa

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      She has a once a week music class that she has loved since she was one and she does preschool three mornings a week (she did two mornings a week when she was two).

      xo
      s

  18. Beth says

    Great work as always guys, congrats! Can someone please please tell me where to purchase the gray chest of drawers that is under the white driftwood mirror?

    Reply

  19. Haley says

    This looks great!
    Are you able to house crash some of the other houses so us out of towners can see the action after the tours are over?

    Reply

  20. Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork says

    I still cannot believe and am beyond impressed that you have designed this place floor to ceiling! I cannot imagine the amount of work that takes, on top of having the blog and being nearly full term! It looks absolutely gorgeous and I love the creativity with which you’ve decorated it!
    Also, I would love that coffee chalkboard in my house (in addition to 95% of the things in the house!).

    Reply

  21. Lillian says

    The show home looks amazing! I wish I lived in Richmond so I could see if in person! I also wish Birmingham, AL had something like this!!

    I have a weird question- With all of the time y’all spent on this house and thinking about the fictional family you were creating it for, did you ever name the family/family members or create any little specifics about them in your mind? Hobbies, etc.? I feel like I probably would have after so much time focusing on this! :)

    Reply

  22. Denise Haggard says

    I LOVE the wine/coffee chalkboard. My husband and I travelled to Alaska a few years ago and we had lunch one day at the neatest little art gallery/deli called Middle Way Cafe and they had the most beautiful chalkboard menu on the wall. It was huge and I took a picture of it for my journal!

    Reply

  23. Annie Thompson says

    The house looks AMAZING! Wow, you guys seriously do anything! I love the pic of Clara riding the shopping cart with all of the Target hauls. I picked up the same bench and my cart looked somewhat similar http://instagram.com/p/mN4h7cGuqg/

    (but yours still put me to shame!) I can’t believe you guys snagged the neutral woven benches for $33 a piece! I picked up ours on clearance for $55 and I thought that was the rock bottom price! You guys find the best steals always! Thanks for sharing! I read your blog religiously everyday at 9AM CST!

    Reply

  25. Kim S says

    The house looks AMAZING, and the sneak peeks of the other houses make me wish I lived closer so I could come check out all your handiwork!

    Reply

  26. bfish says

    Kudos to you for all of the work you put in — it’s pretty daunting but you pushed yourselves, and it shows (in a good way). My favorite things in this post are the patterned bed linens and the Burger portrait. The latter will undoubtedly be the star of Homearama! Yeah, I can be facetious but not right here-right now — your precious doggie’s picture is the best and just makes the living space.

    Reply

  27. Cheyenne Kira says

    Oh my word! We must have design ESP! I literally JUST finished my kitchen in the same colors… grey cabinets, clear glass tile, and teal accents! the only difference is we did a deep grey grout to really make the tile pop! The other funny coincidence? My home office I’m currently working on! It’s a rose, grey and light blue color scheme too! Too funny! Keep up the amazing work and get out of my head haha!

    Reply

  28. Jo says

    Everything looks so fantastic! I’m working on updating some rooms in my house. I think I’ll just do what you do and I’ll be happy! When you list the sources for everything, please include names of paint again. I’ve been hunting for the name of the paint in the master bedroom. Pretty sure you’ve said what it is, but I can’t find it… :)

    Reply

  29. Rhiannon says

    As a Target employee, I know exactly what look those cashiers must have given you – one of terror, haha. Giant amounts of stuff always freak me out when I’m cashiering. But it’s really awesome to see a bunch of the items that I deal with on a regular basis, like that red metal stool and the yellow and white striped floor poof, being put to use in your super cute showhouse! :)

    Reply

  30. Colleen says

    Where did you get the chest of drawers with circle detail featured in foyer if the Homeara house? Can you provide details?

    Reply

  31. Morgan says

    Ok. I know you said to hold my questions but I am redoing my room and really need to know where that blue pouf cushion thing in the back of your van came from.. I think I have gotten slightly obsessed with trying to find it!! Sorry for not waiting but I love that little cushion!

    Reply

  32. Katelyn Hickman says

    So gorgeous! Thanks for all the inspiration! I know I speak for the rest of your readers when I say we can’t wait to see the rest of the house!

    Reply

  34. Monika says

    I attended the Homearama tour and The Clover was by far my favorite! I attended the show to get ideas for building my new home and loved this house so much that I am planning to build this exact model! I would love to hear your thoughts on what you would do differently if you built the home from scratch again, and what online tools you used to determine your flooring choice, counters etc. This is my first custom-built home and I feel overwhelmed by the choices out there! I am a local Richmonder so any local sources you can recommend for kitchen/bathroom design and materials is welcome! As always, you did a fabulous design on this house!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re so sweet Monika! So excited to hear about lots of new Clovers popping up! Would love to see photos of yours when you’re done! As for what we would do differently, I think other than not being super pregnant right when this whole thing was due (ha!) we are really happy with how it turned out! It sounds like you’re working with John Waters, and he is amazing (and his team can help a lot with selections for materials, etc – and provide sources for things we chose if you want to go that route). We didn’t use much online software while planning other than mood boards and stuff like that (we liked looking at other real homes or showrooms to choose things like flooring and counter materials in person). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

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