Home Decorating Articles

There are thousands of show homes built every year, but Champion Homes discovered a way to really set themselves apart from the crowd while doing a wonderful thing.

At the recent International Builders Show in Orlando, their Genesis division unveiled "The Tyler" - a beautiful modular home that was built at Champion's manufacturing facility in Lake City, FL. The home showcased how beautiful accessible design can be. The kitchen and master bath had the necessary clear space radius, and the wider hallways allowed for wheelchair accessibility. the home was filled with lots of innovative products - I especially loved the storage options that were shown.

The home was part of the NextGen Experience and was in the outdoor village at the show. Now that the show is over, Champion is teaming up with the non-profit organization Rebuilding Together and will be delivering the home to a lot in Tampa where it will be reassembled. The home has been donated to Mr. Waldemar Alameda and his family. Mr. Waldemar served our country in multiple tours of Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and was severely injured in an IED explosion.

The home is beautiful inside and out, and I love the exterior elevation. The trim and color accents give the home lots of character and allow it to fit into almost any neighborhood in any part of the country.

As the Lifestylist® for Champion Homes of Texas, I couldn't be more proud of Champion and their giving spirit, and I hope that this home serves as an example of what can be accomplished with factory built housing and a company that knows how to give back to the community.

It's beginning to look like the interest in The New American Home 2011 is going to continue long after IBS 2011 is over. The homeowners have been gracious enough to put up a website where they are saying thank-you to all of the wonderful companies that have made this home a success. I also just found a great video on The Deconstruction of The Original Homes that shows how everything was recycled.

These homeowners went above and beyond to make sure that this New American Home was one of the best and most successful, and I'm thrilled that they have asked this Lifestylist® to help them add their life and style into their beautiful new home! Stay tuned to see the changes that we make.

They say it's all about location, location, location, and I love that the NY Times had an article today about the place to be seen during Super Bowl XLV is Oak Cliff! The Home Idea Factory has been located in this historic district for over 10 years, and we couldn't agree more. The Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff is truly a neighborhood and we love living and working in this diverse community.

Part of the Lifestylist® movement is about buying local, and there's no better place than in Oak Cliff. Dude Sweet Chocolate is a must visit destination for anyone with a sweet tooth - their artisan chocolates are the best I've had anywhere in the world. Great live music? Check out Jack's Backyard - a little bit off the beaten path but still in Oak Cliff. They have a wonderful "backyard" with fire pits where you can enjoy great food and great local musicians in the company of friends. And a little known fact is that they have one of the best brunches in town with bottomless mimosas - the perfect way to start game day!

We will be sharing as many of our local favorites as we can here before the game. If you need a referral just for you, feel free to email our Lifestylist Advisory Services at: info@lifestylist.com

See you at the game!

After IBS 2011 was over, the owners of The New American Home were gracious enough to let their beautiful new home be open to the public as a fundraiser for Give Kids The World. I know the couple was anxious to move in but they also wanted to be able to help this very worthwhile organization.

As a Lifestylist®, much of what I incorporate into my designs comes from listening to the clients, and I was curious about what consumers would think about this beautiful home. Video camera in hand, I headed over to the home to ask visitors what they thought. It was interesting how what consumers focused on during their visit was very different from what IBS attendees remembered about the home. This was a great lesson for me - remember who the customer is and be sure that you show them what they want to see.

I spoke with the home owners and they are finally moving in today! They sound happy and excited to be moving into their new home, and I can't wait to share how they feel about their new surroundings.

We just got back from The International Builder's Show where we finally were able to debut The New American Home that we were chosen to be the Lifestylists for. It was a busy, exciting time and now I can finally get back to sharing all of the exciting trends and ideas that were shared at the show.

I've been asked what I thought was the best marketing campaign and presentation by an exhibitor, and I have to say hands down it had to be Behr Paints this year. I received an invitation in the mail before the show to come by their booth and pick up a great gift, and I would also receive a pass to be able to visit their hospitality suite and enjoy free food and beverages during the show. Considering a latte cost me $8.00, taking advantage of their hospitality kept my expenses down, and it was a great area to get a feel of what others thought about the show.

Every year Lifestylist Design has put together a list of the top design trends we see moving forward, but this year we are going to do something a little bit different.

One of our favorite editors - Jenny Sullivan with Builder Magazine has put together two great lists - 10 Design Trends for 2011 and 10 Residential Design Trends You Won't See in 2011. We love the fact that Jenny has quoted us about the fact that formal spaces are becoming a thing of the past, and we are looking forward to sharing how our new homeowners Tim and Alison re-purpose these spaces in their new home.

One thing that Jenny mentions that is particularly exciting to me is how positive she is about modular housing. As you know this is something I am especially passionate about, and it's looking like this form of housing is about to become more widely accepted.

I'll be leaving for the International Builders Show in a few days, and I'm looking forward to revealing some of the great ideas we used in The New American Home 2011as well as other ideas and products I'll be able to find and share.

Here's to a great 2011!

I can't believe I'm heading to Orlando in less than a week! Here's a video preview of what you can expect to see at this beautiful home.

See you there!