Hopefully you were able to join us for our Grand Reveal of the 2012 South Shore Living Idea Home last weekend – we certainly had a fun time! With well over 400 people touring the home, a live broadcast from WPLM-FM and dozens of representatives from our partner companies on hand to offer their expertise, the Grand Reveal was a smashing success! See the photos below taken during the Grand Reveal and to view a variety of photos from the Idea Home, click here.

One of the most frequently asked questions was “What is that paint color?” For those of you who are interested in painting a room or a whole house, I’m listing the colors below. Thanks to our decorators for their great paint color selections and the hard work of T.A.S. Painting who painted both the interior and exterior of the Idea Home. All paints are Benjamin Moore as follows:

Interior Trim
Regal Classic Semi-Gloss Finish Super White N333-02
First Floor
Living Room, Kitchen, Foyer, Hallways – Monroe Bisque HC-26
Dining Room above chair rail – Ext Rm Country Red
Dining Room below chair rail – Quincy Tan HC-25
Den/Office – Alfresco #1672
Half Bathroom – Monroe Bisque HC-26
Second Floor
Master Bedroom – Fieldstone #1558
Master Bathroom – Paris Rain #1501
Hallways – Monroe Bisque HC-26
Hallway Bathroom  – Glass Slipper #1632
Bedroom #3 (next to hallway bathroom) – Glacier Lake #867
Bedroom #2 (above garage) – Pensive AF-140
Bedroom #1 (across from Master) – Soleil AF-330

And the best news of all is now that the Grand Reveal is complete, you can actually buy the Idea Home and move right in! The Idea Home is currently on the market for $649,900 through Chute & Payzant Real Estate. There are also several brand new custom homes available in the Kingsbury Hollow neighborhood starting at $469,000 as well as beautiful lots for your own dream home.

Just a reminder that this weekend is the Grand Reveal of the 2012 South Shore Living Idea Home! Join us for a free tour Saturday October 13th or Sunday October 14th from 10am to 2pm. And click here to connect to our latest blog post which includes decorating details, a great aerial photo and a view of the cranberry harvest from the Idea Home.

The time has finally arrived to showcase the 2012 South Shore Living Idea Home to each and every one of you and we couldn’t be more excited! You’re all invited for a free tour this weekend, October 13^th & 14^th from 10am – 2pm. Click here for details and directions. And here are some sneak peek photos and designer’s details to whet your decorating appetite. See you this weekend!

What better way to capture the natural surroundings of the Kingsbury Hollow conservation community than from a birds-eye view? So, up in a helicopter we sent our intrepid photographer to show you just how beautiful the Idea Home setting is. Look just to the left of the green park in the center to see the Idea Home tucked among the pine trees with scenic views for miles.

And what better time to visit Carver than October – cranberry harvest month! Our friends at A.D. Makepeace recently celebrated their 9^th Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration and have been busy harvesting bogs all over town. See the photo below for a view of the cranberry harvest from the Idea Home backyard.

The neighborhood and natural setting are gorgeous – agreed. But how about the inside of the Idea Home? Just as gorgeous thanks to the hard work of several talented South Shore design companies! Here are a few details about each:

Ethan Allen – First Floor
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. is a leading interior design company and manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings, celebrating their 80^th Anniversary this year. The company offers free interior design service to its clients and sells a full range of furniture products,window treatments, flooring and decorative accessories online and through a network of approximately 300 Design Centers in the United States and abroad. Stephanie, Alli, Cheryl and Angela worked together to select furnishings which would flow effortlessly with the natural setting of the Idea Home. The style is laid back yet sophisticated without being fussy including easygoing neutral fabrics and finishes which allow the eye to rest. . And the colors flow from room to room with a repetition of red, playing off the surrounding cranberry bogs.  They also emphasized styling, “A room that hasn’t been styled just isn’t finished – even if the architecture and furniture are downright brilliant. It’s like getting dressed up and forgetting the jewelry and shoes.”

The Welch Company and Circle Furniture – Guest Bedroom and Bath

The Welch Company – Design Services:  Caroline Warner, Owner/Designer has owned and operated The Welch Company for 20 years. Caroline is known for mixing patterns, materials and styles. She considers color, light and texture when designing a space. She listens to her clients wishes to create a stunning living space with special attention to detail. In decorating the guest bedroom and bath of the Idea Home, Caroline drew upon her signature coastal themes to create a peaceful, relaxing suite-style room where any guest would be tempted to stay forever.

Circle Furniture:  Circle Furniture has been in business for nearly 60 years and has crafted a reputation that includes an eclectic, contemporary selection, fast delivery times for made-to-order items, corporate philanthropy, support of the regional economy, and most of all, fun. Circle Furniture offers unique, quality furniture for contemporary and traditional homes. Upholstered styles, such as sofas and loveseats, are all made-to-order. Customers are offered a wide selection, choosing from hundreds of furniture styles and thousands of fabric coverings. Working closely with Caroline, Cheryl selected comfortable yet stylish furnishings to complement the style of the Idea Home guest room.

Setting the Space – Master Bedroom and Bath
Setting the Space Interiors is a full scale interior design center with everything one needs to create a unique and stunning look for the entire home. STS Interiors will allow clients the ability to browse full catalogs from numerous manufacturers for everything including furniture, lamps, accessories, rugs, artwork and even window treatments. It will also offer customers the chance to work with one of their talented designers to completely customize the look of any or every room in their home. They also offer fabric samples from many of their manufactures allowing clients the chance to completely customize the furniture they choose to best fit their style. STS is also New England’s premiere staging company with warehouses full of furnishings and complimentary consultations for anyone interested in staging their home for a quicker sale at a higher price. Blair and Will created a “coastal chic” look in the Idea Home’s master bedroom and bathroom with a “coastal chic” look. The restful atmosphere is highlighted by soft gray, blue and green tones with shell prints and hydrangeas.

South Coast Hearth & Patio – Deck Furniture
South Coast Hearth & Patio is the region’s first choice for outdoor living with a wide array of deck and patio furniture. While their product selection is both deep and inclusive, the real difference at South Coast is the people. The staff has one goal in mind: to make your life more comfortable and enjoyable. They assist customers in selecting the perfect grill or the ideal outdoor dining set. Along with their product know-how comes their knowledge of the area. “We understand the climate and weather patterns experienced on the South Coast, so can confidently recommend the right products that will stand up to the elements.” Eddy, Janis and their team have created a comfortable setting on the backyard deck of the Idea Home – the perfect place to relax and take in the view.

A place for everything and everything in it’s place. Words to live by, but only if you have proper storage will it become a reality. Ample, easily accessible and spacious storage solutions were key components when planning the Idea Home with the storage and organizational specialists from Expert Closets.

Expert Closets Senior Designer Nancy Langway custom designed all the closet systems throughout the house and garage. Owner Roger Derosier and Installer Michael Sullivan brought their expertise and craftsmanship and completed the job. All helped create unique and eye appealing storage solutions, keeping in mind what a busy family would likely be thrilled to have in their home.

Some of the unique areas Expert Closets created were:
Mudroom:  A savvy organizational unit that can hold  everything from kids sporting equipment, jackets and outerwear, shoes, boots. Winter and summer items and the family dog’s leash. All items are stored in chrome pull-out baskets, drawers or behind doors and on shelving. Crown molding was the finishing touch and enhanced this eclectic storage solution and dressed up the back hallway.
Kitchen Pantry: Multiple shelves in various sizes for all the kitchen items. This pantry has added features such as: tray dividers, pull-out chrome wine racks, baskets and drawers for linens and spices. And plenty of top shelf space for bigger kitchen gadgets you use but don’t always want to see like lobster pots and mixers.
Master Walk In Closet: Installed in Chocolate Pear this Master closet suite is sure to suit a busy lifestyle. A double dresser with wooden drawers, Samsung Staron Solid Surface eco-friendly counter top and glass mullion doors with frosted glass inserts make this a very sophisticated and modern closet with affordability. Every home should have ample hanging and shelving space to organize your wardrobe.
Garage Workbench and Omni Track Wall Storage:  The workbench area was installed with jazz and fun. All Cabinet doors are ”Carbon Fibers Silver” and a “Brushed Aluminum” shelving match and a “Stop Red” Laminate counter top. Haffele Omni Tracking lines the walls to hang everything from garden sporting  equipment and tools. Always a place to hang your beach chairs, bicycles, ladders, leaf blowers when you customize your storage needs with a variety of heavy duty hooks and storage bins. And strength is  an important issue when it comes to hanging tools and equipment for storage. This track system is strong, stable and versatile.

Exciting news! The October issue of South Shore Living Magazine is on newsstands now and features a 17-page special section with a fantastic article and great photos of the Idea Home. Included in today’s blog post photos (below) is a photo of the team from South Shore Living during the Idea Home photo shoot – photographer Chris Bernstein, Creative Director Alison Caron and Managing Editor Maria Ferri.  And don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Grand Reveal of the Idea Home October 13 & 14 from 10am – 2pm.

Kitchen appliances – whoa! So many choices but thankfully at the Idea Home we had the help of Donna Toma and her team from George Washington Toma TV and Appliance to sort through the selection and determine what would be best for the Idea Home kitchen. George Washington Toma has been a family owned and operated business since its founding in 1953 and has grown to be the largest independent TV and appliance store in the South Shore. Their expertise, friendly team and commitment to the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction won us over from the start!

GE Profile Induction Cook Top:  The induction cook top is the latest in Kitchen technology with its instant heat (it can boil water in 60 seconds) and super high temperature 3700 watt, pan sensing element. Yet it remains cool to the touch! Safety is clearly a high priority with this cooktop.

GE Telescoping Down Draft Vent:  This downdraft system allows for great flexibility in designing a kitchen and is a pretty neat feature to showoff to friends.  The vent rises up when turned on and remove smoke, grease, odors and moisture from your kitchen.  And then with the touch of a button, it disappears into the counter out of sight.

GE Profile Advantium Wall Oven:  The Advantium is four ovens in one and ideal for today’s busy chefs. It can Speedcook, be a true European convection oven, a warming oven and a microwave all in one beautiful package.

GE Profile 30” Single Convection Wall Oven:  What chef’s kitchen would be complete without two ovens to accommodate the many friends and family that will inevitably gather? This 30” Profile is the workhorse of any kitchen. It’s smooth glass controls and black gloss exterior make a real fashion statement while its powerful convection motor makes sure everything you cook comes out evenly baked and perfectly timed every time.

GE Profile Counter-Depth French-Door Refrigerator:  This lovely stainless steel Energy Star model from GE has beveled doors and a designer look which is classic on the outside but it’s what inside that is the real “wow”: the water filtration icemaker, Climate Keeper systems and the Brightspace clear interior lighting.

GE Profile Built-in Compactor:  Save space and energy by compacting the daily trash with the powerful 15’ compactor from GE. Its 1.4 cu.ft. capacity and hidden controls will easily do the job.

The outside of the Idea Home is looking fantastic (perfect for the beautiful weather we’ve been having!) thanks to decking from AZEK and landscape design by A.J. Tomasi. Today we’re focusing on the AZEK decking and in the next blog post we’ll have some landscaping tips from A.J. Tomasi.

AZEK Deck, provided by Shepley and Boston Cedar & Millwork, requires very little maintenance since the cellular PVC formulation doesn’t contain wood fibers which promote mold and mildew growth. AZEK Deck is available in 14 colors and three distinctly different collections that suit any taste and match any home exterior.

This AZEK Deck in Slate Gray is complimented with AZEK Trademark Rail on the balcony from the Master Bedroom.  AZEK Rail offers exceptional design and wood-like qualities that need so little maintenance. AZEK Vinyl Railing never requires painting and will not rot, peel or blister and is moisture and insect resistant. All AZEK rail systems are environmentally sustainable and are made from PVC and wood flour, containing no toxic materials. AZEK Rail is available at Shepley in three profiles: Reserve, Trademark and Premier. AZEK Reserve Railing features a 5 ½” wide flat top, contoured handrail and an elegant “over the post” design in lengths of up to 16 feet. AZEK Reserve is only available in White. AZEK Trademark Railing is a Colonial style railing which features a 3 ½” wide rounded top handrail. It is only available in White. AZEK’s Premier features a 3 ½” wide flat top handrail and is available in white and five designer colors: Black, Kona™, Brownstone, Clay and Slate Gray.

AZEK Rail is easy to install and requires no special tools for installation. Each kit comes complete with pre-drilled parts and stainless steel hardware for fast, convenient installation. All AZEK White Railing systems are backed by a 20-Year Limited Warranty. AZEK Premier Railing, in complementary fashion colors, are backed by a 10-Year Limited Warranty. Gate kits as well as rail lighting are also available.

With teams working on everything from the backsplash to the backyard, the Idea Home continues to take shape. Scott Stewart’s tiling work has moved into the kitchen this week. Using materials from Mid-Cape Home Centers, this specially designed backsplash will definitely be an eye-catching feature. And the closet planning has also begun with Nancy Langway from Expert Closets on the scene to measure the closets and mudroom storage area for customized solutions. The planning process includes personalizing each area with shelves, drawers, racks and more followed by selection of materials to be used, and even 3-D designs. The landscaping is also underway with the energetic team from A.J. Tomasi leading the charge. Almost instantly the transformation started with the arrival of plantings and preparation of the backyard patio and the front walkway. More details in future blog posts about the tile design, closet and storage systems and landscape plan!
     

Mark your calendars and save the date – the Idea Home “Reveal” will be October 13 and 14, 2012 from 10am – 2pm each day. Free and open to the public, this is your chance to tour the South Shore Living Idea Home to see new trends, products and innovations. Representatives from different industries will be available to answer any questions and there will be rooms decorated by several South Shore designers. It will be a “home show within a home”!

This week at the Idea Home, painting, tile and countertops were the main focus. Painters from family owned and operated T.A.S. Painting have finished the exterior and interior trim and are now starting on wall colors chosen by our designers. And Scott Stewart continues his tiling expertise, finishing the master bath with a fabulous shower, including a unique pebble-style tile flooring.

Countertops were installed with Ice Stone counters in the kitchen and HanStone Quartz counters in the bathrooms. Renowned for its incredible depth and clarity, HanStone Quartz is manufactured in Ontario, Canada. Using some of the highest quality quartz, HanStone Quartz also resists heat and staining, which means that everyday cooking and spills will not affect the countertop surface. HanStone Quartz cleans up easily with mild soap and water on a regular basis and features a limited lifetime warranty.

More details and interior photos to come next week!
     

Another beautiful summer week and work continues on the Idea Home – from the interior carpentry to the exterior shingles, everything is looking good!

The Idea Home features New England’s most popular Eastern White Shingles.Working closely with the team at Shepley Wood Products, we have chosen Maibec Kennebunk Lighthouse Gray pre-stained shingles which have a 2-coat solid stain finish. They come with a 50-year warranty against wood decay and a 20-year warranty (first 7 years include labor) on the two coats of solid stain. Maibec “Wides” are included with any Nantucket™ and Kennebunk™ custom color order. They are pre-sorted and pre-packaged in a clearly identified box. Wides allow you to shingle dormers and gables in less time as they require less measuring and fewer cuts. Less handling also reduces damage and waste. Maibec Woven Corners decrease installation time, while eliminating the need for touch ups, for a professional finish.

Inside the Idea Home, tile installer Scott Stewart has started with the tile in the master bathroom and Joe Finnemore and his team have the interior finish carpentry 80% completed. Kevin and Dave continue their work on the kitchen cabinetry from Mid Continent. And the painters from family owned and operated T.A.S. Painting have arrived to begin painting the exterior trim.

Coming soon – the driveway, kitchen countertop, appliances and interior design!