The Parade of Homes is one of the biggest events in my little community in St. George, Utah. The Parade lets spectators walk though roughly twenty-five homes of all shapes and sizes to give inspiration for your own home! I have loved attending in years past, but have taken the last couple years off. I now have three very bouncy kids and visiting immaculate homes with highly fragile furnishings is not a good mix with these kids. But, every February I get a craving to go! It’s the middle of Tax Season, which means my accountant husband is working super-long hours and I rarely get out of the “mom-scene”. So, The 2017 Parade of Homes is one of the little treats I am giving myself this year to make the season a little more fun for me.
Here is the most popular family home from last year’s parade: (Home Design Mommas: prepare to squeal with delight!)
So far I have made it out to ten of the twenty-eight homes and can’t wait to make it to a couple more tomorrow. I have patiently waited for the sun to peek out and ironically in the city of consistent sun, there has been ZERO sun since the parade started!
Here are some of my favorite spots so far:
This concrete is stamped and stained to look like wood and I thought it was so cute!
This little room is a great place for shoes etc as guests come in to the home.
2-story play-house under the stairs- with a slide!
For some reason, this dining area gave me the chills!
All the above photos are from the same home, by Interstate Homes.
Moving right along to some of the homes in Stone Cliff… Usually I find something in Stone Cliff I love, but not really this year! That light though… it changes colors… pretty cool! 😉 One thing I thought was smart, but I could not get a decent picture of, is that 2 of their closets had a lower, 8 ft ceiling and a ladder in the room to get up to a play spot above!
Oh how I loved this home styled by Susan Christensen at Heritage Home and Garden and built by Anderson Custom Homes. The next 10 photos or so are from their “Modern Nest”:
This is in the pantry: heart eyes, right? Plug in your mixer right there… perfect!
Check out the geodes on the cabinet knobs!
This Ivory Home in Little Valley stole my heart a little. It was SO feminine and fun.
This is the kitchenette that I would love to copy someday!
Simple rec room in Cottam Fields. This home had a simpler version of the pretty marble countertop pantry spot I mentioned above. Their pantry also had a counter and plugs to allow room for the mixer, can-opener, etc. There are dozens of smart ideas you can adopt that don’t cost a lot!
This is from a home in Green Springs. This home had an animal museum in there, No joke! Hundreds of species of preserved animals!
The thing I love most about The Parade of Homes is it’s such a pleasure to all my senses:
Beautiful music, fresh air, gorgeous scenery… I love it all. There are two more homes I’m excited to check out this year in Santa Clara. I hope to add more photo soon!
My tips for visiting the 2017 Parade of Homes are:
- Pick up the magazine/physical map at Lin’s or the Red Cliffs Mall, ’cause the app wasn’t working well today. I think too many people were on it!
- Take some time to decide which homes you care to see, and make a plan before heading out.
- Download some podcasts or audio books to listen to as you drive. Unless you have someone to go with: In that case, enjoy chatting!
- Bring:
- Easy to remove shoes: I loved being able to slip mine off as opposed to sitting down to put on the awkward booties each time
- Comfortable clothes you can get up and down in
- Phone charger for the car
- Water and sunglasses to leave in the car if it’s a typical sunny day!
- Your ticket and map
- Lastly, remember these homes are for SHOW. No need to be sad when you come back to your own home that’s actually being lived in. It probably wasn’t designed to please thousands of spectators!
Conclusion:
Though I haven’t been to all twenty-eight spectacular homes, this years’ (2017) parade has less humungously extravagant homes that fit my taste this year than in the last few years. However, it has been so fun for me to get a sitter, go see a few homes, and grab some groceries real quick while I’m out! I did take my six-year-old with me to one home and she grinned from ear to ear the whole time. She felt special as the attendant asked her for our tickets; she had to put on special booties; we got to check out a cool shiny gem fire-pit; and the exhibitors in the garage had candy for her! If you feel good about bringing your kids, then go for it! They need their own ticket if they are over the age of three. Keep in mind, you can visit two homes twice (all others, just once). I am so glad I could attend the 2017 Parade of Homes. Worth $15 for me!
-Jennica
Love this post! It’s so helpful! Thank you so much!
We are so glad that you liked it! Thanks for your input!
Love the pictures you took and the insight you gave. Living in Minnesota (we are having our very own Parade of Homes going on right now) it is fun to see what is being built in different parts of the country. Thanks so much for sharing. Would you be interested in provided insight into what you saw for light fixtures during your tour? I would love to quote you/insert a few of your pics on our corporate blog!
Sure Wendy. Please just link back to this post, and YES feel free to use up to 3 images per post! (I have another ost on the parade here on mommy convos too you can pull from) So light fixtures… should i email you? Let me know- mommyconvos@gmail.com