Parade of Homes 2019 Recap

The 2019 Parade of Homes ended last weekend, but I was able to visit the Parade with Meredith before jetting off to Tucson for my 30 year Up With People reunion in Tucson, AZ (because what better time of the year is there to visit Tucson than late July?). As always, it was fun to see some of the trends featured in the Parade homes. Here are some of my takeaways.

Detailed Patterns

Whether it was in the kitchen or the bathroom, on a wall or a floor, tile, wallpaper, and curtains with detailed patterns or geometric designs were quite popular. Of the 14 houses on tour, only three didn’t incorporate this design style somewhere in the house.

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Dark Colors

Dark paint colors was a consistent theme I saw as well. Bedrooms with dark gray, blue, teal, or black walls—either a feature wall or the whole room—were the most common colors I saw. I also saw a black fireplace, black doors, and lots of medium or dark gray cabinets.

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Darker Wood Floors

Oak floors will probably always be popular because of their durability, but I saw several homes with darker wood flooring used throughout. My favorite was the absolutely gorgeous untreated walnut floors in the home by Guzzo & Garner Custom Hombuilders. I’m not sure it’s terribly practical, but I loved the look.

Other Observations

No more shiplap

The shiplap trend seems to have run its course. I don’t think I saw a single room decorated with it.

Open basement window wells

Two different houses had deep window wells in the main living area of the basement in which were installed shelves for flowering plants. It really helped make the basement feel like a more comfortable living area.

Polished concrete

I didn’t take any photos that would do the floors justice, but there were some amazingly fluid paint treatments on several basement floors.

Gold hardware

I’m not a fan, but brushed gold cabinet hardware and fixtures are becoming more popular. We’ll see if this is something that has a staying power, or whether it’s a short-lived trend.

So what was my overall favorite? This year my favorite house was by Arthur Rutenberg Homes (#4 if you were voting at the Parade), a relative newcomer to Ohio. The front facade was not exactly my style, but I loved the interior. You can see photos of that house, along with all of the others, on the BIA’s flickr photo gallery. Take a virtual tour of the houses and let me know what you love (and what you don’t) in the comments below.