Here is a door painted in the "black fox" paired with oil rubbed bronze hardware

I came across and article in House Beautiful (Feb 2010) about dressing up interior doors.  Most of the doors featured in the article are upholstered with an interesting fabric or painted with a faux finish.  One of the details that was applied to a solid painted door was a pattern created with nailheads~i just think that sounds great!  If you get your hands on the magazine, be sure to check out this article.  www.housebeautiful.com

This is the study from our parade house and these glass doors and all of the trim are painted with Sherwin Williams "Sealskin SW7675". This color is just a little darker than the "black fox" but I wanted to show a different style door that was painted dark. And again its paired with the oil rubbed bronze door hardware.

Only borrow money to pay for things that increase in value.

It’s a short list: your business, your house and your education, mostly. Stocks if you’re smarter than me. That’s pretty much it.

But you say wait a minute – my house isn’t going up in value – in fact most of the news reports that the majority of americans owe more on their house than what it is worth. So houses are no longer an investment they are an expense! Not true.

Here’s the truth:

Invest in a well designed house that is priced right for your market.

Make your house not a commodity. It’s simple laws of supply and demand – right now there are way more houses on the market than there is demand, therefore the price falls. A house has become a commodity. When you invest in a house make sure yours stands out by having a good location, unique lot, interesting architectural features, a floorplan designed for todays family, and tie it all together with good style. BAM! – Now you have a house that will be sought after – a house that people drive by and they say I want to buy that house when it goes for sale. Your home is no longer a commodity – It is a highly valued Gem in the rough.  Buying a cookie cutter house that is mass produced may get you the most Square Feet for your money but does it get you the best return on your investment?

Secondly, don’t over spend for your market just because you want the coolest house. A great designed house doesn’t have to be big or expensive it just takes the right designer and builder to put thought into the design to make a unique house for you.

If you make smart decisions building or buying the right home now will not only be a great lifestyle move for your family, but will also turn out to be a great investment.

For more ifnormation on the eligibility requirements for this tax credit visit

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com

There is a list of yummy restaurants and great boutiques. There are also a few furniture shops with some unique items. One that stuck out to me is Tonic Home. The style is more contemporary but very cool.

This sconce is from the Tonic Home website and I just love the simplicity of it and also the material, wood. The wood gives it a minimal but unique texture that could be used in a contemporary or old world setting.

Garden Party by Tonic Home on Polyvore.com

This is one of our latest design modifications we did for a client. This plan is a larger version of our Maison Elegante plan.

My favorite feature of this home is that around every corner there are unique architectural details that are always going to wow your guests but more importantly it is going to be home that you will always be excited to come home to. It packs a lot of features into 2900 SF and will feel much larger when inside because of the open entertaining area between the Great Room, Kitchen, Breakfast nook, and Veranda.

Key Features:

• 12 foot timber beamed ceilings in front foyer which leads to a second Groin Vault Foyer which is the transistion point between the Great Room and Master Bedroom Suite.
• First Floor Study with 12 foot ceilings, panelled walls, and built in bookcases.
• Large Open entertaining space between Great Room and Kitchen. Great Room to have timber beam ceiling with wrought Iron door leading to wine cellar.
• Large Breakfast nook off of kitchen which is functional for everyday family meals but large enough to seat 8 people.
• Covered Veranda with outdoor fireplace. The perfect place to spend fall evenings.
• Private Hallway leads to the secluded master bedroom suite. Master Bedroom is the perfect size and has a vaulted ceiling.
• Upstairs is two bedroom suites with a jack and Jill bath. Functional use of the space and perfect for the empty nester or family with teenagers.

This home starts on your lot from $341,000.

Give us your feedback on the plan. We would love to hear your comments. We will update the site with more plans shortly.

We are here to help and possibly for FREE!

We have developed several design packages to do an extreme makeover on your kitchen with pricing starting as low as $20,000. We are looking for a house to use as our model for this concept. If you think your kitchen would be a good canidate send several pictures of your kitchen to aeggeman@eggemanhomes.com  and briefly describe why we should pick your house. We will post the winner right here on our blog – so stay tuned.

As their home continues to progress through construction we will add updated pictures for you to see. We will continue to add other information about their home building experience here to as well such as their comments, plan sketches, and design ideas. Stay tuned for more updates.

And this photo is a nearly finished powder room. This is more of a bright pumpkin shade that is bold but looks stunning! Go ahead, give one of these yummy colors a try!