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Street of Dreams 2007
Robbie Paplin, his wife Steph, son Harrison and I took our second annual trip to Street of Dreams together this Sunday. It always amazes me that they manage to get Harrison all excited about going to see “big houses”. The houses themselves weren’t anything spectacular, but I liked a lot of the trends and finishes used, moreso than last year.
Robbie and I were talking about going back and checking how the houses from last year sold, as we both felt the homes this year looked less like a museum of mismatched styles, and would sell better overall. Tim at Seattle Bubble saved us the time and trouble with this article posted on July 23, 2007 with a wrap up of what happened to the 2006 Street of Dreams homes.
We all liked the interior finishes better this year. Lots of glass tile in various colors, shapes and sizes. Surprisingly lots of dark wood and grout, things we thought were never coming back into vogue. My absolute favorite thing was the integration of wood floors with stone or slate tiles shown in the photo at the end. With carpet going out of favor and all wood floors in large homes feeling like a bowling alley motif, I really liked how certain rooms were defined by integrating stone tile into the wood flooring.
The best part of going to Street of Dreams in a group, is getting to know people better based on their choices of likes and dislikes. Steph liked everything round. I liked everything square and angular. Harrison liked everything edible and the school bus ride. Robbie? He missed the man-caves and was dissappointed with this year’s media rooms. They were really just family rooms off the kitchen, and not the deep dark theater like media rooms of 2006 Street of Dreams.
Given my favorite things last year were the hanging flower baskets, we found many more things to like this year. But I’m wondering if the dark wood millwork is really coming back on a grand scale? Will people really put up with all of the grout cleaning associated with glass tile? And is anything all dark and dreary really a good option for people who have trouble adjusting to Seattle’s lack of sunshine?
I’m sticking with my whitecabinets and woodwork and bright colors. It may not be trendy, but it keeps me happy and full of sunshine year round. Though I will seriously consider integrating light stone or travertine into a lighter hardwood floor. Mixing hardwood with stone was clearly this year’s “best idea” at The Street of Dreams for me.
Posted: August 10th, 2007 under General Real Estate.
About the Author: Ardell DellaLoggia
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Comments
2.
Comment
from ARDELL
Time August 10, 2007 at 9:17 pm
The author formerly known as SeattleEric voted #2 as his favorite, same as we did. Bet it’s Best of Show. We liked the Best of Show house best last year too.
Brighter, lighter, more contemporary.
The wainscoting we saw looked something like this, only higher.
Real wainscoting looks like this:
Today most people call this wainscoting:
3.
Comment
from Debra
Time August 11, 2007 at 11:06 am
Hi Ardell,
Nice piece about the Street of Dreams. I went a few weeks ago and did an article about this year’s “Street”, too. I agree that these homes are more manageable in scale than in previous years. The built-green, eco-friendly bent was really interesting. Hopefully, it will get more people thinking about sustainable materials in the future.
I liked the contemporary feel of number 2, It sure felt like it belonged in Kirkland, though, not all the way out in the hinterlands.
My favorite, though, was number 5.
Take care and see you around Kirkland
4.
Comment
from ARDELL
Time August 11, 2007 at 11:30 am
Hi Debra,
I stopped by your blog last night. I don’t comment because I don’t remember my blogger codes 
Yes, I told Robbie that the style of “wainscoting” he liked was more commonly found in newer Kirkland Homes than anywhere else I have seen.
I liked 5, but I thought it would be the hardest to sell. Not many people will like that everyone can see the kitchen when they walk in the front door, with no wall separation whatsoever.
Mine has no wall separation, but it’s not visible from the front door. A full “parlor” room at the front hides the kitchen from people who are “just stopping by”. Once you get past there, the kitchen is open to all “living areas”.
Most would prefer a buffer zone of a “formal area” before people who come to the door are in the family living areas.
5.
Comment
from Debra
Time August 12, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Hi Ardell,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I probably should change to Wordpress!
It will be interesting to see which of the homes sell first in The Street of Dreams. I think your comment about the kitchen open to the entry in house number 5 is something to consider. However, I felt the overall flow and quality in the home was just great. The master bedroom and bath were well designed. The outdoor room was one of the best outdoor setups of the show. That being said, I did like the fireplace and the outdoor design of house number #2.
1. Comment from Robbie
Time August 10, 2007 at 2:13 pm
The location for this years street of dreams was the middle of nowhere Maltby (aka North Woodinville), so I think this year’s homes fails the “pizza delivery test”, where last years homes would have passed easily.
I think the back yards were designed by people who never mowed a lawn in their life. Odd shapes and mud bog like surfaces. Still being in the woods is cool, but I’d hate to be out there during the next severe winter wind / snow storm.
I really liked the high wayne scotting on the walls and wood floors because it would be harder for young children and pets to destroy the house (I have 2 cats that throw up constantly and Harrison, so I’m keen on features that aren’t prone to staining or marking).
BTW - Cute Harrison pic (aren’t they always though)?