Last weekend I went to St. George with some of my staff to finish the interiors of a model home in Coral Canyon for Henry Walker Homes. The model is located at 419 North Highland Parkway in Washington, Utah and is now open 10-6 most days if you want to stop by and see it. I took some quick picks on my way out of town!

I had a fabulous weekend in California! The Venice Garden & Home Tour was absolutely beautiful. The homes and landscaping featured the unique and creative homeowners, architects and landscapers of the Venice community. The first home you see below was my personal favorite!

These tours have me excited for Utah’s upcoming home tours. I am working to finish homes that will be featured in the Northern Wasatch, Salt Lake and St. George Parade of Homes this year! I’ll have to post some sneak peaks. Until then… enjoy a few more pictures from the lovely Venice.

This years philharmonic house of design was was located high on the hills above Laguna Beach with a half mile long driveway up to the home. It was a very opulent home with its 20 car garage and helicopter landing pad!
The art work and wall finishes in the great room had beautiful ocean colors that brought the outdoors in. From every seat you could see the spectacular views which gave the feeling of being surrounded by the ocean.

I loved the placement of the master bed floating in the middle of the room. With the amazing views of the ocean it gave the feeling that you were part of the view rather than just in front of it. I also appreciated that the master bathroom felt more like a dressing room than a bathroom!

The casita was very whimsical and fun with the feel of a relaxing guest cottage! The room seemed to be the focal point as opposed to the views in the main house.

Tonight I head to California to see this years Philharmonic House of Design. I can’t wait to see inside! Numerous designers from Orange County and LA will design different areas of this 11,000 sq. ft. estate. It is a unique chance to see so many different styles within one house!

I will also be attending the Venice Garden & Home Tour.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to host Weber States Annual Charitable Chair event. WSU students brought to auction one-of-a-kind, new and historical chairs they had designed or refurbished. During the auction I interviewed each student. It gave them a chance to showcase their chair and hard work. Their quality of refinish and upholstery work was quite impressive. It was an exciting and successful night with nearly $10,000 raised!  Thank you to my friends who came to support!

The next few photos show some beautiful layers, borders, and rows!

Last week I was in beautiful Huntington Beach, California! I visited a few model homes in a complex that features the most current design ideas. Here are a few samples of what I saw:

A unique idea to combine the breakfast table with the island.

Notice the soffit detail above the cabinets. It projects 1.5" beyond the face of the cabinet doors.

Anchoring the range as a focal point with glass doors is one idea for cabinets when they have a dominate color.

Note the Aquatic theme in both the pictures and pillows. This helps in a small space by not cluttering with too many prints.

Punches of color continue to be a popular theme. Here you can see the high contrast and accent punch of tangerine.

Notice how the mat around the pictures coordinates/matches the bedspread.

Here the art work is framed to coordinate with the size of the furniture to create a focal point in the room.

The pictures in this room are also scaled well to the size of the furniture.

image courtesy of: nachista.blogspot.com

Herm’s Inn is officially open to the public! My first post was just over a year ago and I hope you have enjoyed following it from the ground up.  I would of course recommend you visit in person… but for those of you not close enough, you can see interior pictures here.

I have been to Herm’s Inn countless times over the past year to work on architecture and interior details and check on its progress. It is so fun to see it now, filled with customers and food!

I was impressed with the the very fresh flavorful food. The service was great and I am already looking forward to my next meal there! I am happy it is close enough to frequent. My compliment to the chef…..I had the BLT and would recommend it! Mike Gouch recommends the club!

Herm’s Inn is located at 1435 East Canyon Road in Logan, UT and is open 7am-2pm daily.

The Parade of Homes in St. George is always a favorite of mine because the landscape alone is so amazing! The best home design is one that integrates its architecture and landscape into the natural environment. Of course  I also enjoy seeing the detail work and craftsmanship that is infused into each home.

We need to watch for beauty in nature. ....this is true design.

This parade home complements the natural beauty around it rather than distracting from it.

I loved this creative landscape design.

The use of pocketing doors creates indoor-outdoor living.

The architecture in this bathroom frames the landscape so well.

I was impressed with the tile work in both of these showers. The tile on the left was proportioned so well for the size of the shower and the waterfall detail on the right makes a unique impact.