Corey and I desperately needed a date after a few weeks of crazy work schedules and hacking coughs had left us with frayed nerves and crabby moods. So, what would you expect a real estate broker and an electrician to do with their day off? We decided to spend our "lazy Sunday" at the National Home Show!
Aside from being a bit of a sensory overload and making us feel just a teensy bit poor, it was homeowner's bliss! Join us as we walk you through our highlights!
Like many of my big posts, this one is going to be split in two parts. I found the show to be a tad overwhelming, but when I arrived home, I found some definite trends in the booths we photographed.
For this reason, I've organized my photos into the following headings: Kitchen & Bath, Outdoor & Exterior, Bedroom and finally, Our Faves.
Kitchen & Bathroom
Let's start with kitchen and bathroom trends. Some of these gorgeous white kitchens make me really want to add some custom touches to the Ikea kitchen we'll inevitably build after our wedding.
Granite, quartz, marble and even soapstone are all very trendy and beautiful as counter surfaces.
While I lean towards plain stone with minimal patterns, some of the more dramatic veining is very striking!
I love this rustic kitchen and that gas range makes me drool!
I love this high gloss zebra wood look! We dedicate this picture to our friends Melissa and Daniel.
There were tons of smaller scale appliances and space saving solutions for the growing number of condo owners! Also, this picture reminds me that everything looks better with under-cabinet lighting.
We really liked the drawer organizers.
Or this top drawer, which allows you to actually use the space around your sink.
Oooh... tub reglazing is EXACTLY what we need to complete our bathroom reno. This vintage clawfoot looks just like ours!
Apparently white high-gloss kitchens are still in style. As are islands in a contrasting shade to the cabinetry.
I loved the simplicity of this "his and hers" vanity.
Oooh, I wish I had taken a better picture of the crystal chandelier in this modern kitchen! Oh wait, there it is, two photos above.
This modern shower head looks very luxurious!
There were tons of shower heads that looked so modern, I don't know if I could learn how to use them. People were swarming these stations, so I expect to start seeing these pop up everywhere in homes.
So many tubs!!! Corey pointed out that they're roman tubs, which seem to be very popular right now. Unfortunately, the plumbing for these tubs tends to stand upright from the floor, so we still found it challenging to find fixtures that would work with our old clawfoot.
This tub would literally spoon you! Why does this make me feel a little uncomfortable?
Not a bad price for a range hood. This was tempting.
Outdoor & Exterior
Moving on to the outdoor and exterior booths. We loved all the faux grass. It's been around for a while, but the new stuff actually looks and feels quite real. If we ever get a second dog, we may need to consider something like this because our current grass is taking a real beating from all the running (and peeing) Barkley likes to do. I'm still on the fence about this, since I like the idea of real, living grass so I think we'll try to salvage the real stuff before making any drastic moves.
Who doesn't want a hot tub? Seriously, for people who don't even have a proper shower at the moment, we discuss hot tubs way too often! We'd like to get one at some point, but I think we need to get the rest of our house in order (literally) first!
Skylights! There's another thing we want but don't need. Screw you, National Home Show! Way to make us feel inferior for not being at the skylight phase of our home renovation yet! Damn it, I want one!
Corey always points out the brick facades. What do you think of them? I'd feel silly doing anything too extreme to the exterior of our semi because it wouldn't match our neighbour's brick.
We've been discussing our need for a new front door since we moved in. We will definitely need to order something custom made for our narrow house, and I also really want some glass to give us some light in the hallway. Confession: Our current front door is actually hung upside down! Sigh. Perhaps we'll get to this next year...
Obviously, Corey wanted to try all the gadgets and he loved this fingerprint pad for the front door. I told him we should hold out for the full retinal scan. But seriously, who is trying to break into our house? All we have in here is vintage junk and terrariums!
All the pretty exterior lights make me want a deck. Add that to the list, Corey!
There were two different companies that sold these cool solar tubes, which were kind of a cross between a skylight and a solar light. We saw before and after pictures and they actually provide a good amount of light. They also start at around $800.
We had to check out the Flux booth when our friend told us that he works for them. We can only dream of a day when we can afford a total home renovation!
Jess, THIS is what we meant by "glamping"... You could live with this, right?
That's all for today. If I make these too long, you guys will hate me and you're probably already starting to feel as tired as we felt when we left the Home Show. Check back tomorrow to see some cool bedroom ideas as well as our favourite trends and products from the show!
