Usually at this time in April we are knee deep in Parade of Homes activities.  However, earlier this year Johnston County BIA announced the Parade of Homes will be moving to the fall.  Wow, that ended up being a good decision based on our current “Stay at Home” status.

I know this has been a difficult time for many.  For us personally, this whole COVID-19 pandemic became real for us with the sudden cancellation of College Baseball.  Our son, who plays for Coastal Carolina, called me from his hotel room in Louisiana on a Thursday to tell me they were just told their baseball season had been cancelled.  We had just watched them play on Tuesday and were looking forward to a great season and then  it was all over in a snap of a finger.  At the time, I remember being angry, sad, frustrated, and bewildered that they could make such an “unjustified” decision.  Within a  few days  schools closed, restaurants and businesses began to close and toilet paper completely vanished.  Our life how we knew it, and took for granted, changed dramatically and left us asking “What do we do from here??? ”

Thankfully, the Home Building/Construction industry has been “deemed necessary” thus far allowing us to keep working.  Although building didn’t stop, it has definitely changed.   Maintaining a safe environment through “social distancing” quickly became a top priority.  We had to adapt and be more strategic in scheduling our subcontractors in order to minimize the number of workers onsite at any one time.  Receiving materials and selections from suppliers from all over the world quickly became a big challenge as manufacturing plants began to close or work with minimal staffing.  Almost all Selection Showrooms have closed to client access leaving us to make due with “virtual selections”.  We now have our client and prospect meetings through Zoom meetings instead of face to face.  But overall, we have stepped up to the challenges and tried to make the best of them with a positive attitude and thankfulness that we still have a job to go to and clients to serve.

Watching the news lately has had me thinking a lot about how much I actually love my job.  I’m going to be honest, this is a hard business.  The building business carries a lot of stress with it.  But ultimately, I enjoy helping clients create the home of their dreams.  The past few months we have had the pleasure of working with three different clients with three very different personalities that translated into three very different style homes.  Each home was driven by the unique circumstances and family dynamic and needs of the client.  My job is to take those unique circumstances, individual style, and functional needs and help our clients navigate the Selection Process resulting into a beautiful finished home that they love.

Recently, we had the pleasure of working with our first Mid Century Modern style home.  This new architectural style has been a fun challenge.  I’ve enjoyed researching and looking outside my comfort zone in order to meet the needs of the client while staying true to the essence of this particular style.

Mid Century Modern- Minimalist approach, clean lines, functional, exploration of non-traditional materials, colors, and textures.

One of the prominent Design elements of this particular home is recognized quickly in the Exterior.  The clean lines coupled with a mixture of materials and colors helped blend the style of the home with its natural surroundings.  The Exterior components included large bronze casement windows in order to minimize lines and create a dramatic feel.  Instead of textured cement siding we used Smooth siding to give a crisp, clean look combined with patches of linear stacked stone.  The front door, garage door, and front porch hand rail added a hint of natural cedar while staying true to its modern flavor.

But it was the attention to the little details that made this project a lot of fun.  Details like the recessed outlet covers, door bell, house numbers, and gutters were strategic in keeping with the overall style.

Since most of the roof lines are angled back we didn’t need gutters on the entire perimeter like a traditional home.  Instead we were able to put traditional gutters on the rear to keep costs down while changing to a Box Gutter to the front porch followed with a Rain Chain instead of the traditional downspout.  Now, instead of an eyesore, we have a beautiful, artistic, feature that blends beautifully not only with the style of the home but also with the artistic personality of our client.

I just love it when all the details come together to make the perfect home that really encompasses the personality of the homeowner.

Join me next time as we take a more in-depth look at some of the Interior Details and Features that made this home truly unique.