HREG Visits 2019 Parade of Homes

The Home Builders Association of Raleigh – Wake County puts on the “Triangle Parade of Homes” each year with the motto, “Come to Look, Leave Inspired!”, and that’s exactly why we look forward to this event each fall. Take a photo tour below with us as HREG Team Leader Renee Hillman shares some of her thoughts from the 2019 tour.

Since North Carolina boasts so many months of enjoyable outdoor-friendly weather, there was definitely a lot of focus placed on covered outdoor spaces (doubling down on the “outdoor living” trend) but this seemed to be predominant in homes priced at $500,000 and above – almost like it’s an expectation now at this price point.

Another trend that is a personal favorite of mine is seeing “stash stations” (which tend to look chaotic with coats, purses, bins, etc.) turned into hidden features, more like pull out drawers and cabinets, so they stay covered versus your guests seeing the typical hot mess. I’m not going to lie, this is one trend I was happy to see as it made my closet OCD happy!

Darker, Monochromatic Colors Abound

From the ceiling to the trim, to the floors, this year I noticed deep, dark tones more than in previous years where white and light/bright color palettes were king for quite some time. There was a good mix of metals used throughout, too.

Dramatic Design Choices in Higher-End Homes

At the higher price point, what stood out is that designers are exercising their creative license and making dramatic design choices which I really enjoyed seeing in person. I also noticed lots of textured wallpaper – I saw some in almost every house I went into. Wallpaper without texture featured really bold choices in prints. The geometric look still seems to be popular, using multiple colors in patterns, but in muted tones so as not to overshadow the other design choices.