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John Magor photo
The stunning dining room designed by Jennifer Stoner for Bel Arbor Builders' "Belle's Chateau."
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John Magor photo
A beautiful outdoor dining area designed by Jennifer Stoner in Bel Arbor Builders' "Belle's Chateau."
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John Magor Photo
KItchen designed by Jennifer Stoner in Bel Arbor Builders' "Belle's Chateau."
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Bryan Chavez photos
The airy living room in Southern Traditions' "The Nantucket South."
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Bryan Chavez photos
A gardening room, complete with pet bathing area, in Timbercreek's "The Delaney."
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Bryan Chavez photos
Perkinson Homes' "The Tara" is modeled on a classic Pennsylvania farmhouse.
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Bryan Chavez photos
Luxurious master bathrooms are a hallmark of this year's Homearama tour. This one, in Homesmith Construction's house, features his and hers bathrooms joined by a walk-through shower.
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Bryan Chavez photos
"The Great Escape," a coastal style house by Homesmith Construction, features a dramatic sweeping staircase in the bright entry.
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Bryan Chavez photos
Homesmith Construction's "The Great Escape" features a morning bar in the master bedroom designed by Dawn Wolf Designs.
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Bryan Chavez photos
Perkinson Home's "The Tara" features a glamorous black and gold kitchen designed by Shannon Tootle.
While indoor sliding boards, hidden rooms, pet spas, putting greens and reflecting pools are not standard features in most homes, they can all be found in the nine over-the-top, million-dollar, designer-furnished homes in this year’s Homearama at Hallsley in Midlothian.
“It’s a different home from what we have seen before as a show home,” says Homearama spokeswoman Justin Calliot. “There are beautiful hardwoods, ceiling details, hidden refrigerators, high-end cabinets and appliances, honed marble, pot fillers, cast-stone fireplaces and lots of wallpaper.” The homes are all for sale (two have already sold) and range from $950,000 to $1.3 million.
The event, hosted by the Home Building Association of Richmond, opens this Saturday, June 4, and runs daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through June 19. Admission is $10 for adults and tickets are available in advance. Proceeds will benefit ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation.
The upscale focus of this year’s event attracted Joe Hill of Bel Arbor Builders, a luxury homebuilder. His house, “Belle’s Chateau,” includes an opulent outdoor area with a reflecting pool, an outdoor kitchen, a fountain/fireplace and a large covered porch. The 4,100 square-foot home was built with an empty-nest couple in mind, he says. “We decided very early that we would describe our target buyer, an active adult buyer. That’s why we have an open first floor and first-floor master … and one of the big hot buttons for this market is outdoor living.”
Jennifer Stoner of Jennifer Stoner Interiors designed the home’s interiors, using a bold, sophisticated color palette and lots of luxe touches — think hand-painted ceilings, gold accents and gorgeous lighting. “With these big, million-dollar houses, it gave us the opportunity to do more interesting thing,” Stoner says. “We decided right away that we were not doing boring, model home, safe colors,” she says. “We wanted to push you to be dramatic.”
Perkinson Homes’ “The Tara,” is modeled on a traditional Pennsylvania farmhouse, complete with stone façade. It's interiors were designed by Shannon Tootle in a glam, modern style, including a dramatic black and gold kitchen. Other notable features include a secret passage to a hidden room (a gentleman’s study with heart pine paneling), an outdoor fireplace and a third-floor game room. The Tara also includes one of two bedrooms specially designed for an ASK kid, a local child being treated for cancer. After the event, the contents of the room will be donated to the child.
Homearama’s seven other houses range from Biringer Builders’ “Agecroft Hallsley,” with its exterior inspired by the grand Richmond estate of the same name, to Homesmith Construction’s “The Great Escape,” a coastal-style house with dynamite outdoor spaces.
Café Caturra will have on onsite café during Homearama’s run, and Gather and SEE Boutique will host pop-up boutiques. There will also be an onsite art gallery run by artist Glenda Shulleeta. A number of special events also will be held during the two weeks — visit richmondhomearama.com for details.
