This year’s Homerama is in a long-desired location: Norton Commons.
Homerama’s annual tour began Saturday, Sept. 10 and will run through Sept. 25 in The Hamlet, a new subdivision off River Beauty Loop in the growing East End neighborhood.
Katie Haller, director of events and member engagement at the Building Industry Association of Greater Louisville, said the show is anticipated to bring in about 15,000 to 20,000 people this year. The luxury homes all total about 5,000 square feet, something made possible by the bigger plot sizes in Norton Commons.
“This is our first in Oldham County, and people have been waiting for Oldham [County],” Haller said.
There are 10 houses on display for this year’s show. I got to take a peek inside each, where some of the interior designers and homebuilders told me the latest trends they incorporated into the homes.
You can check out photos of six of the homes in the gallery below from LBF Photographer Christopher Fryer.
Here are three big trends to check out at Homerama this year:
Certain trends go out of style, only to make a reemergence with new generations, and that appears to be the case with patterned wallpaper.
Bailey Pitts, interior designer at Louisville-based Bailey at Home, said wallpaper is back in full force. She incorporated several statement prints on the walls in the home she designed at Homerama. She was involved in Home No. 5 from homebuilder Hardy Builders LLC.
“The design was a modern take on tradition,” Pitts said.
Pitts has used wallpaper in several of the homes she’s designed as of late. She said people are wanting more colorful homes, and wallpaper is an easy way to achieve that.
Palmer Cole, builder and owner of Bentley Homes, said the home his company built, which was Home No. 1, also tried to incorporate tradition throughout. They did this with vintage finishings, as well as staying away from grays and moving toward colored wallpaper.
Formal dining spaces are on the outs at this year’s Homerama.
Stephanie Pond, project manager for MasterCraft Homes LLC, said in Home No. 7, they’ve steered clear of formal dining spaces and instead created more community gathering spaces throughout, especially in the kitchen.
“The kitchen is the heart of the home,” Pond said.
Because of this, the group created a kitchen the basement as well. It’s finished with Kentucky-themed décor, such as bourbon barrels from a Taste of Kentucky and a map of Louisville.
Jennifer Burgin, interior designer for Home No. 4, said since kitchens are becoming more common spaces, that’s called for certain functional enhancements that keep the area looking clean and uncluttered.
One example of this was a hidden pantry. It looks like any other cabinet, but opens up to a walk-in food storage area.
Other hidden items, like building microwaves or pantries into the wall, are popular as well.
It’s no surprise that after 2020, a year when many of us had to remain in our houses, people are being more thoughtful about their outdoor spaces.
Grant Cooksey, project manager for Ramage Company, builder of Home No. 6, said outdoor living spaces have been in high demand. This specifically takes shape in the form of covered patios that act as an extension of the home.
And with homeowners wanting to spend more time outside, Cooksey has seen people pay more attention to their mudrooms. He said people seem to be spending more to ensure a nicer mudroom than he’s seen in the past.
Cole mirrored that sentiment. He said the mudroom on Home No. 1 has both lockers and benches to create a functional transition space to move outside to inside and vice-versa.
He also agreed bigger outdoor spaces are on the rise. He’s seen both covered patios in the back of houses and covered porches in the front. In the outdoor space at Home No. 1, Cole said there are infratech heaters installed, allowing the homeowner to use that space, even in the winter months.
Several of the houses in Homerama had grills and fireplaces built into the outdoor spaces. Home No. 9 incorporated a pet washing station into its mudroom, minimizing the chance for dirt to make its way into the home.
You can find more information about purchasing tickets, the homebuilders and more at Homerama’s website.
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