Prize Home Mania!

Well it's been awhile since my last post. Now that the holiday season is officially behind us it's time to get back to blogging. Today I am posting some pictures of something I spend many hours staring at and imagining myself living in: prize homes. HGTV has their 2010 Prize Home up on their site and it is unlike most other prize homes I've seen. Sucks for us Canadians that we can't enter to win that beauty, especially since it's free entry! We should start up the prize home draw here too considering some of the best design shows are actually filmed in Canada. The pictures below are of the HGTV house, the 2009 PNE home and the BC Lottery Prize Home that have been available to win in the past.

2009 PNE Prize Home:

Entrance: I really loved this entrance. Such a gorgeous home to walk into day after day. My husband thinks I have a weird obsession for stairs but after years of apartment living I dream of my very own set of stairs one day!


Living Room: It looks pretty but when I toured this house the couches were really white and which spells disaster in my house.


Dining Room: Love the two-sided fireplace from the living room into the dining room. This dining room also has a bench seat to the left.


Kitchen: I love the detailing on the top of the cabinets.


Master Bath: The window coverings were so beautiful in this bathroom, it was hard to keep the tour moving and not sneak in to draw myself a bath.


Boys Bedroom: I really loved this room. It was such a good mix of colours without being typical as a "blue boys room." I don't have kids but if I had won this house I would have kept the giraffe for sure.


Girl's Room: This was may be my favorite room in the whole house (it was hard to choose!). I talked with the interior designer that worked on this room and asked her about the gorgeous headboard you see here. She said that it's actually a fireplace surround she had upholstered and attached to the bed. Such a great idea!

BC Lottery Prize Home:

Living Room: I'm addicted to the vaulted fireplace wall.


The couch was really long and curved which I hadn't seen used in a space but I think it was well done here.

Kitchen: A very traditional kitchen, not my favorite but I certainly wouldn't turn it down. I love that stove too. I could make a mean pot of mac 'n cheese on that baby!


Master Bedroom: I'm not hugely fond of the bedding or curtains, I think it's a little drab but the bed frame is lovely. The head board is really high and being black you can add all sorts of different colour linens to spice it up a bit. I also think this room needs a grander area rug, it seems out of place but it's such a great space to work with that it was worth posting.

HGTV Dream Home 2010:

Contemporary is a really interesting style. This house blends right in with it's Arizona surroundings which I think is great.


Lots of browns in this space so the sunflowers and white dining chairs are a nice punch of light and colour, not to mention that huge wall of windows to brighten the space.


I can see myself cooking on this massive island already. Just need to fix that pesky Canadian citizen issue.


This is the strangest bathroom set up I have ever seen. The bath tub opens up to the bedroom. I prefer to be completely alone and private during a soak. This bathroom has a wonderful natural feel to it.


The candle sticks are really romantic on the counter top but seem kind of out of place to me. I like the towels stored under the vanity and the taps are sleek and sophisticated.


What a wild idea to have chandeliers hanging on either side of the bed instead of usual lamps. It would free up a lot of space and adds a touch of elegance to the room. I really like the brown and blue colour scheme with green walls in this room as well.


I've always wondered when I see these types of beds, do you sleep on the decorative pillows or would every pillow on this bed come off and plain ones stored away go on for sleeping every night? It looks great but what about the days you just want to flop down and fall asleep? What are your thoughts on the matter?