After months of anticipation, the Foundation Home for the 2012 BIA Parade of Homes has been revealed to the world.
The house in the Meadows at Lewis Center is the work of Truberry Custom Homes, which built the Foundation Home for the fifth time this year. Truberry and the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio donate the proceeds from its sale and tickets to a preview party to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation, with a few other children’s charities benefiting as well.
Mid-century design – design elements in vogue circa the 1950s, when the Parade of Homes was founded in central Ohio – was the theme of this year’s parade, and each builder was asked to find ways to incorporate it.
The long front porch has three entrances: double doors that lead into the foyer, a single door that leads into the foyer and an entrance into the study next to the foyer. The back patio is impressive too, with a waterfall feature, a fire pit and steps down to the yard.
In the foyer is an open dining area complete with buffet, board-and-batten siding, transoms and an overall look reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs, which help emphasize the focus on mid-century design. The chandelier positioned over the table in the dining area is a brand-new design visitors are unlikely to see elsewhere, says decorator Mary Shipley-Smith of Mary Shipley Interiors.
At the back of the first floor, the kitchen connects seamlessly to the hearth room on one side and the living room on the other. All sport the first floor’s signature flooring: manufactured hardwood, designed to mimic the look of reclaimed wood.
“It’s like the floor of your favorite tavern,” says Lori Steiner of Truberry.
The kitchen itself is a sight to behold, with its high-reaching cabinets, built-in appliances, multi-level island and four seating areas – stools along both island countertop levels, an even lower countertop for seating and a reclaimed barn wood table with wooden chairs and a reclaimed wood bench. A trough sink, wine refrigerator and dishwasher are built into the island, while a gas stove, a vessel sink, cookbook shelves, a convection microwave and a refrigerator are part of the outer counter.
“The stone is practically restaurant-grade,” Steiner says.
The living room has also been termed the “wine room” by designers thanks to the built-in shelves for wine bottles. The shelves flow around a long, horizontal stone fireplace, and a library-style sliding ladder allows easy access to the top-shelf bottles.
The hearth room lives up to its name with a sizable wood-burning fireplace, and also features a 52-inch flat-screen TV and study stations for children to use for homework.
Close to the entrance from the sizable three-car garage are a powder room, a walk-in pantry and a mud room.
Four bedrooms define the second floor.
Two of them, a girl’s room and a boy’s room, are connected by a Jack and Jill bath complete with a fish tank visible from the shower. The girl’s room is painted a butter yellow, with mermaid designs painted around the ceiling fan; the boy’s room has a deep-sea theme and a rolling desk that fits over the bed.
The master bedroom is decked out with all manner of attractions – a queen-size bed, a sizable flat-screen TV, two bucket chairs at the foot of the bed for comfortable TV watching, two windows on either side of the bed and one big window facing the treed back yard.
“It’s like your own personal tree house,” Steiner says.
The master bathroom is impressive as well. The huge shower with glass walls and an open back catches the eye, but the bathroom also contains a compartmentalized toilet, a drying area with spa bench, a counter with two sinks and two mirrors separated by a cabinet in the middle, and a door to the walk-in closet – which also connects to the bedroom and is loaded with build-ins.
A guest room featuring a bed with a huge, curved wooden bedstead comes equipped with its own bathroom.
Also on the second floor is a laundry room complete with built-ins and several more examples of mid-century design, including a craft area, a brightly colored wine rack, a 1950s-era bench and mason jars.
Garth Bishop is editor of CityScene Magazine. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
