Choosing a green energy efficient home doesn’t mean you have to give up style to save on energy. House number one on the 2018 Salt Lake City Parade of Homes was a Garbett Homes house, The Bellows, as well as their second model home next door, both with bright, open plans that showcase how you can have a home with a lot of windows and plenty of light and still cut energy costs. Matched with the wonderful interior design work of Akin Design Studio, a husband a wife duo who know how to style a home to show off its best features with a minimal modernist touch.
Energy savings building choices show on your energy bill, and are not always visually evident in the design of the house. Garbett Homes gave us a tour to highlight energy savings they built into their homes to make it Zero Energy Ready, a federal standard of home energy savings. Takeaways include making the envelope of the home airtight and completely sealing the duct work. They use an air filtration system that filters the air seven times a day (as the house is air tight). Plus, their homes come with tank-less water heaters and are solar ready. Shouldn’t all new homes comes this way? Watch the tour below.
We caught the Akin Design Studio duo just as they were doing a refresh of the model homes and asked them to give us a little background as to why they chose to style the model homes as they did.
Open spaces are a wonderful blank canvas where you can infuse your personality and make a house your home.
Open Plan Spaces
The Bellows model home had plenty of light and a beautiful flow. The fixtures were fun, modern, and gave the space a contemporary edge.
I want that light fixture!
A fabulous light fixture that borrows its style from an erector set,
Spacious Entry Hall
Wide open entry halls really give the whole home a spacious feeling.
And there is space for a modern farmhouse sidetable matched to a fabulous mirror that becomes the center piece of the design. And the greenery makes the space fresh and appealing.
Maximized Modern Living Rooms
Check out the textures! Smooth leather. Soft velvet. And fun fury tuffets. Simple. Modern. Perfect.
The gold of the lamp stand sneaks in the a warm elegance which is perfect balance to the pop of color the teal couch brings to the great room. Plus, the tuffets are fun and are additional seating without taking up space.
The art through the house was perfect. Contemporary. Fun. And let’s the viewer do all the interpreting.
The second Garbett model home was also an open plan but called for more design efficiency. Space was maximized. The rustic modern coffee and sidetable aren’t solid which allows for a visual flow.
Dining Room and Kitchen Design
The blue of the kitchen cabinets matched to the golden color of the pendant lamps and you have a winner.
The navy blue of the cabinetry sets off the modern cabinet fixtures.
Hello – those are fun stools. They kind of look like springs.
Bedroom Chic
The rustic nail heads are juxtaposition to the soft white leather headboard. The padded leather bench at the foot of the bed is both practical and fun.
The choice of black pillows wall art and lamps brings just the right amount of the contrast to the room.
Using a drawers instead of night stand is practical and if you have the space gives you more space for a lamp, books, and a cup of tea.
Daybed. Perfect for lounging or an extra bed in a pinch. I’d prefer it over a sleeper sofa.
I fell in love with the simple modern design choice for this nursery. Who wouldn’t want stars? It’s beautiful.
Modern Bathroom
If you’re unsure about trying wallpaper, use it in a small space like a bathroom. All the home magazines are showcasing wallpaper as there are so many options out there now including designing your own. The bold choice of going with a black and white wallpaper was one of the highlights of the Parade of Homes tour for me. It made this bathroom chic, even though the fixtures weren’t super high end, and the space look larger than it was, and was a statement all its own. I am checking out wallpaper for my bathroom now.
Modern fixture choices elevated this bathroom. The soft grey was a perfect choice for the cabinets.
We hope you were just as inspired as we were by the modern design choices by Akin Design Studio that took the Zero Energy Home to the next level. If you’re building your own home, or looking to buy one, make sure to ask if the house is Zero Energy Ready. The money you save in energy costs can be put towards that fabulous sofa, a piece of art you’ve been eyeing or keep it in the piggy bank. There is no reason for new homes not to be extra energy efficient for the planet and your pocketbook.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Elizabeth
Ellen from Ask Away Blog says
OMG that light fixture is gorgeous! This was such an inspirational tour!
Cyndy says
Isn’t it amazing?! We LOVED this home too! 🙂
Liz says
Hi elizabeth! Where is the nightstand with drawers in the bedroom from? 😍
Erin says
I would also love to know where the nightstand is from. It’s just perfect! Every photo is gorgeous!
Beth says
Sorry, but I am getting very tired of parading though the Salt Lake City Parade of Homes. I seem to recall we went through this last year too. If that is your taste, wonderful, but why so many blogs devoted to this ONE event and ONE look. It makes me wonder what benefit you are getting personally from featuring all this so much. I have enjoyed your blog for years, but it is getting more and more like a one-note tune.
Cyndy says
I’m sorry to hear that you do not enjoy the parade of homes recaps on my blog and feel that it’s too much. While I appreciate your opinion, the parade of homes recaps are my most popular posts with readers and my most shared content because people want to see what’s new and what builders/designers are doing today. My blog is primarily about identifying trends (paint, home design and decor) and seeing/sharing new home construction projects from parade homes is one of the ways I am able to accurately identify and share with my readers what’s new/trending. I spend my own money and time to travel to parade homes, photograph, talk with builders/designers to gather this information and share with my readers and I do not receive any benefit other than gathering trend knowledge to pass along to my audience. Again, I appreciate your opinion that you feel it’s too much but for many other readers, they look forward to it and greatly appreciate this info and are inspired by the info/images/recaps. It’s also my passion as well and what inspires me the most, which is ultimately the point of a personal blog. Thanks for your thoughts.
Linda says
Those stars in the baby’s room are extremely dangerous!
Cyndy says
My first thought as well! For sure they will need to go after baby starts standing!
Kamile says
Is that wallpaper textured. Its gorgeous. Love your blog. I especially enjoy the Parade of homes. Its cool to see homes from other parts of the country. They are definitely different.
Cyndy says
Thank you so much for your kind words Kamile! You made my morning! The paper is not flocked or textured but it sure looks like it! I just did a search for the paper and found it for you here: https://www.decoratorsbest.com/p-york-designer-series-miyuki-dr6336-wallpaper-444771.aspx if you’re interested. Thank you again! 🙂
Lisa says
I really like those wood (are they real wood?) floors. Can you tell me who makes them?
Cyndy says
I agree, the floors are absolutely stunning! I think they are engineered (not 100% sure) but I’m sending an email to the builder to verify and request brand info for ya! I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from the builder. 🙂
Alice says
I would love to know about those floors also! Engineered, possibly? Thanks
ps if you have any insight about engineered vs hardwood, I’d love to hear it.
Cyndy says
I will check on the floors for you with the builder. I think they are engineered but not 100%. Hoping to get the brand info as well for you. I saw a big mix of both engineered and hardwood in the UV and SLC Parades and honestly, it’s getting harder for me to spot the differences these days. The engineered product is really getting GOOD and so hard to tell that it’s not solid hardwood. Of course, the top layer of the engineered is real wood, so it makes sense that it’s hard to tell. Really, the price is the biggest difference with solid being more expensive and they can be refinished more than engineered. A good engineered floor can be refinished 2-3 times depending on the thickness of the top layer. I have engineered in my own home and am about to have them refinished for the first time after 10 years. I’ll circle back around and let you know when I hear back from the builder with floor specs. Thanks for your note!
Cathey says
Love your blog! You have given me so much inspiration! I am having my engineered wood floors refinished as well. I am looking at using Rubio Monocoat or Duraseal. Any thoughts on Rubio? I’m using BM simply white for my trim as we have a lot of natural light. Thank you!!
Cyndy says
Thank you so much for your kind words Cathey! I am not familiar with Rubio Monocoat at all but I just searched it and now I’m curious now myself. I also want to completely change the stain colors of our floors and am just now starting the research. I’m going to have it professionally done and am currently trying to find the right company to do it and guide me through the best decisions. I do know that I want a matte finish this time and it looks like Rubio is a plant-based oil one-coat, which is not a thick poly topcoat, which is exactly what I’m looking for. I’m going to research this and once we make some decisions, I will do a post. Thanks again for your note Cathey! 🙂