The Making of an IDEAL Model Home

Designing a new model home is an extensive process, but seeing the finished product is such a reward. Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods’ Design Center Sales Manager, Kathy Wood, had the pleasure of taking on the beautiful new Overly model home in Native Plains.

“Thinking about a theme for any model home starts with the plan and elevation selected by our sales team. That determines what the style of home is going to be. This model is a modern mountain style—imagine a ski lodge in Colorado. The modern mountain style features lots of stained cedar accents and dark rich colors.”

Once the designer has a theme, a color scheme brings the project to life. “The home’s exterior materials offered me an opportunity to use a dark cedar stain, an off-black overall paint with accents of dark turquoise,” said Wood. “Choices for the interior colors flow from the colors and style picked for the exterior. I decided on using a combination of off-black and natural stained cabinets with wood accents and color accents of black in tile and paint throughout the other rooms of the home.”

Let’s take a walk through this vibrant home. The kitchen/great room area is the heart of the home and that’s naturally where Wood wanted to make her first choices. Keeping the mountain lodge in mind, she incorporated wood touches for a natural feel and to reach back to nature. “I wanted to incorporate some slick, high-end finishes as well,” said Wood. “The natural stain color Sage was perfect for the cabinet uppers and the black cabinet paint color Balsamic Reduction was perfect to give a tailored look to the base cabinets. I selected one of Cambria’s new quartz offerings, Colton, for the kitchen counters—the background color is warm, off-white, with veins of black and a bit of gold. It tied all the kitchen selections together. The gold in the quartz is what led me to use gold accents for all of the focal lighting and cabinet hardware.”

“The large, open space connecting the living room is warmed by one of my favorite wood floors, Wrangler Plank Riata. The deep shade helps to ground the room." The floor-to-ceiling fireplace is the focal point of the room and one of Wood’s favorite features in the home. She used the Napoleon Electric fireplace to easily provide ambiance day or night. The black tile on the face, Chiado Loring, correlates with the cabinet color and has a cool and modern feel. "I  love the juxtaposition of the smooth face with the textural wood trim,” said Wood.

“I designed the study to be a cozy get-a-way for work or relaxing. The wall color, Kelly Moore Zinc Dust, gives a cozy yet elegant feel. The addition of stained doors continues the touch of warmth and texture seen throughout the home,” Wood said.

The theme continues in the master suite with sleek and modern touches of warm rustic wood. The focal wall in the master bedroom, Zinc Dust, sets the perfect background for furniture. “For the master bath, I wanted to create a spa-like space, with an outdoor feeling. The master shower is such a focal point in the room, and I wanted it to stand out,” said Wood. 

The use of a wood-look tile, Norway Brown, was another way to add texture and color. The frameless shower door allows the materials to remain visible and helps the bathroom appear even more spacious. She repeated the stain color from the kitchen cabinets on the bath vanities. Bathrooms tend to feel very cold, with all the hard surfaces, so stain was the perfect way to layer more warmth. The bathroom flooring is Chiado Loring, keeping with the sleek, modern contrast to the warm wood tones. The gold hardware and lighting add a warm sparkle to the overall design.

The utility room and secondary bath continue with a similar color scheme with mixed cabinet finishes and mixed hardware. "I chose to have a little fun with the flooring. In these spaces, I opted for a patterned tile, Union Square Becker, since it seemed to relate to all the colors well,” Wood said.

Each model home is unique. Seeing a vision come full circle is a memorable moment. Wood said her favorite part of the process was setting up the exterior because it was a great opportunity to do something different on the street scene. 

If you would like to schedule a tour of the Overly model home in Native Plains, you can contact us by clicking here.