My friend Carole Marcotte, of Form & Function fame here in Raleigh, suggested a fun outing a couple of weeks ago--hitting up the "Greenest Open House" at Briar Chapel. Located right outside of Chapel Hill, NC, it's in a great location with guaranteed pretty model homes--and it did not disappoint.

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That's me with Carole and Mary Leigh McDonald (another fab designer and also of Form & Function).

Lisa Stewart, ofLisa Stewart Design, was in our happy group as well. Here she is, pleased to see a beautiful modern kitchen with vibrant colors!

As designers, we go through home tours with a critical eye--this tour was billed as "greenest," so we quizzed every builder in every house about green and sustainable features. They had great answers! And the interior designers who had worked on the models were present in many, so we bonded with them and gave them high fives for their beautiful work.

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I think the most common decorating theme was the use of color to make neutral rooms sparkle with life. It's easy to change out accent pieces, but not so much the sectional! Also very noticeable was that there were beautiful window treatments in almost every room. Bringing the eye up, polishing the room, softening the edges, doing their job. I took a LOT of photos, (I'm a designer with an iPhone, not a phototgrapher, that's for sure) so I'm just going to line them up for you. Enjoy!

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blue master bedroom, small windows, tufted bench, ceiling fan

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traditional master bedroom, wood poster bed, curtains, framed art, bedside tables, lamps

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modern master bedroom, baby boomer headboard

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Ok, enough bedrooms. On to Accents!

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More glass. I do love glass. These are by Kichler. Edison bulbs are a nice touch, but they don't shed a lot of light on the counters.

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I TOLD you I took a lot of pictures! Let's take a break. There are a few more rooms to show you, so we'll reconvene back here in a couple of days and I'll get them up. Cogratulations to the builders and designers of the homes we toured: Homes by Dickerson, Lennar, Beazer Homes, Saussy Burbank and David Weekly Homes!

Ciao,

Anne