As of 5:30 p.m. yesterday we hit our second major Homearama Showhouse deadline. The builder hosted a preview party, so everything had to be finished, cleaned and staged for a crowd of realtors, prospective buyers and generous local companies who donated furnishings and accessories. Even the weather cooperated at the last minute, giving us a nice photo opportunity.
It felt both strange and exciting to have the house buzzing with people, music and food. Caterers were on site to show off the kitchen and appliances, and after a day of running at full speed, Sherry and I happily indulged. We were literally hanging picture frames and attaching window treatments in the final minutes — a classic down-to-the-wire moment.
We managed to shoot a few “after” photos in several rooms before things got too hectic. Since everything looked pristine, we took advantage and started editing and uploading images late into the night so we could share them right away. Sugar cookies from the party may have helped our productivity.
Here are the rooms we photographed before the crowd arrived: the study, the butler’s pantry and the main bedroom. Expect lots of photos and a clear rundown of the sources for the items we used.
You’ve seen the office in earlier posts and mood boards, but here it is in its finished form. The double doors can be tucked out of view to open the space fully. A rug and chair were donated by West Elm; the desk table and the woven bed frame in the bedroom came from a local furniture purveyor. The pendant light is from a lighting collection and the curtains were custom made by a local fabric and sewing shop using fabric we selected. The walls are painted Simply White and the ceiling is Skydive, both Benjamin Moore colors.
We wanted a more feminine office than the typically masculine study often seen in showhouses, so Sherry designed a space that feels personal and inviting. Small decorative objects like a metal tray, vases and a fiddle leaf fig make the room feel lived-in without being cluttered.
An open whitewashed wood and metal shelf provides practical storage along the inside wall. For the showhouse we kept shelving a bit lighter than we might in our own home — fewer accessories and more negative space so the rooms read cleaner and photograph better. Still, we added office essentials such as binders, storage boxes, framed photos and containers for paperclips and rubber bands to retain authenticity.
Most shelf items came from affordable home retailers and HomeGoods-style finds, with a few personal magazines and books brought from home. We also displayed some small inspirational “wisdom cards” we picked up recently at a local craft fair — little touches that add personality without overwhelming the space.
We intended to hang a large piece of Help Ink artwork, but once the curtains and shelving were in place we had less wall space than planned. Fortunately, smaller prints were available at the last minute and we framed them to complete the vignette. The result gives the fictional resident of this study plenty of motivation to show up and get to work.
We debated adding a floor outlet for a laptop at the final furniture placement stage, but decided to leave that customization for the eventual homeowner so it can be placed according to their layout. For the show, a stack of notebooks sits where a laptop would normally go.
The butler’s pantry, a narrow hallway between the kitchen and dining room, is hard to photograph but proved to be a highlight at the preview. We envisioned it as a flexible zone: a family message center, a weeknight meal planner, or even a compact beverage station. For the showhouse we staged it as a bold coffee and wine nook.
To give the space real personality, we commissioned a hand-lettered chalkboard menu from a local artist known for restaurant signage. The piece is rendered in chalk marker so it won’t dust or smudge and can be removed or painted over later. It was a popular backdrop at the party, with many guests pausing to take photos.
The main bedroom shares a similar palette with the office, which creates cohesion throughout the house. The bed uses a woven banana-leaf inspired frame with wood nightstands and a coordinating dresser. Curtains match the office fabric but in an aqua tone, and the bedroom walls are painted Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore.
We left the wall above the bed intentionally bare rather than hanging something we weren’t fully committed to, which lets the chandelier and other fixtures fill the visual space. We mixed finishes across the house — brass and gold accents alongside chrome and oil-rubbed bronze — to keep the palette intentional and varied rather than matchy.
A Fair Isle rug grounds the room, while bedside lamps and simple nightstand styling keep the look clean. Bedding from Pine Cone Hill complements a donated painting that inspired the room’s color story. At the foot of the bed, two clearance woven benches add texture and echo the woven bed frame.
Across from the bed, gray nailhead chairs with blue pillows and gritty framed photography balance the room’s feminine elements. Accessories like a small side table, a gold planter and complementary lighting help complete the look. Local galleries and shops kindly lent additional artwork that tied into the bedroom’s yellow accents and provided a cohesive visual flow into the adjacent bathroom.
The party began before I could finish photographing the en-suite bathroom, but it’s one of our favorite rooms and we’ll be sharing it soon. We’ll also follow up with a post about lessons learned from staging nearly 25 spaces in two weeks — the rapid timeline meant lots of improvisation, and there are many helpful takeaways we want to pass along.
Psst – Want to see more showhouse photos and details? We’ll be sharing a full tour with final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget notes and a video walk-through in a dedicated post when the show concludes.