Tour of Homes

Study

It has been over two weeks since the Tour of Homes, and with preparing for the Open Studio, there hasn't been much time to write about it. We spent eight weeks getting the house in order (this was the best reason to justify doing a lot of things we've put off over the years).  Armed with paint and paint brushes, I refreshed all the trim in the house and painted four rooms.  And that bookcase that's been waiting to be "finished" for 10 years? Done.  I even managed to talk Mr. Man into buying a couple of rugs, something we had been putting off until our aging pets were gone.


The last week before the tour was spent cleaning and staging (never thought I'd use that word outside of talking about HGTV). My house hasn't been this clean in a long time. And of course with the Open Studio following two weeks later, we managed to keep it that way.


McCoy & Niloak pottery on dining room mantel

Although we didn't officially keep count, there were approximately 200 people through the house over the course of the weekend.  My brother, Troy drove over from Columbus and spent the day greeting people on the porch, checking tickets, and directing them on what not to miss.  He did a really great job of plugging the art in the central hallway as this is now my gallery.  I hung around inside, answering questions and inviting those who seemed interested to the Open Studio.

Central Hallway/Gallery

One of the tour participants, a slightly frumpy, socially awkward gentleman, questioned my use of three colors in the dining room; when I explained that the lighter (third) color between the picture molding and the crown molding helped draw the eye upward to the height of the ceiling, he obnoxiously told me it wasn't necessary.  I bit my tongue and sent him outside to see the chickens and let Mr. Man deal with him.

Den

Almost everyone went out back to see the chickens, even on Sunday when it rained all day—Mr. Man had a large umbrella on the back steps so that those who wanted to visit the coop could do so without getting wet. 

Penny, Letty, Matilda & Buffy

Mr. Man spent most of the weekend in the backyard talking about the chickens, patio, and landscaping.

Back patio

While our volunteers manned the front porch and back of the house directing people upstairs.


Guestroom

 All in all it was a great experience, but not one I'm looking to repeat anytime soon. In all honesty, by Sunday afternoon I just wanted all those people out of my house.