One thing I love about Southern Living magazine is the Idea House program they do each year. Whenever they come to town I always make sure I stop by for a visit (or two or three!). I’ve been to maybe 5 Idea Houses in my life, plus one Southern Accents home in Birmingham. So when the 2013 Southern Living Idea House came to my neck of the woods in Nashville I knew I had to stop by.
This past week I stopped by the house to take a tour. This year’s house was based on a farmhouse concept, with five buildings surrounding a common front yard. The central main house contained the master suite, living room, kitchen, dining room, library, laundry and back porch. A 2-story guest cottage on the left held two guest bedrooms while another guest bedroom was located above the garage on the right. Two adorable bunk houses containing additional bedroom suites completed the design.
This is a fresh take on previous Idea Houses, as is how the property will be used after the tours have been completed. Instead of being sold for private residence, the property will become a boutique hotel available for rentals, events and weddings. The Idea House is available for tours thru December 29 and will open as a hotel in February 2014. I kept that in mind as I visited and have already picked out which rooms I want to stay in next year!
Overall I really liked this house. The overall design was wonderful but for me I really liked the little moments and vignettes scattered throughout the home: the combination of textures on the beds, a wooden pig stacked on books, the mix of wood and leathers in different rooms. My favorite spaces were the wraparound deck on the main house, the main floor suite of the guest cottage, the kitchen and the main house’s back porch.
I took a gobsmack load of pictures and had a tough time picking my favorites. But here they are! You can learn more about the Idea House by visiting Southern Living’s website. I plan to visit again as it gets closer to holiday season as I want to see how the Idea House team decks these halls!
XOXO,
roqberry
roqberry 
I have to say this Idea House is by far my favorite so far from Southern Living. I live in Tennessee and I am so proud to see southern history recreated with beautiful home designs. The southern homes were all built so skillfully. When I was building my first home, I asked my home builders in Tennessee to recreate a southern farmhouse look with wraparound porches. Keep sharing the inspiration!
I agree- I think this house was my favorite from SL. I am a big fan of the layout! I look forward to visiting it again during the holidays and after it is renovated into a hotel.