Charlotte's Take: For the Design Diva

Do you remember when you first stumbled upon Houzz.com?

That digital warehouse of design ideas literally changed my life — and certainly changed the number of home magazines arriving in my mailbox each month. (Don’t worry, Southern Living — I will always and forever be a subscriber.)

But the ability to see hundreds of photos submitted by professional decorators and save them all to a personal ideabook was incredible. And the site has only gotten better with time, with its feature stories, advice and fun celebrity surprise remodels. The only thing better than flipping through Houzz photos is seeing those designs come to life. And there’s no better time to see professionally designed homes in person than during the April Drools Home Tour.

Seriously, this event has me — wait for it — salivating over the jaw-dropping number of model homes you can tour. There are more than 170 included, and hundreds of more inventory homes on this mega tour. But because you know I'm not moving from Woodforest, my focus is on the decorated models and the thousands of design inspirations found within their walls.

And I don’t even have to leave Woodforest to get my fill. Twenty-seven models are located right here — 27! — so I can go to a different model every day and have a few days left over to revisit my favorites. Let me share some of the ideas I’ve already encountered:

Huntington Homes has me convinced that the next paint I buy is going to be dark gray. The white-dark treatment found in the upstairs loft and the gorgeous charcoal found in the study have me convinced.

I also love the fun secondary bedroom in Highland Homes’ Deerbourne Ridge model. The diamond-striped walls are a fun contrast to the dotted bedding. And the dalmations? Priceless!

Now, if I WERE building a home, the Darling Homes model over on Blanton Bend would be my inspiration, at least in the kitchen. It has a magnificent island where the countertop extends out to form a table for casual meals or a place for the kiddos to do homework or crafts while Mom or Dad work on dinner.

There are so many more I could tell you about, but really, you need to head out to Woodforest and see them for yourself. Maybe I’ll see you out here!