King Solomon once said, “Without a vision, the people parish”. In these days of tough economic times you can certainly see this happening all around us. But…not true at Lifestyle Builders. My name is Priscilla George and I am a freelance Interior designer and decorator working for Lifestyle Builders on their 2010 Homearama house at Patriots landing, New Kent, Virginia. It is my life’s passion to be a visionary for my clients and see in the rooms of their lovely homes something fresh and new and inviting. I am pleased to say working with the men and women of Lifestyle has been a dream come true for my passion of interior decoration and merchandising. These men and women know how to make a vision a reality and that is just what we did as a team with the homearama house 2010. In the days leading up to the final judging of the houses I felt like I should have just packed an overnight bag and lived at the house as I spent many long days and late nights at the home I have dubbed “my baby”. You labor so hard in the months before hand that you are anxious with anticipation over the final outcome to be perfect in every way…i.e: all the fingers and toes in there right numbers and places. Or as I came to see in my vision…all the accessories, window treatments and lighting in the right numbers and places. Finally, the labor was over and as I texted to my employers Lloyd and Kevin,” the project is complete gentlemen…we are in it to win it!” On the evening of the award ceremony I was more nervous than I think I have ever been in my life as the competition was very tough. Sincerely, I can say there was nothing but pure joy in my heart when they called our house for the Gold…in Interior Merchandising, Most creative and Best Kitchen. The man taking the pictures of the winners had to ask me to stand still so he could get the best shot. If I am perfectly honest I am still on cloud nine. This has been one of the pinnacles of my life’s work as a decorator and designer and the best part has been not the winning for myself, but winning for one amazing team of men and women. Lifestyle builders and developers is run with integrity, excellence, honesty and by people with a vision. I am privileged to have been asked to be a part.

Preparations are under way for the 2010 Homearama Event in Patriot’s Landing.  Sponsored by HBAR, and hosted by East-West Partners, the event will showcase 6 fully decorated, energy efficient homes and is expected to draw thousands of people.  Our home will have a number of creative and fun ideas.  The master bath tub was special ordered and delivered to our office today!

It will also utilize numerous energy efficient construction techniques, and it will be Energy Star certified by a third-party inspector.  One of the most innovative energy efficient features is the Links System from Schlage / Trane.  This system allows you to use your computer and/or smart phone to control door locks, lighting, cameras and thermostats remotely.  When someone enters your home while you are away, you are notified by text message.  You can adjust thermostat settings at any time, from any where.  Check out this video for a short overview of the system and it’s various components:

You can also learn more about the system on Schlage’s web site.

Stay tuned to our blog over the summer for more updates about our Homearama house, and some of the creative features!