April 27th is World Tapir Day!

Thursday, November 29, 2018

This 'n That Thursdays: HGTV Dream Home 2019


The 2019 HGTV Dream Home is located in Whitefish, Montana, an area I know from personal experience to be breathtakingly gorgeous!  Years ago my husband taught at the Flathead Lake Biological Station for several summers in a row, and I would get to accompany him.  We spent much time exploring the surrounding attractions, which included the lake itself, the nearby towns of Bigfork, Kalispell, and of course Whitefish, and Glacier National Park, which I consider to be the loveliest of all the national parks I have visited.  We went canoeing in one of the nearby rivers (I can't remember which one now, but it was a wild and exciting trip!), and horseback riding in Glacier National Park (I did the Sperry Chalet all day ride once, which was also a wild and exciting trip!).

Summer is a time of abundance in Montana, and the land around Flathead Lake is dotted with cherry orchards - cherry pie is a specialty in Montana, and pie in general is a very popular dessert.  I remember huge luscious raspberries, huckleberries, and currants also growing in the region.  On my morning runs I would pass one particularly prolific currant patch, and it was with great difficulty that I stopped myself from picking the beautiful ripe berries!  The cool climate means that baked goods warm from the oven are in demand year-round, especially in the mornings, and giant cinnamon rolls and sticky buns were on the breakfast menu pretty much everywhere, along with the ubiquitous pies.  I don't think we ever had a bad meal in Montana, but it is the baked goods I remember best.  (Aah, to be young again and not have to worry about calories and carbs!)

From HGTV

Now that I have you dreaming of life in Montana, it is time to take a sneak peek at the HGTV Dream Home (you can see the floor plans here - if you look closely at the main floor plan you will even see a space labelled "dog room")!  I am especially excited to show these images because HGTV has finally done something that many fans have been asking for over the years - decorating the Dream Home for Christmas!  This is a picture-heavy post, so prepare yourself.  Let's start with the front door entry:

From HGTV

Christmas décor (from HGTV)

Christmas décor detail (from HGTV)

Next let's head straight for the great room, starting with the design plan:

From HGTV

From HGTV

Christmas décor (from HGTV)

Christmas décor detail (from HGTV)

Moving on to the dining room:

From HGTV

From HGTV

Christmas décor (from HGTV)

Christmas tablescape detail (from HGTV)

Next up is the master bedroom:

From HGTV

I love this paint color! (from HGTV)
Seating area Christmas décor on balcony outside master bedroom
(from HGTV)

Christmas décor detail in master bedroom (from HGTV)

Here is one of the guest bedrooms:

From HGTV

From HGTV

Christmas décor (from HGTV)

Christmas décor detail (from HGTV)

A look at the back of the house:

From HGTV

Covered balcony seating area Christmas décor (from HGTV)

Outdoor dining for Christmas?  Brrr!!!
Not during a Montana winter! (from HGTV)

I mainly focused on the images in color palettes that I prefer, but most of the other rooms feature shades of blue.  There are so many more images and videos of this Montana Dream Home that I could not possibly fit into this post.  You really should check them all out at the HGTV Dream Home site.

Can you tell that I am really excited about HGTV's latest Dream Home?  While I know that my husband would not be able to tolerate the cold northern climate, and at my age I am not even sure that I could, it would be so wonderful just to visit the beautiful state of Montana one more time as the winners of this spectacular home.  The sweepstakes begins at 9:00 AM EST on December 28th, 2018, and you can be sure that I will be entering every day!

Me observing a herd of horses at the Montana-Canada border in the
summer of 1983.  Just look at that gorgeous landscape!
             

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