Homearama

(more photos)

With eight decorated homes to browse through, much of the fun of going to Homearama comes from forming opinions and making comments on the countless decisions made by the designers and builders -- dissecting their choices of bedding, wallpaper, kitchen layouts, framed art, window treatments, and more. This is even more fun than it sounds, and it's easy to spend hours doing it. At least, for me it is. I could also spend hours watching home shows on TLC or the Style Network, so it's probably a good thing we don't have cable anymore.

Since the houses were newly built, they boasted cavernous closets and bathrooms, deluxe entertainment rooms, and laundry rooms on the first or second floors. Some design elements were repeated among the different houses, too, like pink-and-green bedrooms for girls and floor-to-ceiling stone fireplaces. My favorite house stood out from the others with its clean and simple design aesthetic, blue-and-brown color pairings, hand-painted wall designs, and subtle touches that echoed throughout the house (bird images and a reddish-orange hue).

In addition to the new homes, the event also featured more than 50 exhibitors, from Cricket on the Heart to Oriental Rug Mart, and a food tent run by the Junior League of Rochester. Barkitecture, a selection of doghouses created by local homebuilders, raised money for Lollypop Farm.

TIP: This year, the Rochester Home Builders Association website offered coupons for $1 off the $9 admission fee, so if you go next year, check online first.

NEARBY: Homearama 2009 was close to Eastview Mall, but the location of the event changes each year.