Congratulations! Your new home is under contract, and you can’t wait to dig in and start planning how you will decorate. Will your old couch fit into your new living room? Does your design style reflect the former single you, not the new coupled you? Feeling a tad bit overwhelmed with thoughts of shiplap and baseboard heights?
Well, we have you covered. The editors at Painted Prairie’s blog team spoke with local interior design experts, Alex Whitman and Jocelyn Verano of Ellis Design Studio. The studio has been creating and designing spaces in and around Colorado for more than 25 years.
Here’s what Alex and Jocelyn say you should do to plan and prep for your big day with your builder’s Design Center team.
Chances are if you bought a house in the Painted Prairie neighborhood, you visited the model homes and made your decision based off your visits. You are one step ahead of the game in terms of space planning, design inspiration and figuring out what hard surfaces you want in your new home.
Sometimes, though, that may not be enough to spark your creativity. Alex and Jocelyn say, it’s time to get out and go on a tour. Visit other model homes in your area. All designers and builders showcase different materials and suppliers, which give you new ideas for materials and finishes that you may or may not have previously considered.
Another great place to draw design inspiration is in the homes of your friends, family and others. If you simply love the style of their home, then snap some photos of their countertops and cabinet faces. Ask them about the manufacturers and brands that they have purchased over the years. Pay attention to how their hard surfaces flow into their furniture and lighting choices. It’s a great way to narrow down the aesthetic for your new home.
According to Alex Whitman of Ellis Design Studio, your home can be as eclectic and funky, or as simple and traditional as you want to make it, but if you’re not telling a consistent story through your design center selections, then your home will feel choppy and unfinished.
Home design is a creative and collaborative process. You may draw inspiration from a model home, a Pinterest board, an issue of Better Homes & Garden, or a website like Houzz. All of these places give you ideas for your design style and help you envision what you want your home to look like when you move in.
PRO TIP #1: Take pictures, cut out images from catalogs, print out your Pinterest picks, and create your own vision and mood boards for different rooms in your home.
PRO TIP #2: Order or pick up samples from your local big box store, boutique design gallery, or internet sites such as Wayfair. Use these samples to build a collection of textures, tiles, fabrics, and color selections.
Believe or not, this will help your new Design Center BFF or designer, hone in on your hard surfaces, countertops, and even the bathroom towel racks that suit your individual style.
Don’t worry if your design tastes tend to be a mix of conflicting styles. As you work through the process, you will discover your tastes and preferences are more similar than you think. If you find your selections wavering in style, work to streamline your choices. Rank them, prioritize them, then create your top three collections from all your choices.
Once you’ve curated samples and have created your vision boards, now take a step back and live with what you’ve selected. Put your samples and boards in a place where you will see them everyday. Move them around to different rooms to see how your choices affect your mood. Natural and artificial light play a big part in how your style changes throughout the day, so make sure that you take time to make note of how the colors, finishes and designs make you feel.
Soon, you will begin to fine tune your own unique design style. These foundational items will be the basis from which you layer in textures, seasonal decor, throw pillows, draperies, and lighting. From here, you have a plan to guide you through the any future design choices. Once you hone in on your vision, the rest will easily follow.
“Curate it, sit with it, and then live with it.”
— Alex Whitman, Ellis Design Studio
You found your inspiration, collected samples, created boards, narrowed down your style choices, and now it is time for your Design Center appointment. Before you head out the door, grab your vision boards and samples and take them with you! The design professionals at your appointment are highly-trained to take your vision, and help you select the finishes, surfaces, and options to turn your signature style into a reality.
Click below to explore Painted Prairie’s builders:
Remember, you don’t have to do everything on your own. If you need assistance or feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and choices, you can partner with a designer to help you curate your vision, go with you to your Design Center appointment, and be a guide in all aspects of your interior design.
“Most of our job entails being a resource for our clients. When you partner with a design professional, we can help you hone in on the things you value the most by just listening to you and your style.”
— Jocelyn Verano, Ellis Design Studio
It takes more than sticks and bricks to build a community, it takes people. In a few short months, Painted Prairie has become a great place to live, work, and build lasting friendships.
One example of this, is the recent collaboration between Centennial’s Ana’s Norwegian Bakeri and Roselle Hisbiscus Delight, an all-natural beverage company owned by Painted Prairie resident, Rosemarie Aarnes.
The two local businesswomen met while participating in Painted Prairie’s first Micro Pop-Up Market. From there, a friendship and now, business relationship grew. Ana agreed to carry Roselle’s Hisbicus drink at her bakery and the rest is small, local business matchmaking history.
“So excited to feature Sorrel by Roselle Hibiscus Delight!” said Ana in a recent social media post. “This drink reminds me of Gløgg, a traditional Christmas drink found in Norway. There is an Original option, Chia Seeds option, and Sugar-Free option. Made with Organic, Non-GMO ingredients, made locally in Colorado.”
Rosemarie is equally excited to be a part of Ana’s store. “We love Ana and her bakery,” says Rosemarie. “She is selling our drinks at her store. Like we always say, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work!”
We love it when our residents and our vendors make long last connections and friendships.
Looking for some patriotic fun? Join us for our Fantastic 4th Weekend at the best new neighborhood in Colorado
Looking for something to do this Fourth of July weekend? Painted Prairie continues its award-winning event series with, A Fantastic 4thWeekend, July 2-3, at Painted Prairie, 6000 Picadilly Road in Aurora.
The weekend kicks off Friday night at 7:30 pm with everyone’s favorite summertime movie, The Sandlot. Grab your blankets, chairs and snag a FREE popcorn or candy on us! Our socially distant lawn circles are ready for you to enjoy a great movie night under the stars. Movie begins at sunset (around 8:30 pm).
Need a bit of inspiration for your next home improvement project? Painted Prairie, the next-best neighborhood in Colorado is hosting free home improvement clinics on June 5, 2021 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Whether you are looking to buy a new home, or you need inspiration to spruce up your current one, Painted Prairie has what you are looking for. From home organization to entertainment and security systems, join us on June 5 to learn from several Denver Metro Area home improvement experts at one of our free clinics.
Home automation experts, Ronnie Gupta and Hayley Selden of DMI Media Innovations will walk you through the basics when it comes to home automation essentials, practical home security solutions, outdoor entertainment recommendations, and the power of integrations — all systems, one button. Sessions run throughout the day.
Do you get overwhelmed with the sheer number of home decorating options, styles and rules? Then we have the clinic for you. Diana Ellis and Jocelyn Verano of Ellis Design with be at Painted Prairie to share their tips and tricks for interior decorating.
Topics include:
Sessions run throughout the day, you won’t want to miss this clinic!
Are you looking to buy a new home and have questions regarding financing options? Prime Lending presenter, Valerie Cameron will discuss:
Sessions will run throughout the day.
What kind of mood does your closet put you in? The Closet Factory‘s Tia Hunsperger will be here on June 5 to discuss the following:
Sessions run throughout the day, and are open to the public.
The Dig & Dream Garden Club is back with all-day presentations on planning and planting your summer garden. The club will also have flowering plants for $5 with all proceeds going toward the club and its mission. Learn from gardening experts how you can have a yard full of blooms all summer long.
Get a head start on your summer garden planning and planting at the Soul of Summer event at Painted Prairie.
To learn more about the Soul of Summer event visit our Events page to snag your FREE tickets.
See you when you get here!
More choices, more great things happening as Berkeley Homes, Parkwood Homes and Remington Homes join the neighborhood’s best-in-class lineup of new homebuilders
AURORA, COLO., April 30, 2021 — Painted Prairie, one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in Colorado, welcomes three new homebuilders to the community. Denver-based, new home brand Berkeley Homes; family-owned Parkwood Homes of Maryland; and homegrown Colorado builder, Remington Homes, are set to break ground on their new model homes later this summer.
Epic Homes, KB Home Single Family, KB Home Villas, and McStain Neighborhoods will continue to build their highly successful product lines at Painted Prairie. All model homes are anticipated to begin construction this summer.
“By offering today’s new home buyers more choices in terms of price, architectural style, and living options, we are offering a place you can call home for years to come,” says Chris Fellows, Developer for Painted Prairie. “We provide the ultimate opportunity for anyone who wants to live, work and play in a community that mirrors their values and hopes for the future. The addition of these new homebuilders to our already stellar lineup of Colorado’s best builders, furthers our commitment to welcoming everyone home to Painted Prairie.”
Painted Prairie is a neo-traditional design/land plan community designed by Peter Calthorpe at Calthorpe Associates, in collaboration with Mark Johnson at Civitas Denver. It is the only neo-traditional master-planned community in the northeast market of the Denver Metro Area. Painted Prairie is situated for easy commutes and access to Denver’s arts and cultural activities. Situated across the street from the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center and located halfway between Anschutz-Fitzsimmons and Denver International Airport, with easy access to the A-Line rail, E470, DIA, 56th Avenue, I-70, Downtown Denver, and I-225, the community is conveniently located from just about anywhere. Construction of Painted Prairie began upon the formal groundbreaking on September 21, 2018. Construction is slated to continue through 2030. To learn more about Painted Prairie visit lifeatpaintedprairie.com.
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Media Contact:
Michelle Tripp
press@hipcatmedia.com
303-319-9669
Whether you are a family of four or a family of one, Painted Prairie’s community gardens offer healthy lifestyle choices, a sense of community, and an easy way to enjoy the Colorado outdoors
Painted Prairie has two community gardens — Columbine and Indian Paintbrush Gardens. Both gardens are located within easy walking distance from anywhere in Painted Prairie. These gardens offer a place to gather, make family memories, or spend quiet time alone with your very own plot of homegrown vegetables.
Whether you are growing for your own family or to donate to a local food bank, community gardens offer more than a sustainable food source. Our community garden plots are for anyone new to urban farming and who want to connect with the outdoors in a healthy, nutritious way.
While not a new concept, community gardens are popping up all over the country, including right here in Colorado. From urban areas to the suburbs, national trends show that these small urban garden spaces are growing faster than in previous years. According to a blog post by The Trust for Public Land, in 2019, the number of community garden plots in city parks has increased 44% since the group started keeping track in 2012. Currently, there are approximately 20 community gardens in Aurora, Colorado, that provide food and community connections for residents.
It is that connection to the earth, the respite from life’s stresses, and the shear joy of growing and harvesting our own food that brings the neighborhood together at Columbine and Indian Paintbrush Gardens. Long before DIA was a blip on the radar, the early pioneers who settled this land joined together to grow their own food and live a simple, sustainable life. Our community gardens are designed to attract residents (and butterflies), and are another way Painted Prairie is tying into the agricultural roots of the community.
If you are ready to jump into urban gardening at Painted Prairie, we have a few easy steps to get you started:
If you are interested in renting a garden plot for the summer, reservations are available by contacting John with Advance HOA via email at john@advancehoa.com. Remember, gardening is fun and a great way to get to know your neighbors and enjoy the Colorado outdoors at the same time!
Congratulations to Deb Goetz of Denver Boulder Real Estate for her appearance on the January Prairie Partner Leaderboard. As a huge Painted Prairie advocate and community partner, it is surprising that Deb had not won our Leaderboard before now. She has successfully grown her 20+ year real estate business through referrals and repeat clients and we are grateful to have her as our partner.
“I enjoy bringing my homebuyer clients to Painted Prairie for the reputable builders in affordable price points, the wonderful upcoming community amenities and those views! Wow!”
