In May, we introduced three new home designs to the Meridian Collection in many Estridge new home neighborhoods. These 2-story homes all boast incredible architectural details and custom features, as they were designed by Greg Cradick, Estridge Custom Galleries Architect. 10’ ceilings throughout the main level, art and furniture niches, open designs, varied window sizing and distinctive window placement and much more combine with Estridge quality construction to create custom home designs with great investment value.

Distinctive architectural details make this home stand out from other new home construction. A sight line from the guest foyer through to the back door creates the illusion of even greater space, as does the close proximity of the two corner windows in the great room. Furniture niches, arches and distinctively sized windows provide design variation and smart placement of furniture. Great flexibility in this new home design also adds to the custom feel of this home - it provides opportunity for at least six bedrooms, as well as a large bonus room, master retreat area, and much more.

One of these new home designs, The Concord in Rock Bridge, is currently under construction and scheduled to be ready for move in September. As a home built for sale, this home offers custom design features such as building a main level guest suite as opposed to an office. As it is being constructed, the Concord available home in Zionsville offers:

3805 Hearthstone Drive, Zionsville 46077
Reserve at Rock Bridge in Zionsville
5 bedrooms, 4 baths

$414,500

• Finished lower level + large unfinished storage area
• 10’ Main level ceilings
• Elegant guest foyer with furniture niche
• Gorgeous gourmet kitchen with granite countertop, including kitchen island with overlooking sink, stainless steel appliances including double ovens
• Upper level loft
• Unfinished storage space on upper level
• Tray ceiling in master suite
• Jack and Jill Bath
• Much more!

View more photos of this home on MyEstridgeHome.com or visit the Rock Bridge model for a tour of this new Estridge home under construction in Zionsville.

New Estridge Ranch Home in Westfield, Indiana

1343 Somerville

Westfield, IN 46074

Price: $325,000
www.tourfactory.com/515624

Estridge Community: Centennial in Westfield – decorated model located off of Ditch Road, north of 146^th Street.

Learn more about the Irvington Collection of ranch homes at Centennial

View the 940 Irvington Collection home design

Featured Estridge Home Highlights:

• 2 bedrooms, 2 baths
• Finished lower level
• Lots of light with vaulted ceilings and oversized windows
• Gorgeous kitchen – designer staggered cabinets, black appliances, granite island
• Open great room features fireplace with custom crafted mantel
• Hardwood flooring throughout living space and master bedroom
• Luxurious master bath offers garden tub, ceramic tile and spacious walk-in closet
• Screened porch off breakfast nook
• Incredible neighborhood amenities: bark park, community garden, miles of walking trails, swimming pool, tennis and volleyball courts, sledding hill and much more!

View Photo Tour of this luxury new home

Learn more about Estridge

View all Indianapolis Real Estate by Estridge

• News from the Indianapolis Extreme Makeover project, led by Estridge
• New Estridge Home Designs
• Recipe from the Tuscan Romance Cooking Class at HOMExperience
• Summer Home Maintenance Hints
• Tips on How to Hang Artwork in your Home
• News from Wood Wind Golf Club
• Upcoming Estridge Events
• Much More!

View all Estridge New Homes for Sale on Estridge.com.

7847 Whiting Bay Drive
Brownsburg, IN 46112
$424,000
http://www.tourfactory.com/503305

Estridge Community: Reserve at Highland Green in Brownsburg – decorated model located off of SR267, 2 miles north of I-74.

Learn more about the Meridian Collection of ranch homes at Centennial

View the 760 Meridian Collection home design

Featured Estridge Home Highlights:

• Ranch Home with 10’ ceilings and open design
• 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths
• Lower level
• Gorgeous kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances
• Large breakfast bar island with kitchen sink overlooking hearth room
• Dual-sided fireplace
• Crown molding throughout living area
• 3-car side-load garage

View Photo Tour of this luxury new home

Learn more about Estridge

View all Indianapolis Real Estate by Estridge

Determining the proper placement for your artwork can be as difficult as finding the perfect pieces to hang. Ensure that your artwork compliments your home décor and furnishings, not only in style, but in arrangement as well.

Below is artful advice for hanging artwork from the HOMExperience Design Team.

Height & Placement

1. Hang artwork so that the center point of the picture or grouping is at about eye level for an average person.
2. A grouping of pictures should be thought of as one unit.  Test an arrangement of pictures by laying everything out, playing with combinations until you find one that works.
3. Popular art shelves are a great way to add interest and take up very little space. Artwork can be hung on the wall over the shelf as well as set onto the shelf with other decorative objects.
4. Artwork should be no wider than the piece of furniture over which it hangs
5. One large painting makes a statement and keeps things simple. It can also call attention to the focal point of the room which is often the fireplace.
6. Avoid hanging matching pictures in a perfect line whenever you'd like to emphasize a casual atmosphere. This works to create a dynamic diagonal line and stays away from a formal symmetrical look.

Size

1. Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger pieces for big wall spaces.
2. Symmetry adds balance and formality to an arrangement and is generally pleasing and calming to the observer.
3. Do something unexpected by hanging pictures in an asymmetrical arrangement. This eye-catching grouping is a casual, fun look for informal settings.
4. Strong horizontal lines in artwork, or in the way artwork is framed or hung, tend to be calming and provide the illusion of width in a narrow room.
5. Strong vertical lines in a picture, in a frame, or in the arrangement on the wall add to the feeling of height in a room.
6. Strong diagonal lines, either within a picture itself or in a line of pictures arranged on the wall, add excitement to the composition.

Style

1. Illuminating artwork gives it importance within a room and adds drama.
2. Vibrant colors bring excitement to a room while neutral colors are calming.
3. Landscape art is one good way to visually open up a smaller space. The view of a distant horizon acts as a window in a small or windowless space.
4. Exercise your creativity when framing. A simple framing technique is when you tailor the frame to the size and shape of the object being framed. You can also mount some flat objects between two pieces of glass that allow the wall color to act as the mat.

Most Important

1. Always utilize picture hooks rated for the weight of the artwork or object, and attach heavy pictures to hooks that have been installed into wall studs or with specialized drywall hangers. Nothing ruins the effect of a carefully planned arrangement of art faster than if the pictures are pulling away from the wall.

1385 Trescott Drive

Westfield, IN 46074

Price: $349,900
www.tourfactory.com/480334

Estridge Community: Centennial in Westfield – decorated model located off of Ditch Road, north of 146^th Street.

Learn more about Irvington Collection homes in Centennial

View the 941 Irvington Collection home design

Featured Estridge Home Highlights:

• 4 bedrooms, 3 baths + private office
• Finished lower level includes full bath and 2 bedrooms
• Lots of light with 10’ ceilings and oversized windows
• Gorgeous kitchen – designer staggered cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite island
• Open great room features fireplace with custom crafted mantel
• Skylights in entry and dining room
• Luxurious master with tray ceiling, garden bath and spacious organized walk-in closet
• Screened porch off breakfast nook
• Incredible neighborhood amenities: bark park, community garden, miles of walking trails, swimming pool, tennis and volleyball courts, sledding hill and much more!

View Photo Tour of this luxury new home





Learn more about Estridge 

View all Indianapolis Real Estate by Estridge

HOMExperience February Home Décor Hint

- from the Estridge Interiors Team of Tom Korecki and Jill Mullen

Add a splash of color to your furnishings  

With the recent declaration of Mimosa as the trend color of the year, many wonder where it is appropriate to be trendy in home décor and furnishings.

Here are some simple things to keep in mind:

• Trendy items by definition won’t be popular forever, so don’t invest too much. While a yellow sofa might be “the” thing to have this year, what will you do with it next year? Instead, add lower cost yellow pillows and a throw to a relatively neutral sofa. Then next year if chartreuse is the big thing you’ll be able to inexpensively change out these accessories. Hang on to your yellow purchases, however, because it is true that “what goes around comes around.”
• Create a focal point in your room using the trend color. For your dining room table, incorporate a yellow centerpiece vase or candlesticks. In the kitchen, a large yellow bowl filled with seasonal fruit will catch the eye as will as a few well placed yellow accessories on the counter and above the cabinets. In your master bedroom, try a yellow duvet cover and shams for drama. Change out the towels in your bathroom and add a bright yellow everlasting floral arrangement.

View past HOMExperience home décor hints.

Learn about Estridge Interiors at HOMExperience.

Every year one color dominates the home décor and furnishing world, as well as fashion runways. Annually, Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color, selects a Color of the Year, as the chosen color to dominate design for the following year.

This year that color is Pantone® 14-0848 Mimosa, “a warm, engaging yellow which embodies hopefulness and reassurance in a climate of change.”  According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute^®, “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance. Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

Past Pantone Colors of the Year:

• 2000 | PANTONE^® 15-4020 Cerulean Blue
  Chosen for the millennium for its calming zen state of mind.
• 2001 | PANTONE^® 17-2031 Fuchsia Rose
  A reversal from the previous year, more exciting, more feminine and sexy.
• 2002 | PANTONE^® 19-1664 True Red
  Recognizes the impact of 9/11 with a patriotic hue.
• 2003 | PANTONE^® 14-4811 Aqua Sky
  A cool blue meant to restore hope and serenity.
• 2004 | PANTONE^® 17-1456 Tiger Lily
  Acknowledges the hipness of orange, with a touch of exoticism.
• 2005 | PANTONE^® 15-5217 Blue Turquoise
  Another reversal to a calming shade.
• 2006 | PANTONE^® 13-1106 Sand Dollar
  A neutral color that expresses concern about the economy.
• 2007 | PANTONE^® 19-1557 Chili Pepper
  Chosen for its pizzazz and sophistication and its hint of ethnic taste.
• 2008 | PANTONE^® 18-3943 Blue Iris
  A mix of blue and purple that suggests dependability and magic

To be on trend this year, bright yellow is the chosen color to accessorize both our fashion and our homes.

Learn More

1275 Balsam Fir Pass
Avon, IN 46123

$315,000

BLC#2905108
www.tourfactory.com/471710

Estridge Community: Whispering Pines in Avon, located off of CR625, 2 miles south of Rockville Road.

Featured Estridge Home Highlights:

• 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths + loft
• Finished lower level with 9’ ceilings
• Over 3700 square feet of finished living space
• Designer kitchen with staggered height cabinets and solid surface countertops
• Open great room features fireplace with custom crafted mantel
• Hardwood flooring
• Luxurious master suite with cathedral ceiling and garden bath
• 3-car tandem garage
• Large treated wood deck provides great outdoor living space! 

Learn more about this Estridge 627 Whispering Pines Collection home design

View Photo Tour of this luxury new home

View all new Indianapolis Homes Available Now by Estridge.
Learn more about Estridge, Indianapolis Home Builder

Carmel, IN, Jan. 29, 09 – HOMExperience by Estridge, at Clay Terrace in Carmel, Indiana, has opened its doors after transforming into a design studio prominently highlighting Estridge Interiors custom design services and the Estridge Homes & Neighborhoods library and services.

Estridge Interiors, the custom interior design team at HOMExperience, has prominently taken its place at the heart of the HOMExperience décor store. Estridge Interiors offers customers complimentary interior design services from completely designing a home’s décor to completing a room with window treatments or a missing piece of furniture. HOMExperience, opened by The Estridge Companies in 2006, has offered custom interior design as an auxiliary service since the beginning of 2008, and presents a wide range of décor and furnishing lines – such as Kincaid, Rowe Fine Furniture, Pearson, Hooker Furniture, Timothy’s Fine Art, Surya Rugs and dozens of others.

The Estridge Interiors team is led by Tom Korecki, Senior Designer. Tom has designed the décor for Estridge model homes for over 12 years and has provided this service to HOMExperience customers for the past year. Of the transition, Korecki says, “The growth of our interior design services in 2008 led us in the direction of expanding Estridge Interiors to be the central source of services at HOMExperience. We are looking forward to providing greater design services to our HOMExperience customers and Estridge homeowners.”

HOMExperience hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 11am to 6pm, open by appointment only on Monday and closed Sunday. 317.669.8600.

Learn more about the Estridge Interiors Team.

View photos of Estridge model homes, designed by Estridge Interiors.

New 2-story Estridge Home in Anderson Hall

13714 Heatherfield Drive

Fishers, Indiana 46038

$315,000

BLC: 2903048

www.tourfactory.com/477981

New Estridge Orchard Collection Home Features:

-          4 bedrooms, 2 baths, unfinished lower level

-          Gorgeous brick front home with pillars and two dormers

-          Open main level with large harvest room, generous great room with distinctive stone fireplace and arched opening

-          Designer kitchen features stainless steel appliances, solid surface countertops, walk-in pantry, breakfast bar island

-          Organized family foyer with storage cubes, boot bench, coat hooks and PDA Pantry

-          Tray ceiling highlights luxurious master suite

-          Computer niche and built-in bookshelves on upper level landing

-          Unfinished lower level has 9’ ceilings and bath rough-in

View Ramsey home design and floorplan.

View photo tour of this home

The new Estridge home designs released in June of 2008 have been extremely popular with new Estridge homeowners in Estridge neighborhoods all around Indianapolis over the past six months. A new Centennial Collection Tremont home design, by Estridge - luxury home builder, was recently completed in Centennial at 146^th Street.

The 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath Tremont offers an open home design features a main level master suite and many custom details. The Tremont offers homeowners many custom design details throughout, such as the arched entries and tray ceilings. Visitors are welcomed at the Guest Foyer and walk through an elegant tray-ceiling vestibule to the open main living space. 

This luxury home features an abundance of smartly-designed formal, casual and recreational space. The open living space includes the kitchen with a generously sized breakfast bar island and lots of cabinet and counter space, the sunny breakfast nook opening to the back patio, and the spacious great room highlighted with a fireplace featuring a custom crafted mantel.  Oversized windows across the back wall and 10’ ceilings create an open air, sunny space. Homeowners enjoy formal dining space off the guest foyer highlighted with an arched entry. Additionally, the included unfinished lower level offers many possibilities for recreation and storage space as well as finishing for additional living space.

The master suite offers a luxurious retreat with an arched entry, gorgeous tray ceiling, and well-appointed bath including a garden tub, separate shower, double vanities and private water closet.

One of the most popular features of this home is the organized family foyer off of the garage. The foyer provides storage cubes for shoes, coat hooks, a cabinet for purses and other items, as well as a PDA Pantry complete with hidden, but accessible electrical outlets and shelves for phones, iPods, MP3 players, cameras and more.

View Photo Tour of the Tremont.
Learn More about the Tremont Home Design. 

Professionally Decorated Estridge Custom Galleries Home

The Bridgewater Club

15610 Bethpage Trail

Carmel, IN 46033

BLC: 2861581

$695,000

www.tourfactory.com/477832

• Estridge Custom Galleries model home in The Bridgewater Parks
• Low Maintenance Living
• Main level master custom home design
• English cottage exterior style
• 4 bedrooms, 4 baths
• 3-car Garage
• Main level guest bedroom
• Gorgeous kitchen with granite countertops and stainless KitchenAid® appliances
• Finished lower level with billiard area, wet bar, wine chiller, and full bath

View photo tour of this luxury home

January HOMExperience Home Decor Hint: Go natural on your windows. 
 

Natural window treatments by Lafayette Interiors in a Centennial Lockerbie Townhome model by Estridge.

Natural woven shades made from bamboo and other grasses beautifully compliment kitchens, breakfast rooms and other rooms in your home where filtering natural light is desired. They are reasonably priced, made from renewable resources and available in dozens of colors and styles.

Visit HOMExperience by Estridge for a complimentary design consultation with the Estridge Interiors team.

View past home décor and furnishing hints from the Estridge Interiors team at HOMExperience:

December - Holiday Décor Hint

November – Natural Entertainment Décor Hint

October – Perfectly Proportioned Rugs

September - Create the Right Study Space

Featured Estridge Available Home - Jan. 14, 2009

8518 Seafield Drive

Brownsburg, IN 46112

Price: $289,900

BLC: 2864266
www.tourfactory.com/403643

Estridge Community: Highland Green in Brownsburg, located off of SR267, 2 miles north of I-74.

View Photo Tour of this luxury new home

Learn more about Highland Green Collection homes

Featured Estridge Home Highlights:

• 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
• Over 2600 square feet of finished living space + unfinished lower level
• Private homesite with mature trees
• Gorgeous kitchen with granite countertops, hardwood floors and quality Whirlpool® appliances
• Breakfast nook opens to sunny family room with fireplace
• Elegant formal living and dining rooms with arched entries and detailed columns
• Luxurious master suite with garden tub, separate shower and walk-in closet organized with laminate wood shelving
• 2-story foyer welcomes guests

View More Photos of this luxury home: http://www.tourfactory.com/403643

Learn more about Highland Green

Learn more about Estridge

View all Indianapolis Real Estate by Estridge

Optimism about the Indianapolis Real Estate industry is spreading throughout the media. Below is an article from wthr.com that further details the current sentiment in the real estate industry discussed in yesterday's Estridge blog post, Predictions prove positive for Indianapolis Real Estate in 2009.

Updated: Jan 9, 2009 09:29 AM EST

Lynsay Clutter/ Eyewitness News

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=9644610

Indianapolis- The housing market is hurting across the country, but there is hope here in Indiana, with signs of improvement.

Foreclosure rates began to plateau at the end of the third quarter, and housing inventory is starting to decrease, leading local realtors to believe the market is on its way to correcting itself.

It is a hopeful sign, but it's going to be a long road.

In the 9 Counties of Central Indiana, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker's reports, home closings fell 11% in 2008, the average home price fell 5% and building permits fell 37%.

Foreclosures helped contribute to the problem by flooding the market with inventory. Indiana ranked 6th highest in the nation with 30,800 mortgages in foreclosure.

The Indiana Builders Association says high home inventory and falling home values are at the core of the current economic crisis.

With no demand in the market, at least two local builders, Gunstra and Davis Homes, recently closed their doors.

"Home builders create a lot of jobs going to and from the job every day, and also the ripple effect. Someone who buys a new home, buys furniture at the furniture stores, appliances and the appliance stores, and draperies, and everything that goes into a new house. That all helps stimulate the economy and create jobs for folks around the state of Indiana," said Rick Wadja, Indiana Home Builders Association.

Wadja was in Washington DC Wednesday asking Indiana's local delegation for help. Builders want a package of subsidies included in Obama's Economic Stimulus that would bring mortgage rates to just under 3% for the first half of the year.

View all Estridge homes for sale on Estridge.com.

3785 Stonington PL
Zionsville, IN 46077
Price: $435,000
BLC: 2822907
www.tourfactory.com/443688

Estridge Community: Reserve at Rock Bridge in Zionsville, located off of CR400, west of CR875.

View Photo Tour of this luxury new home

Learn more about this Estridge 735 Meridian Collection home design

Featured Estridge Home Highlights:

• 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths + bonus room
• Large finished lower level
• Extensive custom detailing throughout lower level
• Designer kitchen with gas cooktop, double ovens and granite countertops
• Hardwood flooring
• Dual-sided fireplace with built-in shelving surrounding
• Luxurious master suite with garden tub, ceramic tile and spacious, organized walk-in closet
• Elegant brick home with arched front windows
• 3-car side-load garage 

View More Photos of this new Estridge home in Zionsville.

View all new Zionsville Real Estate by Estridge - Home Builders in Indiana.

View all Estridge homes on Estridge.com.

1015 Palomar Drive
Westfield, IN 46074
$495,000
BLC: 2863942

Estridge Community: Centennial at 146^th Street, model located off of 146^th Street east of Ditch Road

View Photo Tour of this luxury ranch home design

Learn more about this Estridge 760 Meridian Collection home design

Feature Home Highlights:

• Gorgeous pond homesite
• 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath ranch new home
• Stunning kitchen with cherry cabinets, granite countertops, and a double oven
• Dual-sided fireplace between hearth room and great room
• 10’ ceilings throughout
• Luxurious master suite with 2 large walk-in closets and a feature garden tub
• Separate dining room and study
• Large deck and professional landscaping overlook the pond
• 3-car side-load garage
• Basement 

View all new Indianapolis Real Estate by Estridge.