Hold on to your Toto

Just like the Wizard’s illusions in the Land of Oz, the designers’ sleight of hand presented on popular home improvement TV shows is more smoke and mirrors than plaster and paint. If you really want a change of environment, you need to find a good witch, remember that there’s no place like home, and hold onto your Toto. Dorothy found that out through experience—and perhaps you have, too. While there are exceptions, remodeling, renovating or updating a home is probably going to cost more, take longer and present larger challenges than planned.

So why do so many of us take this course of action? There are a multitude of reasons, but a common one is location: “We love our house and our neighborhood, so the investment is worth it.”  Another well-used logic is even more practical and closer to avoidance: “It’s easier to renovate than move.” The long-term viewpoint, typically voiced after the dust settles or when daily remodeling pains have been forgotten or simply endured, is that the transformation makes home an even better place to live: “Why didn’t we update our kitchen earlier?”

While we at Phoenix Home & Garden can see the entertainment value of fix-and-flip series on the flat-screen, we know there are real-life before-and-after transformations that pass the truth-in-advertising litmus test. In 2018, 31 stories about updating, upgrading or all-out renovations of homes and gardens graced our pages. As we begin a new year, three more are featured in this issue. A stunning kitchen remodel designed for entertaining; a complete reimagining of a Paradise Valley ranch inside and out; and an on-trend renovation of a family home in Grayhawk. Clearly, we know a few Glindas.

November 10

A huge thank you to the guests, homeowners, design professionals (some of whom are pictured with me above), business partners and volunteers who joined us for the Phoenix Home & Garden 2018 Home Tour. It was a dazzling day with picture-perfect Arizona weather matched only by your stellar presence. Save the date for our upcoming Spring Tour: Saturday, April 6.

November 8

While we were happy to see many friends and colleagues at tonight’s event at The Stone Collection, the real stars of the party are what’s behind us. Glamorous surfaces from all corners of the globe—each more fetching than the last.

What’s Ahead

There’s a new Mediterranean in town. A perennial favorite architecturally, this Old-World charmer continues to find favor with homeowners who choose the style for their newly built residences. Increasingly, however, there’s a surprise beyond the front door. Find out what it is in our February issue. On newsstands January 24.

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