Welcome!On Friday May 13, 2011, I went on my first Hillsborough (CA) Kitchen Tour. It was their 31st year hosting the Kitchen Tour, and it showed in terms of the attention to detail and the level of organization.
This was a self guided tour and tickets could be purchased at a variety of stores from Burlingame to Menlo Park. I bought my ticket on the day, so it was $45 to see the five kitchens/homes. The Community Service League which hosts the event raises money for the Mental Health Association of San Mateo County and the Youth and Family Enrichment Services Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center.
The booklet (above) described a little bit about each house the included helpful details, like architects, contractors, interior designers and suppliers for each house. The map printed on the back of the ticket included a couple of Restroom Locations which I thought was a really nice detail, especially for people who don't know the area.
Many of the houses had complimentary demonstrations, food or drink available, and Dacor kindly gave each ticket holder a bag which included booties for the houses.
There were no photos allowed on this tour, which I always respect and refrain from taking photos outside as well, so unfortunately, you'll have to take my word and descriptions to imagine this tour.
The first house was filled with oranges and blues - furniture, decorative pillows, drapes etc, which isn't really my style, however the best feature of this house was the pool, the very clever outdoor shower and the bathroom that could be accessed from the family room inside or the pool/garden area outside. The outdoor shower was situated under a corner of the house so while it had partial walls and a covered 'ceiling' it had plenty of gaps to provide an outdoor experience.
At the fourth house which was 'okay' I encountered something I had never come across before on a house tour. Not only did they ask ticket holders to take off our shoes (fine, no problem with that) they asked us to put on booties, the home owners did not want socks nor bare feet on their floors.
The third house on the tour was by-far-and-away my favorite and the most amazing house on the tour. It was originally a ranch-style house which had had a major overhaul and WOW the results were FANTASTIC!!! I entered through glass double doors (always a favorite of mine to have double doors entering a home, feels like a grand entrance). I then found myself in a HUGE room which included a TV watching area to the left, dining room table straight ahead and a more formal sitting area to the right. The kitchen was further around to my left and it was huge, gorgeous and completely in proportion to the rest of the space. Apparently the home owners have four children and a dog, and so perhaps they designed it this way, but what I liked most about the kitchen was the wide spaces between the u-shaped counters and the center island - simply divine!
Lastly, I wanted to give special mention to the floral arrangements in one of the houses. It was done by Blooming Vase and was really a stand out arrangement.
I give this tour 3 out of 5 house hearts. I will certainly be going back next year.
Best wishes,
Catherine
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