House Gawking

Hello!

I hope your Easter weekend was as beautiful as ours was here.  Such a nice change of pace to have warm sunshine and clear skies, given what we usually get for the Easter holiday.

Our weekend wasn’t without a baseball game, and we headed down to Indian Hill (near Cincinnati) on Saturday.  Indian Hill is one of the most gorgeous areas I’ve seen around Ohio, and it’s unique in every way.  Many of the homes are set on large, sprawling lots (I think grounds is probably a better description), with homes that are off the charts beautiful.

Since we had some time to burn before the game started, we drove around, and I did some house gawking while my husband alternated between calling me nuts, crazy and a stalker

Here are a few shots I snapped with my phone (since my camera would have been a bit over the top).  If I hadn’t been driving, there would have been more, trust me.  No worries, I stopped to take these shots and to pick my jaw up off of the floor.

When we rolled up in front of this one, I said, “Is that a house or a country club?”  Yes, it’s a house.  Unbelievable.  Who lives in these places?

Amazing, right?

So, of course, I had to scour the real estate listings to get some more house gawking material.  Homes in this area have things that most neighborhoods don’t, and it’s fun to get a peek inside when you’re a crazy house voyeur like I am.

First, let’s look at some more exteriors, shall we?  (All photos courtesy of SibcyCline.com.)

Of course, pools are quite popular in this area.  And if you have a pool, you must have a pool house/guest house, right?

Not bad for a detached garage/guest house.  I could make it work.

A cute bathroom for a quaint guest house, don’t you think?

If you have horses, you can surely find a home with some stables to hold them.

If you’re a wine aficionado, wine cellars are an option as well.

And a butler’s pantry that looks like a corner store.  LOVE.

Cool, black windows and doors here, and I love the tile pattern on the floor (same as the pantry).

Beautiful coffered ceilings abound – whether in your library/office – 

Or in a massive living room.  I wouldn’t know how to live in a house like this, quite frankly.  It’s too big for me.

I could, however, live with an awesome closet like this one.  I haven’t come across a closet that is “too big” so far.

Plenty of charming elements in these homes as well.  I love this office/craft space.  So efficient, with so much storage!

And this cool and unexpected double sink –

Or a cozy little sleeping nook.  My daughter would love this.

I love this home – such character and charm, with lots of updates inside.  Sorry guys, it’s already sale pending, with a cool list price of $1.5 million.  Definitely not as ostentatious as some of the homes we passed in the area.

Beautifully done kitchen with all of the features that I love.

A darling little girl’s room.

With a perfect little girl bathroom to go with it.

And a crazy-cute and creative nursery.  Although I wonder how much work it would be to take down that tree…

A perfect little play room.  What kid wouldn’t love this space?

Some of the views behind the homes are equally beautiful.

Many of the homes in the area have been there for a long time, and have a great deal of historical appeal.  They just don’t build homes like this anymore.

Here’s an interesting little piece of trivia about Indian Hill.  The movie “Traffic” was filmed in the area, with Michael Douglas playing the role of a politician who lives in Indian Hill.  He was appointed to escalate the war on drugs, only to find that his own daughter was an addict.  Interesting, yes?

Do you have any neighborhoods like this where you like to do some house gawking?  If you can’t get enough – check out the listings here.

5 Comments

  • Reply
    Bama Girl in AZ
    April 21, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    WOW. I would gawk for hours at these houses. Living in AZ – I HATE the houses out here for the most part. Just beige, tan and more beige (except in our lovely Country Club neighborhood). Thanks so much for letting us gawk with you!

  • Reply
    Calypso In The Country
    April 21, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    Oh, what fun! I know of a few neighborhoods that I just love to drive through. I always wonder what these people do for a living! Thanks for sharing!
    -Shelley

  • Reply
    beach_bum
    April 21, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    I often wonder the same thing – "Who lives in these places?" ?!? Although I wouldn't mind a bit bigger of a house, who needs a home as big as these? Maybe you'd get used to it. I don't think I will ever know…ha ha. Fun to look at, though! 🙂

  • Reply
    Kris @ Driven by Décor
    April 22, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    I love driving through Indian Hill looking at the gorgeous homes – I recognize a few of the ones in your post! Love so many of the interior pics that you showed too – I'm always amazed though by how the nicely decorated interiors are few and far between in these huge homes – most of them are awful!

  • Reply
    Faust
    April 24, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    If you come to Columbus, you need to go to Bexley. Beautiful homes/estates with a lot of history!

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