LAKE LIVING - DAYBREAK VIRTUAL DREAM HOUSE SERIES

Oquirrh Lake at the Lake Village in Daybreak, UT

For years I have envied people who live by a lake. How picturesque. How idyllic, to be able to go kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, or boating right out your back door?! And then I was invited by the people of Daybreak to come visit the Lake Village and take part in a fun blog series where we build a Virtual Dream Home in the Lake Village at Daybreak. And when I got in a kayak on the Oquirrh lake, I was sold. If I were to live in Daybreak, this would be the place to be!

I've always joked that Daybreak was a little too "Truman Show" for me - with the perfectly planned community, and new perfect homes on tree-lined streets. And while it definitely has that feel to it, it's a beautiful community. And you can't really fault someone for making a beautiful and family-friendly community, right?

One of the things I did to get to know the area and what the Lake Village had to offer, was go kayaking on the lake. It was really fun, and if I lived here, I know I would kayak with my family at least a few times in the summer, not to mention do some paddle-boarding. And my kids would love to simply hang out on the beach and throw rocks, dip their feet in, etc. The lake would definitely get used - it wouldn't just be scenery.

Riding around the neighborhood on our electric bikes

To help us get a feel of the neighborhood, we (me and 3 other design bloggers), rode electric bikes to the pool and to the downtown of Daybreak, SoDa Row (which has the best boutique, Nest, and even a Granato's deli). It was just as I expected, suburbia at its best. Very nice neighborhoods and nice people. And sidewalks everywhere! Oh how I wish I had sidewalks like these in my neighborhood so my kids never had to go on the street, EVER.

And by the way, these electric bikes were SO fun. I am sold on buying one of these. Perfect for pulling the kids on the trailer up steep hills, and just super fun. 

the community pool at Daybreak

Let's talk more about the family-friendliness of this community. The pool is fantastic, and not too crowded, which was much better than expected. And the parks. Oh the parks at Daybreak. They are everywhere! And they have a new park that was really fun, with a brook running along side it. (of course, right?!) And my favorite part is they have sun-shades that cover the slides so your children don't get third-degree burns trying to play on the equipment! (such a pet-peeve of mine when you go to a park and everything is way too hot to play on - we live in a desert!!)

That's right - I slid down that slide like no one's business

And to end my day, I went through the model homes to see what the actual homes at Daybreak had to offer. Honestly, I love the location, because I really like the Lake Village, and the homes are definitely an upgraded version of other homes in Daybreak, which of course was a plus, but they are builder homes. Nicely built and laid out, but I am such a custom-home designer, the "builder" home is not usually my favorite. And this is why I was so intrigued and excited about this "Virtual Dream House Series" because I would love to get my hands on one of the homes and make it as custom and unique as possible.

"The Grand Porch" by Destination Homes at the Lake Village

And that's just what I did, and I am really happy with what we came up with, so I can't wait to share. I was fortunate enough to be paired with Destination Homes, (who also built my sister-in-laws home), so I know I liked their work and designs, which made it the perfect fit.

This series is a 4-part series, which will post every Wednesday, so check back next week for more on the home I chose to "build" and how White + Gold Design does a home in Daybreak!

Kirsten Krason, Jennifer Stagg, Desiree Campbell, and I taking a break on the porch of one of the homes

And check out the other bloggers and their Daybreak Virtual Dream Homes! We had a really nice time together, and I was pleasantly surprised with how genuinely nice and smart, and of course talented these girls were. And they have much better blogs, so you will want to see their posts :)

Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School

Desiree Campbell of The 36th Avenue

Jennifer Stagg of With Heart