That exterior "front" facade has to be one of the ugliest "Dream Homes" ever. It is just so imbalanced and unpleasant. I don't think it is the photographer's fault -- I place the blame on the architect. I think they were trying to capture the best views on the sloped lot but it is a fail. And the color and landscape do not help. The color is like when you neighbor paints their house and the color is the wrong hue and saturation and you think they must have not tried a large swatch in the outside light before having the whole house painted.

I knew it was SW paint as a sponsor before I had even seen Jinx' post --- that horrible color of the year was there. The tones really are fighting with he architecture, furniture and landscape.

Similarly, I was distracted by the cabinets in the kitchen and though -- those look like garage storage units. And then I saw they were supplied from Cabinets To Go, which explains a limited choice of styoles and colors.

I love green, and yet this has convinced me otherwise. Soul-crushing implementation.

I don't really understand the hate. There is definitely room for criticism (I agree the exterior is...haphazard, and many of the interior spaces have a dearth of windows and views), but it's not nearly as bad as what I was expecting from the comments. I wouldn't say no!

@deegw...Did you drive by?

Not yet, I looked for the address the other day and it doesn't seem to be public yet. Plus, I just arrived in Key West last night! I'll see if I can find the house when I get back to CO next week.

Someone I follow on instagram toured the house so I got some peaks then. Nothing about it appealed to me. Now, don't get me wrong. I would not mind winning it. I would go, select the furniture and art pieces I like, have them shipped home, then put it on the market. Some of the dinosaur art would be great for my 3 year old grandson! And I would like to have some of the outdoor furniture. Other than that, it's a no for me.

It's dark and dreary despite all the big windows. Some people like vaulted ceilings but I see high heat and cooling expenses. The terraces would look much better without the boulders laying around everywhere.

I'm a cabinet designer and the door style of the kitchen cabinets is a new style many of the cabinet manufacturers are rolling out this year. It's not really new, though -- IIRC Pal recently showed a mid-century house with the original cabinets that looked just like them.

Kitchenwitch111 I love that slim shaker style! but personally it's not what I'd choose. The bottom frames of my own cabinets catch dust, drips and crumbs. Not super hard to clean, but I would much prefer the easy-clean efficiency of slab front for any modern or MCM home.

I'm not opposed to the slim shaker style but the color is so drab, combined with the style and pull choice make it look utiltarian, like garage storage. And the color choices are not working well together, at least in that light.

I did like some aspects of the exterior but I can't get over the exterior of the house. Color and other elements are a quick change, but some of the other things are tough.

I love the setting! And the pet station. I wouldn't say no, either, if I won it. But I agree with some of you that it's pretty bleak. Some of the spaces kind of remind me of the Restoration Hardware catalogs that have very little color in them. I also find there is way too much going on - too much to look at and be distracted by, sort of sensory overload. I don't find that very calming, especially outside, which I typically find very soothing. But not there, unless I'm staring out at the distant scenery.

This may be a very au courant Colorado style of architecture. There have been some similar and some other more atrocious Colorado new builds showing up in the Building a Home Forum, and they seem to be surrounded by houses of this sort as well.

pal....I tried telling you all....it's a Colorado style home. The things THIS house has are ALL popular HERE in Colorado. The style is NOT town specific either. Aspen, Breckenridge, Denver.....THIS is the look...right down to the boulders & outdoor cooking space in the back yard. Grey is IN. Brown leather is still "in".

HGTV knows exactly what people HERE want.

The kitchen is not at all what I would want. Besides what others have said, I also dislike the whole idea of having the kitchen sink in the island. The sink, with various dishes, splashes, etc, right next to where people might want to sit and socialize, with a snack? But the main objection, for me, comes from my experience at the home of a friend, where the sink was in the island. One active two-year-old, unattended for only a minute, was able to splash water ALL over the entire island (plus the floor, of course). I was glad it was not my child! but it has stuck with me, and that would absolutely be a deal-breaker for any house I was looking at. No sink in the island!

I might have a different perspective having built a second home in Wildridge (in Avon, just west of Vail). I looked to see where the HGTV house is located - two counties east of Eagle County. I agree there is a variety of housing styles in CO, but in our area, this would only have been farther down the mountain (way down) or in the valley. ETA: But we did sell our house 2007, but things haven't changed much according to RE websites.

@nicole___ I’m not at all against boulders, In fact they can be absolutely beautiful, but this was NOT artfully done. The outside spaces are extremely cluttered and the boulders were overdone and not placed or arranged in a way that would enhance the topography or landscape.

Nothing to do with boulders, but was also wondering how one would actually sit in one of these chairs. Between the antlers hanging on the wall, and the fact that there is actually no room to pull the chairs out, it seems to me that this space is way too small to be used for anything functional….

The boulders look like that’s where they ended up after a landslide.

Hahaha

@Nidnay...that's a step up. Looks pretty good to me. My neighbors have lots of stone retaining walls and patios just like this. It's a natural look.....a landslide...OK....a natural landslide. 🤣 We've stopped putting in lawn. Boulders are fire proof. It's going to catch on as the World runs out of water.

the problem with the boulder that even in a landslide, some are buried in the ground (and the rest of the ground would be torn-up). They should have them buried in the landscape and a few more scattered up the hillside.

Nidnay is right to point out the ridiculous nature of that staged nook. That space could, however, be used for a desk, except for the antler hazard.

I have several family members in Colorado, as well as friends who own property there and planning to build. None of them would have anything to do with this style of architecture.

wondering how one would actually sit in one of these chairs. Between the antlers hanging on the wall, and the fact that there is actually no room to pull the chairs out, it seems to me that this space is way too small to be used for anything functional….

The person I follow on instagram that toured the house and showed this room received questions about this. She (a designer) said this is the difference between photo shoots of rooms and how one would actually live. The antlers are placed in the best spot for the photos but would absolutely be moved up (or somwewhere else) for actually living in the house so as not to be speared when trying to sit down. Okay...

Love, love, love the interior - especially the colors. Don't care for the exterior as much, but I certainly don't hate it.

In Colorado, I would not spend that much time outside anyway, except in the summer. I do not ski and I do not tolerate cold weather well, but I do absolutely love the interior of this house.

I bet those boulders prevents avalanches. ;) Lars, the interior depresses me. It may looke better at night with lamps on.

i see soooooo much furniture that would have to be stored during the winter months. 7 seating areas on the upper deck, 5 seating areas on the patio. what is the point of the outdoor kitchen when you don't have a nice large table for outdoor meals with friends.. oh, and speaking of friends - why are visitors entering into the kitchen? seriously? where is the coat closet? where do those shoes go when you ask guests to take them off? where do i store my own parka and snow boots, hats, gloves, when i'm not wearing them? who the hell needs a coffee room and why when this house has three 'bonus' rooms each with plumbing, couldn't they make a powder room? Where does the family sit and watch TV together? The design is illogical and shouldn't be billed as a dream home. more like a nice house if you are lucky to win it, but plan on spending quite a bit to renovate it. I'm not a fan of the exterior color or landscaping but i could overlook that if the floor plan made better sense and accommodated the way 99% of america lives.

Yuck!

No one has commented on how little storage there is. The pantry and laundry room are functional but the bedroom closets are very small. The primary closet is hardly the size I would consider worthy of a ”dream’ home.

I know this designer is very talented, but can HGTV not find anyone else to design a dream home? It was so disappointing to see the same style, from the same designer year after year. Especially with all that money spent. It would be great to see someone take a fresh approach to design.

Did anyone enter the sweepstakes?

I did once, but then forgot!

I keep getting the emails and forgetting. DH and my friend are entering every day. I'd still like to go up and see the house if it's open but right now our side roads are terrible. For some reason, CO doesn't like to plow them because they expect the snow to melt from our high-altitude sun. We've had a cold snap and very little sun and the side roads have been filled with deep ruts and ice for over a week. Blah.

It's grey. It's drab. It's boring. I don't care what is trendy or what is not - this is for me a no-brainer to pass on.

I can't believe this is a Dream Home. So depressing. Worst designer home I I think I've ever seen.

You can change colors of most things -- especially the wall paint and exterior (all the greens), but what is hard to tell from photos (especially when real estate photos tend to use lenses to expand the space) is whether you could clear the furnishings and rearrange things so it would be more liveable. The coffee nook and reading nook look incredibly uninviting.

Deegw, if you are ever able to go look in person, I'd be curious how the spaces feel.

lascatx, I've been looking for open house info but I haven't seen anything yet. I did read in Reddit that the lot is in a canyon and gets very little sun which makes the dark color choices even more perplexing.

Do you happen to know the address?

I don’t think they’ve given the street address, just that it’s in Morrison, Colorado (unless I missed it).

Any locals know?

Per Reddit, this is the address.

21508 TRAPPERS TRL
MORRISON CO 80465

Thanks, dee!

Thanks! We used to live in Morrison, loved it☺️

I'm still waiting on notification that I won. I'll keep you guys posted.

I think HGTV did this house on the cheap. Compared to prior Dream Homes, it just looks incredibly blah and basic. It seriously looks like the designers didn’t put any thought into it. There is no WOW moment anywhere in the home.

I kind of hate it. The main living area looks a little prefab to me, or like a really big converted garage that had been built for a couple of giant Rv’s. The colors are drab and uninspired. The outdoor living space is awful. But simply because it doesn’t appeal to me doesn’t mean loads of people don’t consider it a dream house—-obviously they do—- and i hope one of them wins it.

As a former Santa Fean, The HGTV 2023 Smart Home in Santa Fe was not a "Santa Fe" style home - Santa Fe is a very special place with its own unique architecture and ambiance. The interior almost looked like a mid-century modern home - where was the Kiva fireplace, the vigas, the colorful Mexican tile, etc. And with the beautiful light out there, why so dark and depressing color palette? And the art work? There is so much beautiful local artwork around there that could have been used - I could go on and on, but for all the times the designer yelled Santa Fe, I think she totally missed the magic of what Santa Fe is - it is not reflected in the home

I totally agree with HU!

I just went to look, HU, and agree with everything you said.

They had a great opportunity (again) to design a house with local flair and history, and to showcase local artists … but instead churned out another we-bought-everything-at-Wayfair-in-one-day aesthetic. The interior of that house could be anywhere, the furnishings generic. Quick, easy, and not much thought put into it.

Not saying every house in every town should be a theme house, but I expect more diversity from what should be a dream house designed by professionals.

Oh, wait! There are a few orange walls, and hats with a southwestern throw … how creative! 🙄

I agree with you. The interior design for this Santa Fe home is not good and does not reflect the outside of the house at all???? I do not know what they were thinking in letting this designer work on this home.😥

This home is so poorly executed. The Astoria Design Build company that created it couldn't even make the ceiling beams flush, mitigate weird gapping in the deck boards or have a clean paint line from one color wall to the next. I would not want this house even if I won it for free. It's tacky and going to fall apart tomorrow.

Why do people keep saying it's "Santa Fe" style? I don't get THAT vibe at all....

The last few comments were about the interior of the Santa Fe house, not the Colorado one.

They had a ”Dream Home” (Colorado) and a ”Smart Home” (Santa Fe).

Exterior of Santa Fe house:

Edited to add link: https://www.hgtv.com/sweepstakes/hgtv-smart-home/2023/tour-hgtv-smart-home-2023-pictures

Oh yeah....that one! thanks....I was reading the last few comments...