During our recent discussion about fake plants and ivy, in which you overwhelmingly voted against it, I mentioned that my parents are moving into a model home that is filled with the fake stuff.
The builder is leaving everything in it for them: the furniture, the artwork, props like reading glasses, and lots of fake plants. Oh, and there’s food, too. Pretend food. Plenty of it. They have no idea what to do with it all.
I was over there last week with my mom to help her figure out what window treatments they’ll need before moving in (the model has curtains and valances on the windows, but no blinds). While I was there, I snapped some photos that show just how much of the fake stuff was in there.
How many fake flower and food arrangements can you spot?
The kitchen not only has fake food arrangements sitting out on the counters, but more is stuffed inside the pantry doors and cabinet drawers.
They even get to keep the hats, jewelry boxes with necklaces arranged artfully on top of them, and the framed photos of fake family members that are sitting around in every room.
My favorite is this palm tree in the basement, sitting next to a big bowl crammed full of wine bottles.
Yes, it’s real wine. Possibly the only real props in the house. What you can’t see is a bar with more bottles lined on it, and a wine cooler that is stocked, and a wine rack with–you guessed it–even more bottles! There are dozens of bottles, even in the pantry, which is kind of bizarre.
Why do I have a feeling I’ll be getting wine from them for Christmas this year?
There are even fake flowers on the screened porch:
So how many fake plants and foods did you count?
Anyone need some plastic loaves of bread? I’ll send them right over. With the economy the way it is, they might come in handy.
My parents are selling just about everything they own and moving with little more than their clothes and toothbrushes into the model. Talk about a fresh start! Do you ever fantasize about ditching all your old stuff and starting over? I know I do!
Remember this post: Why Your House Will Never Look Like a Model? Well, my mom’s house might be the one exception.
{ 43 comments }
I lost count!
Can she donate it to someone that needs to stage their house to sell? If it were me, I would keep the wine for myself and gift all of the fake food and plants for Christmas!
The house looks great, but I don’t really care for the decor at all – fake plants/food and all!
Cleaning all of the unwanted stuff out of there will be a big job – that’s why the builder left it.
Where can I get a house like that???? I think it looks amazing, fake food and all!
Beautiful house…what an exciting change for your folks. Our 11 year old would find plenty to do with all of that fake food…I would give her the fake~ola food and a stack of grocery bags and she would have {imagination~time} for hours. How much does a fake loaf of bread go for these days?
Smiles ~ Ramona
I’ll take your play food — it would awesome for a girl’s play kitchen!
Oh…and as for all of those fake flowers…use them as cupcake toppers…I saw it recently on someone’s blog and since that day I have never looked at fake flowers the same again!
Still Smiling ~ Ramona
I wonder how much they spent on fake stuff? ha! I don’t think they will be on Top Design:-) It’s still a great house, I want to ditch everything and move!!!
P.S. I finally added your button to my side bar:-) Moving my site was a lot more trouble than I thought it would be. Did you have to re-link all of your blog roll? Ugh.
Oh my gosh….I would totally be sending them to family members as Christmas and birthday gifts for the next two years!!!! LOL. They HAVE to keep them. And play nasty tricks on people.
How crazy! I always wondered what happened to the fake food and such when a builder sold a model. There has to be something fun (and funny) that they could do with it all!
Beautiful house by the way. They must be very excited.
Kimba
That is so funny! My kids would have a field day with that fake food in their play kitchen! Thank Goodness at least the wine is real. The amazing thing is, some or designer probably got paid well for doing that design…
How cool for your parents though. a Brand new start.
All of that “fake” stuff costs a fortune! I am a home stager & we pay good money for the props that are all over the house…especially the fake food
My suggestion is to place an ad on Craigs list for home staging supplies & your parents can make a few dollars. I would offer to buy it but I am in Canada. Congratulations to your parents , it is a beautiful home !
Maybe they could sell the whole lot of fake food, photos, plants, etc on ebay or craigslist to somebody who stages houses. Like that show ‘The Stagers’…they have a whole warehouse of stuff to pick and choose from.
I have 2 chairs exactly the same as the one on the screened porch. Got them at Goodwill.
My parents bought a model condo fully furnished after they sold their larger home as they were spending all their time down here…which my brother ended up moving into instead (long story). My Mom was soooo excited about how beautiful everything was. Not being talented in the decor dept. (sorry Mommy) it was a great opportunity for her to have had it all done professionally – and it is beautiful. And for the blow-out price the builder was charging, perfect. My bro is in there now and for such a young family to have a beautifully decorated home which they could never of pulled of at this stage in the game has been a blessing. He has the kids on the weekends and they were in heaven when they first went into that beautifully decorated kids’ room. It had everything in it. Everything. We’re even talking children’s books…heck, even pencils. While the fake food is hilarious, I think snatching up a decorated model is a great idea. (Whoah, sorry so long.) Congrats to them!
Hi Julia!
Such a nice home – good thing one could still see through the faux forest… And, ah, nursing homes and so forth accept these things for seasonal decor for the residents. Not, that it should be foisted on those whose plight is worst but, like I said, for someone unkown reason, the homes like that stuff… ugh, ick…
Best,
Cat
If she drinks enough of the wine she probably won’t give the fake stuff another thought. LOL!
okay despite all the fake stuff, i am drooling over that kitchen…
Real wine in a basket! I’m moving in.
I love this post, Julia – it was like a Highlights magazine game for adults.
My dream right now is to ditch everyting and start over. Good for your parents. I like the e-bay idea.
Yeah ditching all my stuff and starting with someone else’s sounds like great fun to me. I’d give all of the plastic food to some little girl to play house with. Fake plants to a public health clinic for decoration. The wine just can’t be good if it’s been sitting out there for like that for long. So into the soup pot with that!
sweet baby Hay-zeus! That’s a whole lotta faux. Nice house though. My question though, is, don’t they have their own furniture and stuff? What are they going to do with it all? Also, it’s moving day here (see the madness on my blog). Could they possibly fexex over some wine? I NEEDS it.
The fake food is killing me! Does fake food sell houses? I hear it is a big industry! Why have fake when you can have real is my motto! Cute house though:)
Ooo…many of these faux plants are not j’adorable at all. Maybe that’s why the wine is there…if you drink enough of it, the plants start to look real?
It looks like a lovely house on a lake, though! I applaud their ability to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. When we bought the shore house this winter, we kept our apartment so we pretty much started the house out with one wing chair, a 30 + year-old TV and a folding card table. But to us, it was fun! And it introduced me to blogging so it’s all good.
I’m so jealous! To move into a home already decorated and everything coordinates…what a dream come true! Congratulations to your parents.
How funny! I was recently in a thrift store, and I saw tons of fake food. I just kept wondering – why? What would one do with all this fake food?
Mmmm…we haven’t really worked at incorporating fake food into our homes…there is a lot of potential clever creativity in this one…mmmm…!!!! Teehee- always think the display food is funny!!
Have a wonderful evening!
blessings,
kari & kijsa
Well Lawsie Mercy!!! THAT is hilarious. They just left it ALL? Every smackin’ thing?? The reading glasses…everything?
Alright it was the FAKE margaritas on the porch that pushed it over the edge for me!
I can see how, at this point in their life, it might be tantalizing. Easy Peasy. All done. They must be pleased as punch!
Not for me though. My inlaws, Yes.In a skinny minute (would do what your parents are doing)
I, however,think I am allergic to model homes. Or…maybe they are allergic to me.
I see 20 faux’s (including bowl of fruit). I think it may qualify as a faux plant store.Yep.
Wow, its like that Twilight Zone episode where the people wake up in a dollhouse — all the food etc is fake, and the “child” playing with the house is a giant to them. Yikes!
If you can’t find a home stager to buy all the props, try your local community theater, they may need props.
I think I found 25 fake food or flower arrangements. And I just wanted to echo everyone suggesting that you try Craigslist or something to find a home stage that would be tickled pink to have all of those items.
I would definitely ebay the fake food and plants – I have heard they are crazy expensive for builders.
Oh my goodness – that is crazy about all the fake food. Yard sale maybe?! Or paint them white!
The fake food is very expensive. I did visual merchandising in my former life and we spent a FORTUNE on stuff like that for props. Call your favorite interior design firms and see if they want to buy it.
Great house though!
what a pretty home – after you clean out the fake flowers and food! hahah!!!! does she get to keep the furniture? or buy it? is it on a lake? how nice!!!
Joni
Well, if you’re going to have something that is real, it might as well be the wine!!
I wish your parents many happy, wine-filled days in their new home!!
You better check on them now and again…!!
(kidding of course!!)
Linda
xo
A great story!
I’ve dreamed of moving into a house that’s fully furnished and nicely decorated so many times. . . I can’t believe it actually happens! LOL.
Best Wishes to your Mom and Dads on their new home.
~Rhonda
That is so funny, I cracked up. It is nice decor not my style at all but it looks nice together.
I am happy you like the house. Yes, we have a house full of furniture that we are selling/donating to others. But, the model furniture is new and much more expensive than ours.
As for the fake/faux food and flowers, we will find it a new home. Maybe a retirement home that needs new decorations. The real wine has a wine cooler and many, many wine glasses, decanters, decorations and a gift certificate to AA. (Ha!)
Julia’s photos make the house look better than ever. Thanks for the ideas.
Did they pay extra for all that fake stuff? Some of it isn’t bad…not necessarily my taste. Actually, I get so frustrated with trying to decorate my own home that it seems like a nice idea to buy one already done up!
Good idea donating the fake flowers – perhaps a hospital or hospice might appreciate them as well.
I love that arch over the kitchen sink. I’m a sucker for a good arch.
Astrid, no, they didn’t pay extra for the fake stuff, even though they must’ve paid a fortune for all of it! -Julia
Julia,
I make, and have taught, silk and dried flower arrangements/ing, but this is too much fake even for me. But I do understand what they were tying to do. Save that fruit for a Cornucopia for a Thanksgiving centerpiece. I’ve been looking for some faux fruit to make one for our church, I do the flower arrangements there, and haven’t been able to find some good looking fruit. I’m afraid those of us that do flowers and crafts etc., have a hard time throwing things like this away. We feel as soon as we do, we’ll find a need for it later.
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D, You can have all of the food and flowers if you can get here and take it. We will gladly donate it to your church.
You can always put it up for sale ebay. I’m sure someone else could make use of the fake plants and food.
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