Biltmore, Atlanta, & So Much More!

Last week I was blessed to take a trip with some of my best friends from the Interior Design program.  We flew out Monday morning from SLC and headed for Greensboro, North Carolina.  Early the next morning we went to High Point, NC for the furniture showroom. I learned that day that there is over 5 million square feet of showrooms in that city!

The outside of the Baker Showroom:

The Stickley Showroom:

That night we drove to Ashville, NC and ate at a fun BBQ resturant on main street. The next day was spent on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate. This estate was built in the later 1800's and once sat upon 125,000 acres of land! Currently on 80,000 acres, this mansion included many of the technology advances of today including central air, elevators, AC, electricity, and much more!

The Biltmore Mansion:

That night we drove to Atlanta, GA and settled into our hotel.

View from hotel window:

The next day we went to the Atlanta Design Arts Center (ADAC) and viewed many showrooms including Ann Sacks, Schumacher, and Handcrafted Cabinetry.

Friday we went to KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show). Some of my friends had won student contests and stayed really busy, but the rest of us were able to walk around and enjoy the show.

Kohler Showroom:

John Gidding from HGTV's "Design to Sell":

Paul Dimeo from Extreme Home Makeover-Home Edition:

Saturday morning we went to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta:

At the end of our tour, our guide pulled out a Book of Mormon and explained that she keeps it with all her other Bibles (from the 1500's). She had a good friend give it to her and had since lost contact with her and wanted us to help her find her friend. It was a really touching experience.

We then rushed back to KBIS because of the announcement of 2 of our students that had entered an essay about future kitchens.

Lacey Madsen got 1st place (she also placed last year!):

Angela Miller got 2nd place! Congrats girls!

After the awards we went to the Swan House:

Then to the Tullie Farm:

After our tours there we went to dinner at Einstein's (no its not a bagel place, its an amazing place!). We then went to a play at the Fox Theatre then went to the Varsity (a famous hot dog place) and got ice cream, we then headed back to the hotel for the night.

The next day we spent a few more hours at KBIS. First we went to a lecture by John Gidding the host of HGTV's "Design to Sell".

We then finished our rounds on the showroom floors and headed to the airport. The flight was long and toward the end very rough (we flew through a terrible storm) but we all made it safe and sound.

It was a fantastic week!

Caitlin, Brittney, Tehra, and I waiting for the bus home: