Sunday is the last day of the Parade of Homes.So far, I've been underwhelmed.


Where's the shimmery glass walls, bright juicy colors and mod Jonathan Adler furnishings? I'd like to see countertops made of recycled glass and sleek concrete instead of eye-glazing granite.

Last year, I toured a fantastical home in Minnetonka awash with the creativity of local interior designer Jaque Bethke. She suspended an arty glass fixture with Medusa-like tentacles above the master bathtub. Stacked glass chandeliers doubled as columns in the living room. It was one of those "wow" homes that was worth a stop.

After driving from house-to-house, navigating with a tiny stamp-size map, squeezing into a parking spot and slipping on blue booties at the front door— I want to be rewarded with

jaw-dropping eye candy.This year, I found the same old hand-scraped mahogany floors, "Old World" charm, rolled arm sofas and the obvious Gs — gourmet kitchen and granite. Mixing dark walnut and white enameled woodwork in one room was about as edgy as it got.

I get it that most of the homes are built on spec and have to appeal to a wide range of tastes and decorating styles (think neutral) in order to get sold. Many boast smart, functional design with lovely must-have amenities. But like many Parade gawkers, I'm not buying — just looking. Where are the homes in which a designer and builder were allowed to go a little crazy and deviate from the beige-on-brown-on-beige?

There's more than 300 homes on the Parade and the brief descriptions typically don't go beyond "exotic woods," "artfully crafted living spaces" and "HGTV flooring" (whatever that means).

So I need your help. Have you toured any of the spring Parade Homes that you remember five minutes after you walked out the door? And urged your friends to check out? Please share — and don't forget to include the Parade number and city.