Bellezza, left, built by Kurlemann Homes, and Monte Carlo, right, built by Sanneman Homes, (Gary Landers photos) | ZOOM |

        The only reason not to go to Homearama is that you'll come home and want to level your house and start over.

        But buck up, put on some comfy walking shoes, and be ready to take notes.

        There are many reasons to stop in at Homearama — design ideas you can adapt and home accouterments you've probably never thought of, including a Star Trek shower with fiber-optic lighting set in the tiles, a cut-glass powder room sink, a security system that enables you to see what programs your kids are watching on their TVs, a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's successors ... and a “live” mermaid at “Tranquility,” by Perry Bush Custom Homes.

        From the first house — the 5,100 square-foot “Principio” by Rookwood Construction Development — to the last — the spacious 11,000 square-foot “Wellington Manor” by United Builders Inc. that requires an elevator and a road map to maneuver, the 11 homes are a showcase of the latest trends and novelties in home construction, design and landscaping.

        Here's a peek.

        • Master bedrooms or suites are all on the main level, with six of 11 opening onto decks.

A pull-out pantry in the kitchen of Chateau Rothschild, built by Hensley Homes | ZOOM |

        • Airy floor plans with rooms grandly opening into each other let these house designs breathe deeply. “Chateau Rothschild” by Hensley Homes Inc. has a grand hall on one side with parlor and dining space and a winter garden room opening onto a deck on the other — a knock-out entertaining space.

        • Multilevel decks sport synthetic floors, aircraft carrier-size grills and hot tubs, some with screened-in sections.

        • Leaded-glass is the rule for entryways, some with decorative glazing and many with sidelights. The entryway on “Nature's View” by Eagle Custom Homes plays tricks on the eye. From the outside, the leaded-glass door designed by the Wright-trained architect Anthony Puttnam looks almost colorless, but viewed from indoors, it's shot with vibrant green shards of light. The door glass was executed by Stained Glass Overlay in Elsmere.

        • Look up. Coffered, multilevel ceilings with wood trim and faux painting techniques call attention to many-a-home's main space. Stop at the entrance to “Nature's View” for a dramatic example.

The "drive-in" entertainment room of The Brycer, built by Shonave Custom Homes. | ZOOM |

        • Multijet showers big enough for the whole team are the norm. My favorite is the walk-in at “Chataeu Rothschild” by Hensley Homes. U-shaped, it wraps around a whirlpool bath and has no less than six shower heads mounted vertically along the wall.

        • Home theater rooms with rear-projection TVs are everywhere, mostly on lower levels, but the newer flat-screen TV is the media darling. The best-looking is the sleek Marantz in the “leisure room” just off the kitchen of “The Brycer” by Shonave Custom Homes Inc.

        • Murals and faux painting outnumber wallpaper. The drive-in theater wall and ceiling mural by Barbara Howard of Inside Imaging in “The Brycer” takes you back to the heyday of the outdoor movie theater with a turquoise Chevy, a red T-bird and a starlit sky overhead.

        • Water is everywhere — from double fountains outside “Bellezza” by Kurlemann Homes to the indoor fountain at “Principio” by Rookwood Construction.

Illuminated tiles highlight the master bathroom of The Brycer. | ZOOM |

        • Exercise rooms and wine cellars are as much a part of floor plans as bathrooms and bedrooms, though relegated to lower levels.

        • All the homes have closets that could double as ballrooms. Even Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw of HBO's Sex and the City would have trouble keeping the closets filled at “Nature's View” by Eagle and the “Bellezza” by Kurlemann Homes.

        • Designers looked to the earth and the spice rack for wall colors of clay, sand, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, shale. Carpeting is shades of neutral, flooring is hardwood, and the rug of choice is the Oriental.

        • The shower in the master bath in “The Brycer” by Shonave Custom Homes has fiber-optic tube lighting in the tile floor and wall trim. It changes color from white to green, blue and purple. Ron Hammond of Lazarus designed the home's interior.

        • Cooks will love the vertical, pull-out pantry doors and the stow-away cutting board and knife drawer in the “Chateau Rothschild” by Hensley Homes.

        • The etched granite back of a bar by Jim Smith and Sean Donahue of Laser Imaging and Design of Lebanon in the lower-level entertainment area of “The Brycer” is a twist on what an artist can do with stone.

        • The Crestron security system by Safe and Sound in “Walker's Place” by deStefano Custom Builders lets you monitor your home's interior and exterior as well as regulate the sound system and temperature. You can peek at what the kids are watching on TV or even fire up the furnace while you're still on an airplane with this sophisticated system.

IF YOU GO

What: 41st annual Homearama, 11 newly built, furnished and landscaped homes, priced $750,000 to almost $2 million. Three are sold.     When: Through June 23. Hours: 4-11 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.     Where: Vista Pointe at River's Bend, South Lebanon. From I-71, take exit 28. Go south on Ohio 48. Turn left on Vista Ridge Drive. Free on-site parking.     Tickets: $8 adults, free for ages 12 and under.     Information: 851-6300; www.cincybuilders.com.

        • A compact, square fireplace set diagonally more than half way up the wall in “The Brycer” is a head-turner. From Installed Products and Services, the fireplace's wide, brushed-steel frame makes it look like a painting until the flames start to dance at the touch of a remote control. Lest you cry “gimmick,” know that it heats the room through its glass door.

        • Sinks have gone off the deep end — from the “bowl” designs at “Nature's View,” by Eagle and “Tranquility” by Perry Bush to the cut glass bowl in the “Chateau Rothschild” by Hensley Homes. Faucets and spigots are independent of the sink, often attached to walls or mirrors with no evidence of plumbing.

        • The back porch where I most wanted to take a breather was the “Monte Carlo” by Sanneman Homes. It has wide-slat floors, fireplace, ceiling fan and stone siding. The bubbling pool nearby was the finishing touch.

        • Landscapers, who play beat-the-clock working around construction and clean-up crews, put the icing on these cakey homes, though some could have benefited from “less is more” advice. Purple is the accent color of choice, mixed nicely with colorful annuals and greens.

        The Lichtenberg Landscaping team from Mason told me its favorites are Japanese maples, Japanese barberries, “Purple Palace” coral bells, sistena plum bushes and plum trees.

        Sweet bay magnolias were found at many entryways, fragrant welcome mats when in bloom.

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