Unique Unique Design

We’ve been working on elevations for the house mentioned in the previous post. The Historical Society is involved, so that makes it a little more challenging. Sometimes Historical Societies have strict guidelines on what you can do and not do. Not so much with the one we’re working  with. It’s much more subjective. That can work for you, but it, also, makes it harder to nail down what they are after. I guess you hope the guy who is working with you hasn’t had a fight with his wife the day you submit your elevations! We’ve made several changes as you can see below. Right now we are waiting to hear about one that isn’t shown here. I’m sure we will get it all approved before too long.

In this one, we have the center roof line too high. The window above the garage doors will be changed to the large area of the roof. The garage roof will no longer be a hipped roof, but a gable.

Here, the roof line over the garage shouldn’t include the door. We don’t want the timbers above the garage doors. We do like that the center roof has been lowered. Still tweaking. Will have it all figured out soon and hopefully it will be approved by the “powers that be”.

We have been working on this project with a great architect. All the above drawings are done by Steve. Check out Steve’s website at www.sshomedesign.com. We have, also, been working with Ed at Jered Homes. Both guys are fun to work with.

Will continue to update our progress. We are, also, involved in another exciting project. Will fill you in soon. We’ve been quite busy.

Thanks for following our blog. We love to hear your comments.

Stay cool!

Literally, we are looking for the rock to go on the different areas of the house we are working on right now. The main part of the house will be a very light stucco. We are looking at stone that has some variation in it, but is still very light and muted. We took these pictures of some stone work that we thought would work with the design of the house. Some of the stone is a little darker than we are thinking, but we like how it is laid out.

This first picture is closer to  the color we are wanting,

but….

the walls here are more like the style.

Haven’t decided for sure yet, if the roof will be a darker color like this..

and then use a copper roof over the bumped out kitchen window and another arched window with arched roof above the garage doors.

These are just samples of colors not actual roof material.

There will be a small courtyard in the front of the house that can be accessed from the kitchen and a side gate.

We love this stacked stone wall for the courtyard. If you notice there is a planter that runs along the length of this.

We still have a little more planning work to do before we actually break ground. Soon, we hope.

What do you think of the stone?

Have a “rockin’ week!

Before we left for vacation, our friend Laura from Dela Designs, wanted me to come by and see the house she’s been working on for several months. This was originally an older farm house and they gutted it and redid it all. The day I was there the contractors were still there working on the house. It was getting very close to occupancy, though. It is located on a beautiful piece of acreage. I’m not really sure how much land it was sitting on, but it was quite lovely.

This is the breakfast room. The seating will be part of a banquette.

A window above the sink in the laundry room that looks out into the back yard. Notice the countertops are galvanized metal.

The sink in the guest bath is an urn. It looks great!

The teenager daughter is getting this precious vinyl covered headboard with mirror surrounding it. Note the cool pendant light in the dormer. This will be a really fun room when finished.

This is the covered back patio overlooking the pool. Way back in those trees is a creek.

Same patio looking out to tennis court. In the lower left corner is Laura’s great Dane, Rocky.

A view of the front of the house. It looks smaller than it is when you get inside.

If you look straight out from the patio, past the tennis courts, you see this absolutely wonderful barn! You can’t see it in this picture, but there is gorgeous  rock waterfall (large) in the very back of the barn. These are some lucky horses!!

Thanks, Laura, for letting me come by for a tour and take a few pictures.

Smiles!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but we have been on vacation.  We took our 2 oldest grandkids to Colorado to look at schools in Colorado Springs (the Air Force Academy), Golden (Colorado School of Mines), and Ft. Collins ( Colorado State University).

This is a view of the campus and Chapel at the Air Force Academy against the Rockies.

The library at CSU.

We didn’t get any pics in Golden at Mines, because it was raining. Golden is a quaint little town nestled in the foothills of the Rockies.

We went on up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to visit my brother and sister-in-law. They have a beautiful home in Jackson. Everything was so green and all the lupines were in bloom. There was not a bad scene any direction you look!

This is their house with all the beautiful trees and green. The hill in the back through the trees is the foothills to the Tetons. It is sooo gorgeous there!

We visited Grand Teton National Forest. The sights are breathtaking!

Overlooking the Tetons. The barns were built by early Mormon settlers

Another view from an enormous picture window in Jackson Lodge.

We, also, went up into Yellowstone National Park. What an amazing, but strange place with its geysers and bubbling mud holes and sulfur boiling up out of the ground.

The clearer the water the hotter it is.

Mud volcano.

Not all the sights were as strange as these. Here are a few more picturesque.

Yellowstone Lake…the largest lake above 7000ft is USA.

The lower falls cascading down this unbelievable canyon!

We saw moose, elk, deer, antelope, osprey, buffalo, a red fox, and various other critters. What amazing animals were roaming around.

Last but not least, you didn’t think you’d get away without a picture of my grandkids, did you??

Here is Mason and Madi with my brother. We were waiting to have a chuckwagon dinner and watch a show put on by some very talented ranchers. They were fabulous musicians and so funny our sides hurt!

Well, that’s where I’ve been. Now we will be getting back to work. We are still in the layout and planning stages of house we are helping design. Will show pics of some of this as it progresses.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. No doubt the best designer ever is our Creator! We saw some awesome real estate the last few weeks.

Here’s to beautiful sights in your life!

We’ve all waited for this day and now it’s upon us!  Luann, Kaci and Kaci’s husband Robert have put the finishing touches on their shop, because in a few short hours at 10:00 AM the doors will open for the first time.

If you are anywhere near McKinney, Tx you need to go to their opening. They have a warm, natural, organic look. You’ll love their wonderful vintage finds.  Luann told me their merchandise  seems to be either local or french. Robert, a classically trained chef, will be serving up tasty treats for lunch or to take home to enjoy. Fresh flowers, herbs, plants, and dried twigs and branches will, also, be offered.  So, stop by Patina Green Home & Market and sample for yourselves the fruits of their labor.

Below are a few pictures of past shows they have done.

Photo from Patina Green

Hope you will have a little time to run to the “market”.

116 N. Tennessee

McKinney, Texas 75069

Happy Weekend!!

Now for the rest of the story. These pictures are from Judy’s (J Hill Designs) bedrooms and bath. All the bedding and pillows are Judy’s own line. Also, she does the curtains and valance in the master bedroom. She calls her line “Whitewashed”. It’s 100% cotton in whites and oatmeal. Every piece is prewashed with that soft, inviting feel. Remember when sheets were hung on the line to dry. They had that fresh air smell and freshness. These will bring back those memories from a time gone by.

Old brass bed in front bedroom.

Sitting area in front of bay window in the same bedroom.

This is a twin bed in the middle bedroom.

Snacks for overnight guests!

A slipcovered chair in masterbath.

Judy had 2 full size beds set up in her master bedroom.

Looking out the window between the beds. Note the beautiful valance she designed in these 2 pics.

The rest of the pictures were taken on her back porch. The food for the day was served out of a 14′ metal boat. This was the room I got to help with. We had fun
“playing” with all this! Because of the weather the porch was dark and for some reason these pics are blurry. I’m posting them anyway, so you might get an idea what was done out there.

The back of the boat. We had lights in those pots. Also, the food was not put out yet.

Here’s a seating area across from the boat. All the eating utensils are in various containers on that metal shelf.

Length of the boat with old cot at the front partially tucked under.

Another view.

Hope you have enjoyed seeing some of Judy’s amazing creativeness in these last two posts. Would love to hear what you’ve seen here that “floats your boat”.

Happy Fathers Day!

Last Thursday Judy of J Hill Designs held her always anticipated spring home show. I got a ring side seat, as I went a day early to lend a hand.  Since Judy is a very good friend and we don’t live close to one another, it’s always fun when I can go to supposedly help her and Billy get ready, but we actually get in a whole lot of “talk time”!!

As always Judy’s displays and arrangements are “over the top”.  Everything looked beautiful and shoppers were certainly not disappointed. Sales were brisk and soon the house was looking alot more sparse.

The weather was dark and dreary as you can tell from my dark pictures. I tried not to use the flash.   Even so, a fun time was had by all and the show was a big success in spite of the wet day.

Entry hall.

Harp in living room.

Small Italian metal table.

Table in center of living room with large iron urn. Notice all her custom pillows on the sofa.

Jars with shredded paper and Mary.

Full view of sofa and pillows.

Vintage chair newly upholstered in beautiful brown fabric with crazy quilt rolled up on top.

Music sheets rolled up under cloche.

Umbrella with custom cover in living room. Sorry about the bright lights!

Great fabric on this reupholstered chair.

Birdcage with lamp inside.

Place setting on dining room table.

Slipcovered vintage sofa in Judy’s breakfast room.

This is not all the pictures I have. I’ll post more in a couple days. The rest will be of the bedrooms and the backporch.

Enjoy the tour and keep cool!

In Texas you are always taking a chance on the weather! Last weekend my good friend, Laura, from Dela Design held a wedding in her back yard. It was for her son and his bride. We’ve been having close to record breaking temps here, with the humidity to match. But, the wedding must go on! So, wipe off the sweat and get busy! The trees and bushes were filled with votives, hanging candles, and chandeliers (the groom was responsible for getting most of this up). The flowers for the wedding, tables, wedding party, and all were done that day.  Laura’s very dear friend, Theresa, came and helped with all that and more. I got to help some that day, too. It was fun working with them. Even, though, there is usually some stress that comes with getting everything done on time, by the time the sun set and the lights came on the scene turned to magic.

Laura didn’t have any pics yet of the actual wedding, so what I am posting are a few I took mid-afternoon.  The sun was high and bright, so I really didn’t get many. The yard looked wonderful and since the front was more shaded, that’s where I took most the pics. So, here is a very small sample of the things I could get a picture of that day.

This is a flower bed by her driveway. Notice the votives lining the bed.. There are a few candleliers hanging in the trees, but you’d have to look close to see them.

The path to her front door is lined with hydrangea, ferns, rosemary, and more. The large urns at the front door are vintage concrete pieces purchased in Warrenton, Tx at the huge show down there.

It hadn’t arrived yet when I took this photo, but a beautiful rug was coming for a sitting area out front. The ghost chairs(3 of them) and small table were going on the rug for extra seating.

Hydrangea lining her back patio was used in various floral arrangements.

Up close!

The goose was flying north to The Hamptons for the summer, but stopped in for the ceremony!    Laura actually purchased this from us and we put it high in a tree by where the ceremony took place.  She had on her wedding finery with a wreath for her head and ribbons for her neck

Wish I had pics of the actual ceremony, but I don’t.  Believe me,though, the setting was quite beautiful!

Have a wonderful day!

Remember our friend Deanie? Since I was last over to her house, she has finished painting the brick in her sunroom. She just e-mailed me the pictures of the finished project, so wanted to share them with you all.

She has created lots of texture with the walls, wicker, vintage concrete pieces, linen, seagrass rug, and plants in a predominately white room. I will say, as usual, it is much more impressive in person.

Once again, I’ll let you guess what she purchased from us.  She did buy a beautiful chalk mirror from us for above that buffet. Sad to say, though, it came crashing down and broke in to many many pieces. It was beyond repair.   But, wherever she buys her treasures, she puts alot of thought into it.

Note the french pastry table hidden beside the wicker settee. I love the large, shallow concrete birdbath top on the table…very dramatic. BTW, that fern is real and she keeps it that beautiful!

The opening in the center of that buffet is lined in mirror, so it creates a neat effect.

A small seating area with a table base made from a large column base. A lovely view into her back yard adds the finishing touch

Whether you have a sunroom or not, we hope wherever you are you have sunny days ahead..

And our heartfelt thanks to our military and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice!

I apologize for being gone so long. We’re working on house plans for  a client.  It started with me drawing up sketches for space planning and sending them to the architect. We should be getting the final revision for the floor plan this week and begin the process of deciding the elevations. Our client wants a Spanish feel to this house, but she is far from traditional thinking on anything. Here is a little sample of the beginning of how things might lay out. Some of this will stay similar, some has already flipped around.

A starting place.

I traveled to Houston to Urban Market last week end, then on to Austin, and about an hour west of Austin to shop with our client. We found several things at Urban Market….some great light fixtures, columns for the pool area, a sink for the cabana, and even some cool old leather chairs for dining area. Our stop west of Austin was to check out old doors for exterior and interior at a friend’s shop, Pieces of the Past. Below are some pics of ones we thought might work in this house.

There is a pair of these. They have shutters behind the bars that can be opened. We are thinking of these for the front gate into the front courtyard. When open her dogs can peek through the bars!

Not sure where these might be used. Just loved the lattice work. Thought they could be used as art almost.

This pair would, also, be used as a gate coming from the side yard into the pool area.

These old wooded arched shutters from a church are really great pieces. Would probably be used for impact somewhere rather than function.

These are beautiful divided light doors that we thought of using as possible entrance doors to the master bedroom.

What do you think? Would love to hear how you would use these. Right now we haven’t made up our mind which ones are a sure thing. Although, the white pair with bars are probably a done deal.

Hope you have fun “PLANS” for the week ahead.