Bobby McAlpine, LIVE, on The Skirted Roundtable, this week!

I can hardly wait to hear the latest interview on the Skirted Roundtable featuring one of my favorite architects of all time, Bobby McAlpine.

Joni , of Cote de Texas fame, and I were emailing recently. I was responding to her statement that he is one of her design heroes of all time.  I told her that he is one of my all time favorites as well.

I wanted to congratulate her on the opportunity to talk with him on their wonderful online program.

Joni, Megan and Linda have talked design and life with some amazing people in the last year or so, but for me, personally, this one is exceptionally exciting!

 

Honestly, I have had this page and the following pages attached to it, in my files for years - since 1996, to be exact, when it was in Southern Accents. 

This one, too, an article about the home of designer Cindy Smith,  in Charlotte, North Carolina and her work with Bobby McAlpine..  It was in a Southern Accents issue from 1993!

This is the interior of the home - I loved it then and I still love it! Classic and handsome.

 

 While McAlpine Tankersley has had lots of press coverage over the years, people are quite excited about Bobby's new book, The Home Within Us. I couldn't wait to read it, and think it stands alone in the world of design books. While the interiors are beautiful, it is the depth and substance of Bobby's design philosophy that make this book so real and so special. I really look forward to putting a voice to these words.

I know I have been known to call more than one architect my favorite. I don't make that statement lightly, though. I really do have a handful of favorites.

Some are familiar Texas architects, Michael Imber,  David Lake and Ted Flato, of San Antonio.

Some are my friends, like Jon Pankratz  and Reagan George,  both of  Dallas and Fredericksburg, and Craig Kinney of San Angelo.

Some are architects  I have followed  from afar, literally for years - reading books, magazines, anything I could get my hands on to glean more from their work.  O'Neil Ford, 

Frank Welch,  Hays Town,  Hugh Newell Jacobson, and Bobby McAlpine are all architects whose work I am drawn to, flipping through design magazines, recognizing the pull and excitement I often feel when I spot an aesthetic I love,  sometimes before I even know it is their work.

So, check on the Skirted Roundtable  for the interview one day this week, pour yourself a cup of coffee and sit down for a listen. 

I know I will be listening, maybe more than once,  and loving every minute of it.

House Dreams

While I have had the good fortune to live in this hill country house for the past four years, I find myself dreaming of designing a house for the next stage in our life. We will be empty nesters in a few years, and our needs will change.

This house is classic Texas hill country and has been a very special home to inhabit. Our girls have had a blast here entertaining their friends  - swimming, playing hide and seek, playing basketball, roasting marshmallows, and having backyard birthday celebrations. We have had good times as well, but the house is too big for the two of us. Another family needs it now.

Hill Country House is for sale.

The house is situated 4 miles outside of town. It is the perfect distance - country skies filled with stars at night and not a city light around, but close enough to run to the grocery store when you forget something. 

If you are interested in living here, or know someone who is, contact me and I will give you sales information.

So............

I know I want something smaller. It is no secret that I like too many things and too many styles, though.  I believe in building appropriately for the setting, and in Texas that can mean a southwestern or hill country style,  or a home with a Mexican influence.  There are many styles and choices. I dream of soft contemporary..........something like this:

Dallas home designed by Lake Flato

or even more modern, like this.....

Lake Flato

or sort of traditional modern, like this..........

Jon Pankratz, AIA

or let's throw in some Southern influence, or would it be Mediterranean?.........

I apologize for no credit info -  saved in my favorites file

or this............

Craig Kinney architect

or maybe really hill country, like this.....................

 Lake Flato

or subtle and nestled in the trees, waiting to be discovered............like this.......

 Reagan George, AIA

Confused? Me too.

Thoughts, ideas welcome.

My Favorite Architect

From a Mexican hacienda to a quaint English cottage, I love architecture.......... I LOVE architecture. It's a passion I was born with, I think. Truly, for as long as I can remember, I have been interested in and drawn to certain styles of homes and buildings.

The style that I have loved and been attracted to my entire life, though - the style that feels like home and makes me smile from within - is that of Texas Modernism.

Texas Modernism refers to a style of design that not only uses materials native to Texas, but also to characteristics indigenous to the region, with roots from early Texas homes. These homes do not have excessive ornamentation, but while simple, are elegant in their design. Much thought is given to the orientation of these houses regarding ventilation and cross breezes, natural light and warmth, as well as cooling shade.

My friend, Jon Pankratz, AIA, comes from a long line of "descendants", if you will, of great Texas modernists. From one of the the most well known Texas architects, O'Neil Ford, to Jon's mentor and close friend, Frank Welch, to having some similarities to San Antonio architects, David Lake and Ted Flato, Jon has developed a style of his own that is both classic and unique.

Jon attended Texas A&M University for both undergraduate and graduate study, receiving his undergraduate degree in Environmental Design and Masters degree in Building Design. He worked for Frank Welch for 15 years before starting his own firm in Dallas in 1994.

I met Jon in 1994 when I drove by a great looking house in Dallas that was under construction - of course, being the house addict that I am, I had to stop and ask for details - and it happened to be his first project "on his own".

The rest is history. Not long after that day I began to refer to Jon as "my favorite architect" and to this day, he remains so.


Jon and his wife, Marilee, moved to Fredericksburg shortly after we did and have become dear friends over the years. I have loved following Jon's work and think it so appropriate to share here. This house is one of his most recent projects and perfectly exemplifies a Texas hill country modern house , built of native limestone and quietly embraced by the surrounding hills.

Although this home can be seen from a distance, it blends in beautifully with the landscape.

Jon's designs stretch from Dallas to Fredericksburg, and beyond into South Texas. His most recent works dot the Texas hill country. He has designed homes and weekend lake houses for friends and friends of friends. His best advertising is word of mouth. While his work is steeped in Texas modernism, it is always unique to each setting and the personality and needs of his clients. I quote the mother of the woman who shares this house with her family - "Jon got it perfect. Every square inch of that house is just right for Carol and her family " - Yep! that would be my favorite architect!



Native limestone, wide covered porches and standing seam metal roofs are classic characteristics of this style. The pool, crisp and clean in design, is a focal point for this home. Not only is it lovely aesthetically, but provides a cool relief from the Texas heat. (If you want to see greater detail, click on the photos. It is worth your time to see more of this stunning house.)


Open air pavilions and loggias are often designed to capture light and warmth from the sun during the winter, and to catch cool breezes and shade in the summer. Inside and outside become one with the use of porches, closely grouped buildings, and courtyards. Jon created a beautiful outdoor space for this family, whether they are enjoying the pool on a hot Texas day or sitting by a fire on a chilly evening.



One of the characteristics of many of Jon's designs are separate spaces that are attached to the main home, but function on their own. I love how the small building is part of the overall design, but distinctively separate from the main house.

Natural materials like brick and wood, and lots of natural light make this loggia classic to Jon's design aesthetic.

A beamed ceiling , more interior brick and hardwood floors make this house perfect for either traditional or contemporary furnishings.

I love the arches over the openings and the use of interior brick throughout the house.

The kitchen is warm and traditional in materials, but contemporary in it's clean lines.

If you are interested in seeing more of Jon's work, or want to contact him, please let me know in the comments section and I will send you his contact information. I do plan to feature more of his designs as well as those of other Texas modernists.