Beauty in the Details

The most unique and beautiful houses in Fredericksburg are often hidden in the surrounding hills outside of town. Until the last few years there were no neighborhoods where one could take a "house looking drive" - a common pastime for we house nuts.

Our town is loaded with charm, but primarily with sweet cottages and some classic old German rock houses. If you want to see good looking, interesting new construction, custom architect designed houses, or for that matter, great re-construction on some of the old German homesteads, you must know which back roads to take, and usually need an invitation to get through the gate to venture up the road to the house.

My friend, Leslie, lives in just one of those fabulous new houses that must be "found". Look at her great twist on a traditional country mailbox! There are other homeowners in their area , but you can't see any of the houses from the road. Each home has a mailbox of the same design, but with a different plaque underneath. Leslie and her husband, Gene, chose the classic oak tree of the hill country.
Notice there is not a grand, ostentatious entry gate - just classic hill country.

A short drive down the road and through the oaks................

to her beautiful country house.

The front door is massive. It has a great feel to it and when you push it open you know this is a handsomely proportioned, solidly built, house. The door and the hardware are just a hint of the attention to detail within. It was custom designed and built of Brazilian cherry wood.

Yes, even a very cool doorbell! Check out the website. You can design your own, but isn't this little gecko the best............a perfect example of fanciful whimsy, yet very deliberately chosen.

It is hard for me not to covet when I come into this house! It is chock full of great art and objects that tantalize. Leslie's home is refined and yet not stiff. The painting over the entry table is spectacular. It was painted by our friend, and very talented artist Liz Steving from San Antonio.

Liz is an amazing artist. She not only paints, but often embellishes and paints her own frames. She creates amazing assemblages and sculpture. She has a deep, soulful mind and a wildly creative spirit! I have several of her works and consider them treasures.

Leslie and I are kindred spirits. We both love devotional art and we share an attraction to many hand crafted items from Mexico.

A beautiful Madonna created by Leslie's mother..... She has a very special talent for taking an image and embellishing it in gold leaf. I think it is lovely, and would look even better if I knew how to photograph without a flash.

Leslie was assisted by local designer, Barbara Thomas, in choosing fabrics and window treatments for her home. Barbara is a very talented designer, and as such she became familiar with her client's great taste, and was able to narrow choices for her. Together they created an environment that is beautiful and very personal for Leslie and her family. The furnishings, art and accessories, however, are completely a reflection of my friend's innate sense of style.

Leslie and her husband have an interesting living room arrangement. There is one large room on the other side of the entry wall, but it is divided into two living rooms - pretty much his and hers! Hers is full of treasures she has picked up on world travels and road trips around the hill country. I love shopping with her - she has a great eye for art and design.

I'll bet you can tell whose room is whose one from the photos!

Love the details like this built in nicho..........and the precious, handmade rag doll from Santa Fe.

Leslie introduced me to the artist Gabriela Ibarra who painted the piece above the mantel. I think she is very talented and love her painting style. You can see more of her work by clicking on her name.

A great vignette in Leslie's living room with another great looking painting by Liz Steving!

Isn't she just amazing! This is an original painting and just exquisite.

Guess who's living room this is? It is just through the double doors and also quite lovely - just more masculine, filled with history and his treasures. The corner cabinet is pre-Civil war and has been in Leslie's family for years. It was originally in her great,great grandmother's house in Eagleville, Tennessee. It was built of cherry, as was the other furniture in the house. Most likely, it was actually crafted on the estate as the family was very self sufficient.

I hope you will click on the photos if you want to see anything more closely. This piano is a concert square piano that was a gift from Leslie's husband's great, great, great grandfather to his great grandmother for her 16th birthday. It took four years to make - from 1889 until 1893 - and was made by Wm. Knabe and Company of Baltimore, Maryland of solid rosewood. What a treasure. There is a sweet painting on the piano that Leslie did of their daughter. She is a talented painter and continues to amaze me with her artistic talent!

Obviously, there is a hunter in the family and he gets to enjoy his trophies in his very own space!

I always say I am not a TV person, but I have to admit, watching a movie in this room on the wall mounted television looks pretty inviting. Especially after making a movie snack in the gorgeous kitchen!

A gallery extends the length of the living rooms and leads to the dining room and kitchen on one end and to the personal rooms on the other end of the house. I love the interior stone wall and the oriental rug along the floor.

Love this antique secretary. Notice the details on the chair cushion and the detailed trim on the gorgeous curtains. All of the curtain rods in the house were custom made by local artisans.

Surprise - we both love stone fruit! Leslie has amassed an amazing collection including some peanuts , almonds and Brazil nuts.

Her dining room - not too formal and not too casual......... just warm and inviting...........and every detail perfect.

Not too surprising - more great art. This piece done by Liz Steving's mother, Sandra Hulse. Again, sorry for the flash glare.

The kitchen is my favorite room in Leslie's house. It has a warm feeling

and of course, great color! The cabinetry is a soothing green and the floors are my favorite - saltillo tile from Mexico.

The cabinetry is solid and the detail work just beautiful. I really like the bubbled glass in these cabinets.

The backsplash tile work is subtle and so handsome..............

and the window treatments lovely........................

..............even the random accoutrements in the corner make me smile.

This whimsical, absolutely wonderful thing is from Taos Blue gallery artist Duane O'Hagan.

It hangs in the laundry room window of all places! When first hung there, a sweet hummingbird tried for days to join the group of happily perched wooden birds!

I coveted it so much that I had to visit the gallery myself and get some birds perched on branches for my house, too!

This is a lovely old piece in the upstairs guest room. Of course, Leslie has added her touch with a wonderful wire and metal bird and blue and white china!

Very sweet and very independent, Lady Plushbottom, was not quite sure who this person was snapping pictures all over HER house! She is a Scottish Fold cat - a very special breed who, when they are born, look like any other kitten. At about 3 weeks their ears start to fold down. The tighter the fold, the more prized the cat. When startled, they stand on their hind feet like a prairie dog! She is very special and very soft and cuddly - when she will let you cuddle her! She is definitely the boss.

A comfortable guest room with classic toile spreads, custom draperies, and lovely accessories - I'd stay here anytime!

I am fortunate to have some dear friends with really great houses. Thank you, Leslie, for allowing me to invade your wonderful, private home. It is a great testament to your delightful taste, your refined sense of order and calm and a perfect expression of you!

Save the Date?

You know how you get "Save the Date" cards sometimes for really special occasions? Well, I really, really ,really want to share my friend, Leslie's, wonderful hill country house. So, coming soon..............another great house! Not exactly "save the date" - how about "check back soon"? Maybe, just maybe, this weekend!

Friday Afternoon Amusement

This is too funny and so much fun. I learned this little trick from Mary at Little Red House.
I don't even like this picture anymore, but of course I am too impulsive to wait for a better one. Since this photo was taken I have changed slipcovers, moved chairs, re-arranged table tops, changed the painting above the mantel, and of course, tried to edit out a few things.........my weakness, I know.

At any rate, I am not technically talented and this was so easy on Flicker - go visit Mary to get the exact link. You, too, can be on the cover of a magazine! Have fun!!

Country Home, take me home...........

One of the things I have ranted about in past posts has been the lack of personality or soul in many of the beautiful houses we see in magazines these days. There has been much discussion and expression of different viewpoints regarding why we study design books and magazines - what pleasure we get, what education, what inspiration, etc. One thing I know for sure is that the house I am going to share with you now is full of soul. It is a reflection of the precious, talented person who decorates it. She is not into the latest trends, although she has been known to "need" to freshen up her fabrics on a whim, or re-arrange a room at midnight - but she is true to what she loves, she knows what she likes, and her home shows that completely.

While wandering through the hills outside of Fredericksburg, you might come upon this idyllic scene - a mail box on a country road, overlooking fields of oak trees and springtime fields of flowers.This mail box sits right across the road from the simple country entrance to........

my friend's house, about 8 miles outside of town, in the lone star state!

The drive up the gravel road is slow and peaceful, winding through the oaks, with views all around of the hills and valleys surrounding her classic hill country home, built of native limestone and stucco.

Barbara and her husband, Wayne, have lived in the hill country for about 13 years. They bought some acreage, built their home, and have gradually added more charming features to their property like this little potting shed and garden area inside the picket fence.

Friends and family come to visit, stay in the sweet guest house and actually sit on those benches and roast marshmallows , or swing in the tire swing, or just chat under the stars......slowing down from the fast pace of their city lives.

The front door as well as the entire porch reflect Barbara's love of old things. When she designed this house , she had collected old doors for the entire house, interior and exterior. All of them had various shades of old paint . Most of the time the paint was original and part of the charm and reason for the choice. Barbara challenged her builder with different sized doors, which of course, called for customizing the openings for each of those doors. They add a ton of character to the house.

The front door has a beautiful creamy wash on it that is perfect with the texture and feel of the stucco and limestone.

The porch is full of treasures like old garden statuary, wicker, twig tables, old iron work,

faux bois planters, and beautiful blooming plants.............

I love visiting Barbara's house when it has been a while since I was there last. I am always sure to find the entry hall newly arranged with wonderful antiques - lots of different color variations (although blue is a favorite) and texture, and things arranged in perfect vignettes. Here are just a few of the things she collects and uses with such charm - old painted baskets, old textiles, especially hooked rugs, old books and wonderful antique tables with old paint. Notice her clever use of the old blue shutters and old window with OLD, yes, OLD mirror. If the word OLD is getting redundant, then so be it. If it is something Barbara loves, chances are good that it is antique, or at the very least has a worn, soft patina to it.

When you walk into her house, the dining room is to the right and the living room to the left of the entry hall.

Barbara was an antique dealer for years in Dallas. She had a shop in the Knox/Henderson area when we met. She set up at the Round Top shows and the well known Dolly Johnson show in Ft. Worth for many years. I met her when I was a customer, as well as a young dealer with a space at the MEWS in Dallas the first year or so it was open.

If you are a true antique lover/collector, you know how the disease can take over and all of a sudden you have no more space in your home and you are having to find storage for your treasures, or you must begin selling - to support you habit, so to speak.

Long story short, Barbara and I both moved to Fredericksburg, (coincidentally)became close friends, and have continued to buy and sell from each other over the years. We have been known to buy back things we sold to each other! Sick, we know, but so much fun.

So, over the years, both of our tastes have grown, changed, broadened - Barbara has been able to remain true to her real loves, though, and has been much better at remaining focused on how she pulls her house together with her favorites. We refer to "focus" as the F word - she has it and I don't! Well, I think I am getting better, but I struggle with it all the time. If you have seen pictures of my house, you know what I am referring to. I love too many things - Barbara does too, but she is more disciplined than I when it comes to decorating her own house.

I have been trying to steal that WELCOME hooked rug from her for years. It used to be in the entry hall.........see what I mean - she moved it, probably to trick me! She has an incredible collection of OLD stone fruit. This time I emphasize OLD because there are a lot of reproductions out there these days. If you like stone fruit and don't care if it is old, then it doesn't matter. However, some of us only want the vintage or antique and unfortunately there are those who misrepresent their merchandise........and there are some darn good copies being made!

Too bad I didn't get a closer shot of what is in her (fabulously painted, old) pie safe. We could see what is in her design library. Maybe you can read the titles by clicking on the photo and enlarging it.

Here she has a collection of beautiful tole trays and yet another sweet painted side table.

The day I shot these photos Barbara was having a luncheon at her house. She had set up a temporary table (to the right in the photo) in addition to her dining table and had both tables covered in tablecloths. When I arrived she was out in her yard (this is the truth) picking the wildflowers for the centerpieces - which would be, of course, fabulous old painted baskets filled with perfect, country flowers!

When she designed her house, Barbara intentionally created the open shelves you see between her dining room and her kitchen for her collection of antique baskets. She has more baskets in shelves along the sides of the doorway entering the dining room. These shelves are one of my favorite features of her house.

Just a few of the things I covet in this room are the quilt, the corner cabinet (yes, old original paint, old cabinet, bought specifically for this corner in this house!) , the sideboard, and the bird house on top of the corner cabinet. (Yes, that is almost everything in the room!) The unfortunate thing is that she offered the bird house to me when she found it, and I foolishly turned it down! It would have been fabulous with my tramp art...........my mistake.

Kindred spirits, she and I are drawn to all sorts of things , often for no rhyme or reason - they just speak to us. Here is a collection of iron deer from Germany - probably made around 1900. I am not sure about Barbara, but I know my attraction to deer (in a decorative sense) has grown since we moved to the hill country (and I am not talking about the dead ones hanging on the walls in my house - those would be my husband's). They are overpopulated, unfortunately, but are still a beautiful part of the hill country landscape.

In another old pie safe, nestled against a stack of old homespun blankets, there is the little bit of funky that Barbara slips in now and then - maybe just to be sweet to her weird and un-focused friend, Ann.

I found this mosaic hand in Santa Fe at Doodlets. My sister in law, Tanya, gave me a horseshoe made by the same artist - covered in tiny beads with the word "HOME" beaded along the bottom. I treasure it.

This little heart in a hand just had to go to my dear, sweet friend, Barbara, who I love and have learned so much from over the years.

Thanks, Barbara, for letting me show the blog world just a peek inside your wonderful, warm, and charming home.

It's that TIME thing again...........

A classic hill country house if there ever was one! This is my friend Barbara's home. I intend to do a full post on it as soon as I sit for more than 5 minutes! Several very kind people have emailed or commented and asked where I have been. I am flattered to have been missed!

I am not sure who I am yet in the blogging world. I think I want to be a writer and post long informative stories with great photos, spending hours at my computer putting together interesting design and art related articles. However, the time factor seems to be my downfall. I love the occasional quick blurbs of other design bloggers who sometimes pen great, detailed posts and other times just a fast, fun photo and fact or two. I guess I am an "all or nothing" girl, and that applies to everything I do - so..... I have been distracted by life and here are a few of the places I have been!
I spent the last two weeks of May in Florence, Italy. I went with three friends to take an art class . We spent mornings in class and afternoons exploring Florence. We toured so many fabulous museums and galleries - too many to mention here. I intend to post more photos and information, again, when time allows. We saw incredible art like the fresco above.............
and beautiful ancient paintings on buildings every where we looked.
We took a walk across the Ponte Vecchio and a lovely look down the Arno River......
to the piazza and buildings surrounding the Duomo........
to quaint little side streets.......... We took a quick train trip to Rome for the weekend and had the world's best tour of the city. I think we saw a week's worth of sights in one day!
We made an unexpected stop on our whirlwind tour of Rome at an outdoor market............beautiful flowers and vegetables of all sorts!
We saw most of the incredible historical places, including............
a visit to the catacombes where Christians were buried............I have lots more to show and tell about Rome at a later date!
............and back to our favorite little grocery market in Florence. The owner is uncovering her goods after an afternoon shower.
June was filled with end of school year activities and preparation for my daughters to go to camp in North Carolina. One is working as a counselor all summer and the other attends for the month of July.
This is a great country house under construction outside of Cashiers, North Carolina. I love the air and the mountains here - it was glorious!

Today I am off to visit my brother and his wife who just had twins last week! I will definitely not be anywhere close to a computer for a few days. I plan to hold babies, change diapers, wash dishes, grocery shop, do laundry....whatever I can to help.

Thanks again to those of you who noticed my absence!

Hello.....is anyone home?

Usually, when I get a new issue of one of my favorite design magazines, my heart beats a little faster, and if I allow myself a quick flip through the pages, I get really excited when I spot a house or room that sings to me......I can't wait to sit down and really enjoy the magazine, cover to cover, reading and studying every feature.

Recently, however, when I got the May-June issue of Veranda, (and please note here, I LOVE Veranda, and don't remember feeling this way before) I actually felt disappointed, and then actually, well.....sad, truly, sad. (I know, weird....... if you are reading this and you don't suffer the same design disease that I have.)

This particular issue is filled with exquisite design, beautiful rooms in gorgeous settings, all created by excellent, well known designers. Somehow, though, they seem empty to me this month. I don't feel any soul or personality in the houses I see.
This room, designed by the fabulous William Diamond and Anthony Baratta, is a child's room in a beautiful Cape Cod beach house. It is colorful and delightful, creative and clever, but who lives here? Not that toys and books have to be scattered about, but who is the little person who gets to sleep in this fun boat?!

Just today I read about Rose Tarlow over at Habitually Chic.
Rose's book, The Private House, is one of my absolutely favorite design books - one of my design bibles, if you will! I have read it cover to cover and refer to it often when I get scattered and off track, which I do easily.

Habitually Chic quotes Rose - "There are those who spend lifetimes in houses that have nothing to do with who they really are. They may be perfectly designed, yet if they fail to reflect the personalities of the people who live in them, the very essence of intimacy is missing, and this absence is disturbingly visible."

That is how I feel with the houses in this issue - to paraphrase "....the absence of intimacy is disturbingly visible"

Now, granted, the story in Veranda is about how a husband surprised his wife with a re-do of their beach home, working with the two designers they know and trust. (Oh yeah, I'd take that surprise - no, on second thought, I wouldn't, I would have to be involved!) They love the water and the wife collects sailors' valentines. I am not saying the house doesn't reflect "the personalities of the people who live there" - I just can't FEEL it.

Forgive the redundancy, but here is another quote by Rose Tarlow that nails what I am trying to express:

"A house is what we design and decorate to suit an image of ourselves, and a home is what we establish by actually living there. To be at home in our house is ultimately the reward of all the effort and thought we put into that most private process of decorating".


This room, in a Charleston home, is exquisite. Designed by Deborah T. Lipner, it is gorgeous. I love the color of the walls, the lamps and the peek through the window to wonderful, old blue shutters, but it looks like a stage set to me - a very perfect stage set! It reminds me of a room that Joni would love to live in - only hers would be filled with books and art and treasures that reflect who she and her family are.

Is it just me? I love all sorts of design, and can appreciate the off beat, the classic and the finest of furnishings and art............maybe I am just a little "off" this week, but this issue just didn't nourish my soul like most do. What do you think?

Hot Off the Press.......Almost!!

A while ago, I wrote about a local shop in Fredericksburg called red.

Created and managed by my good friends, the Moore girls, (Carolyn and very talented daughters, Nikki and Sam), the store has evolved over the last year. While it is a fun and whimsical place to pick up a great gift or a new pillow if one needs a decorating fix, it has also become a wonderful place to buy serious furnishings - good upholstered pieces, classic chairs and sofas, dining tables and beds.

In addition, the unusual or quirky vintage piece makes the visitor smile, and adds interest to a room. These are often finds from the great Texas antique shopping excursions the girls go on. The store is a happy place to visit, with the ever present smile of sweet, creative display talent, Theresa, greeting me when I stop by for a visit to see what's new!

Designers and homeowners come in to order rooms full for new homes in the area. (Did I mention the hill country is booming with new construction and renovation?!)

On another note, but definitely related to this story, Fredericksburg has been known for many years for it's abundance of charming bed & breakfast accommodations. Carolyn built a sweet cottage next door to her house years ago - in fact, friends of mine stayed there even before we moved here and Carolyn and I became friends! The cottage has been published several times in various home decorating magazines, and has taken on a new look in the last year as Carolyn has grown as a designer and store manager, as well as b&b hostess. Abby's will be recognized soon in a national magazine and I am here to share the news !

Abby's will be featured in the next Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and here is a preview of the article. I am afraid we will all have to wait for the magazine to hit the news stands to actually read the fine print, but what a great feature it promises to be!

For the full scoop, go to www.redinfred.blogspot.com and read Nikki's comments on the whole event.

Way to go red!! Puttin' Fred Patch on the map once again!!