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The Wheats, The Stalking Continues – Part II

114 comments

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Sally Wheat lets me back inside!

 

One of the most popular stories on my blog has been “Stalking the Wheats” where last year I wrote about a beautiful house that I stalked on my daily Starbucks route.   The story of this house, a mixture of Belgian styling with lots of trendy pops, was a huge hit with everyone.   Their gray kitchen in particular was admired.  Even today, I still get emails asking for the color of Sally’s cabinets (Benjamin  Moore’s Fieldstone.)      The Wheats’ house did not go unnoticed by people in the media either.   Several magazine scouts that read my blog took an immediate interest in the house and finally  -  it was approved for a photo shoot with Country Home magazine.   As we all know, that magazine folded, just shortly before the photographs were to be taken.   But, all was not lost.   The editor of Houston House and Home, the top local design magazine here, contacted me about photographing the house - which  Sally very excitedly agreed to.  The photo shoot was set for earlier this summer.  The only thing  that was particularly nerve wracking about the entire shoot was Linda Barth, the editor, had asked me to write the cover story!   YIKES!    She promised it would be easy – she wanted a similar story to the original “Stalking the Wheats” – and so I agreed.    Most exciting of all, I would actually get paid for writing the story, which is a first – to be sure!  Everyone knows blogging is truly a labor of love, we don’t get reimbursed by some big blogging boss out in cyberspace.

The Houston House and Home photo shoot happened over a month ago.  I had not been back inside the Wheats’ house since the first story, and I was very pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful changes that have taken place.  Sally, like all interior designers, isn’t one to sit by and let her house just “be.”  It’s constantly in flux as pieces go in and out and from room to room.  The biggest change was in the living room; oh, I almost gasped when I saw it – it was so beautiful.    It’s been pure torture to have all these wonderful photographs that I took that day and not to be able to show them, but we (Sally, Linda and I) decided it would be better to have my new pictures timed to come out at the same time that the magazine issue came out.    The Houston House and Home with Sally Wheat’s house on the cover arrived in the stores this week, so, today – here are my updated pictures of the house!     The magazine is online – if you don’t live in Houston, you’ll still be able to read the story.   And for fun, be sure to read my original story here to see what changes Sally has made since we first visited in April of 2008.

 

image  The evergreen wisteria has really grown since last year, but all in all the exterior was same, except for different pots at the front door.

 

 

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The front door is dark brown planked wood with small sconces flanking it.   Above is the lantern from Chateau Domingue.

 

 

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Sally and I are very different in that she doesn’t like any lights on in her house during the day!  I am the complete opposite – I love all my chandeliers blazing all day long and I keep my sconces on 24/7 (after years of fighting with Mr. Slipper Socks Man over this!)   Here, I turned on the lantern and the dining room fixture.    She really doesn’t like them on – not for electricity issues – she just thinks the house looks better in natural light only.   A thought:  do you?  Which you do like, lights on during the day or off?   

 

 

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The biggest change in the dining room was the breakfront – it was formerly in the living room.  The mirror that was previously where the breakfront is now moved to the living room!     Sally had the dining table custom made to  match one she had seen in World of Interiors magazine.  Os de Mouton chairs are slipcovered in a muted damask.   The curtains, from Indulge in Houston,  are very breezy and are unlined linen with top ties. 

 

image Another new addition to the dining room is the large cross made out of dried leaves.  I love her wooden Italian chandelier and  her choice of accessories for the table.

 

 

image One small wall in the dining room is completely filled with this set of botanicals. 

 

 

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Here you can really fully see the chandelier.    The dining room is to the right of the front door, so now, we’ll go the living room at the left of the front door.

 

image Facing the front door, this vignette is between the living room and dining room and it shows Sally’s style – a mixture of antique and modern.

 

 

image BEFORE:  The living room had four arm chairs surrounding a small Italian table.  The breakfront now in the dining room was in this room last year.  At the time, Sally still hadn’t purchased her seagrass – it was on the way.  

 

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BEFORE:  Against the back wall of the living room was this magnificent screen from Thompson Hansen.  When I was stalking the Wheats, I could see this screen from my car, and it used to really make me want to go inside and see the rest of the house!

 

 

image TODAY:  C’est magnifique!    What a change!   I gasped when I first saw this room – it is just beautiful.  Sally moved the screen (and removed some extra panels from it) behind an antique gilt framed French settee.  She added a linen skirted table and a seagrass rug is layered with a white calf skin on top.  Two vintage chairs that are not a pair are covered in Kelly Wearstler’s Imperial Trellis.   This setting made the cover of Houston House and Home.

 

 

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On the right wall is the large mirror that was once in the dining room.  It is now flanked by two antique sconces. 

 

 

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Perfect perch for the pooch!

 

 

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I love the way the room is reflected in this shot.   I hate to leave here!  It’s so pretty!

 

image Walking down the center hall to the family room/kitchen, you pass the stairs on the left.

 

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Here we pass the iron stairs that were painted to resemble pewter – next is the family room.  This picture is from last year - I forgot to take one of the stairs this time!

 

 

image The family room – all lit up for the photo shoot.  I think the candles look so pretty.   This room is much the same as it was last year, just the mantlescape has changed and the coffee table accessories – I actually like both much better now.

 

 

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The two matching sofas are slipped in linen, long and lean – Belgian style.  There are two armchairs and a cow hide rug underneath. 

 

 

 

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The mantle now has old books – without covers, the trendiest of the trendy, and lilac roses.  I think this looks so beautiful!  The light above was driving Sally crazy – she couldn’t wait to turn it out.  I happen to like it on myself – too funny.   Notice moi in the mirror.   hehe

 

 

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Love the coffee table – Sally makes the driftwood art herself with wood she collects at her beach house on Boliver.   She sells the items at her antique booth at Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy here. 

 

 

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The TV hides behind one of the antique shutters Sally bought and had repainted.  Originally the house plans called for open shelving here which Sally had changed before the house was completed.    The shutters are now the beautiful focal point in the family room. 

 

 

 

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Behind the sofa on the left are the stairs and the portrait wall – filled with anonymous women – several of whom actually resemble the dark haired Sally!   The collection of portraits has grown over the past year. 

 

 

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A wide view of the family room – on the very left is the kitchen and on the very right, under the stairs, is the computer office hideaway.   In the hallway by the front door are things being moved around for the photoshoot.    Madeline Weinrib pillows on the chairs.

 

 

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To the right of the family room is the breakfast room and then the kitchen.   The doorway leads to the back stairs which go to the playroom.

 

 

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Closeup of the vignette between the family room and the breakfast room.

 

 

imageThe back stairs up to the playroom.  I really like this carpet.    Sally loves trends as much as I do – can you count the trends in this picture? 

 

 

imageBEFORE:   The breakfast room as it was – French host chairs and an antique chandelier. 

 

 

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AFTER:  Everything has changed except the Tolix side chairs – the zinc table is new as are the Pantone chairs.  The lighting fixture was replaced with something more modern from Indulge Maison Decor.  Sally loves to mix the new with old, the modern with the antique, the industrial chic with the Belgian chic. 

 

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Leading into Sally’s kitchen  - the plate wall over the marble buffet is new since last year’s visit.  

 

 

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Sally’s kitchen was such a hit last year – everyone loved it!  The gray cabinet paint color is Fieldstone by Benjamin Moore.  The lighting fixtures came from Brown in Houston – aren’t they fabulous?

 

 

image Sally’s cabinets are open and show off her white dishes and crystal.

 

 

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I love her casement window and the Shaws sink with the polished nickel faucet.   Love her cabinetry and hardware too.   Let’s go upstairs now.

 

 

image BEFORE:  Sally’s guest room before – actually this color is so “in” right now – I’m almost surprised she changed it all out.  But she did. 

 

 

image AFTER:  The new guest room is all black and red – with a vintage suzani the focal point.  I love the hanging lanterns!  Upstairs is all wall-to-wall seagrass, my favorite.

 

 

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Cute side table vignette in the guest room.

 

 

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Since last year, Sally has added some new touches to her daughter’s room, like the Madeline Weinrib rug.

 

 

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Sara’s vintage chairs wears a Rubie Green fabric, isn’t it the cutest?   Sally loves to buy vintage chairs and redo them with paint and fabric.

 

 

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The master bedroom now has two vintage chairs, slipped in white, in front of a large antique mirror. 

 

 

 

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Tired puppies from the long day of photoshooting.  Large tufted headboard and antique bench. 

 

 

 

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Against the windows on the right side of the master bedroom is a large white desk and a ghost chair.   Unlined linen curtains.  For pictures of her bathroom, see the photos from last year. 

 

 

imageAll of Sally’s backyard furniture was damaged in Hurricane Ike, so the back patio is completely new this year! 

 

 

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What a photo shoot looks like – the stylist checks the shot while the photographer waits patiently nearby for the OK!!   The editor is nowhere in site – probably out looking for the sun.  The angle of the sun is important – how the light comes through certain windows can make or break a shot.  They were excited to get sunrays in the cover shot of the living room below:

 

 

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The afternoon sunlight was streaming through the left windows in the cover shot.  Really, this is just an excuse to show this picture one more time!!!!!

 

To read last year’s Stalking the Wheats, go here.   And to read the story about Sally’s house in Houston House and Home online, go here.   If you live in Houston, be sure to pick up the magazine this month.    And if you would like to learn more about moi,  read the Editor’s Note – on page 8 – online too.    Linda Barth has always been extremely nice to me and I want to sincerely thank her so much for her support and confidence in this little blogger.    And a huge thank you to Sally Wheat for all your hospitality and friendship!

Stalking the Wheats

167 comments

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As most of my friends know, I have a slight (well, ok - it's not so slight) addiction to Starbucks coffee.  Two or three (sometimes four or five -  I can't lie) times a day I go to the drive-through Starbucks in my neighborhood, West University.  Instead of driving there on the main streets, I drive down the side streets, admiring the homes on my way.    I have a few favorite houses on my route and one,  in particular, caught my attention as it was being built.   At first it was the white stucco exterior with its stone foundation that I noticed.   As time went on and the building progressed, each detail the owners added made it seem like a special home, one that I would love:   they added gray, french wood shutters to the  windows, and then they added a most charming wooden gate for the driveway.   Next - the owners put in French styled landscaping - all green - with box woods.   After they had moved in, whenever I drove by the house, I would slow my car to a crawl, craning my neck to try to see inside the white stuccoed home that had so captured my imagination.  Through their windows, I could make out some of their furnishings -  first, there was a screen in the living room, and then I could see an oversized mirror.  Next - I noticed the dining room's antique light fixture which furthered my suspicions that this was a house I would love - inside and out.  By the time the sheer, linen curtains were hung - the deal was sealed - I was an official stalker and somehow, I had to finagle my way into the home to see it first hand.

As luck would have it, Anthea, my sister-in-law's sister (Cote de Texas readers may remember her house featured here) lived almost across the street from my stalk-ees.  One day, Anthea casually mentioned to me that her new neighbor read my blog and wanted to meet me.  Emails were exchanged and we set a date - finally,  after stalking these poor people and their house for over a year, they were actually going to invite me inside.  I'm sure had they known of my obsession with their white stuccoed home, the invitation would have been rescinded.

And so this is how I came to be in Sally Wheat's home:  me - a total weirdo taking pictures of a stranger's house.  I can't imagine what her husband thought when he came home and walked into the scene.   Sally was delightful and claimed to be excited that I was going to put her in my blog;  but truthfully, I'm not convinced she meant it.     Her 7 year old daughter couldn't have been more friendly, even offering to show me the toilets.  As pathetic as it must sound, I was actually interested in seeing those, too.     Sally, an interior designer, furnished her own house, of course.   After such a build up on my part, the house could have been a disappointment, but it wasn't.   In fact, it was more charming than I had imagined.  Bathed in grays and creams and taupes, with gleaming white walls, and antique painted furniture - the interiors lean towards the ever-growing-in-popularity Belgian style of design.   The Wheats also own a beach house on Boliver Island which Sally admitted was "really cute."  Unfortunately, Boliver Island is a little out of the way for drive-by stalking, but Sally promised me we would get together this summer so that I could bring you pictures from their beach house.  Below, I hope you enjoy the Wheat's home in West University:

 

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The Object of My Obsession:  The stucco exterior of the Wheat's house which first caught my attention.  I love the stacked stone foundation, the stone walkway, the boxwoods, the wisteria, the paneled wood door, and the gas lanterns. - all details which make the exterior special.

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  When these french styled shutters were installed, I knew the house was going to be unique - not your typical, everyday, West University stucco house.

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The clincher:  the driveway gate.  Most West University homes have iron gates on their driveways.  This wooden gate is utterly charming.   A matching gate on the opposite side of the house leads to the back yard.

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The stalker is actually allowed inside!  The front room - instead of a sofa, Sally has four chairs.  The rug (probably seagrass) is on hold until the puppy is housetrained.  The drapes throughout the house are unlined Belgian linen which were purchased at Indulge Decor in Houston.

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The antique screen which is visible from the front window.  I would drive by and see the screen and know that I would love the interiors!  This screen was purchased at Thompson + Hanson in Houston.   I actually remember this screen from when it was for sale there.

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An iron table sits between two white chairs.  A trendy crown shares space with pottery.

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The French lantern in the entry hall was purchased from Chateau Domingue.  The dining room is to the right of the front door when you walk in.

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A vignette in the entry hall - antique bench, pottery, and mirror.

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The dining table was custom made, copied from a picture found in The World of Interiors.  French mouton leg chairs are slipcovered.

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The large mirror that caught my eye as I did my drive-bys.  The darling puppy looks out the front window - maybe guarding against other stalkers driving by with craned necks?  

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The beautiful antique chandelier is the focal point of the dining room.

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A wall of framed botanicals in the dining room.

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Two vintage starburst mirrors are layered over the larger mirror.

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The kitchen:  honed, statuary marble counter tops with white subway tiles for the backsplash.  The two pendant lights are from Belgium, via Brown, a fabulous Houston shop that specializes in light fixtures.  

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The kitchen shelves are without doors. 

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I love this faucet and the farm sink with it's single bowl.

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The breakfast room has another light fixture from Brown.

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Painted furniture and horns in this vignette.

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The iron staircase was fauxed to resemble pewter.

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Another vignette:  this one features a wall of portraits of strangers, not family!

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A view of the family room overlooking the back yard.  The two slipcovered sofas are extra long, again reminiscent of the popular Belgian style.

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The family room:  the two sets of doors are antique shutters from Bill Gardner of Houston.  The cross on the coffee table was designed by Sally Wheat using driftwood she collects on Boliver Island.

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View of the family room looking towards the staircase.

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The TV is hidden behind the antique shutters.  Also housed there is Sally's butterfly collection.

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The backyard is mostly a patio.

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The powder room is tiny, but there's room for a Louis Phillipe antique mirror, a chandelier, and antique tiles from Chateau Domingue.

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The charming powder room sink is made of stone.  The faucets are installed in the wall instead of the counter.

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The upstairs guest room, all in greens and reds.  All bedrooms upstairs have wall to wall seagrass in the basket weave pattern.

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Sally's darling daughter's bedroom.  The chest was painted by James Farmer, from Houston.

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The master bedroom is, like the rest of the house, all in cream, mushroom and taupe.  The headboard is tufted and upholstered.   Curtains here, as in the rest of the house, are from Indulge Decor of Houston.

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Sally's painted white desk and Ghost chair.

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The bathroom is all white carrara marble and mirrors.  I love how the doors are mirrored in this built in chest.

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The cabinet doors in the vanities are screened.

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The children's playroom over the garage connects through the master bedroom closet.  A work in progress, the carpet is the trendy antelope print.

 

I hope you enjoyed Sally's house as much as I did!  Besides being an interior designer (and if you are interested in contacting Sally, email me and I'll forward it on to Sally)  she has recently opened a booth selling antiques and decorative items at Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy.  Below, are a few items from her booth:

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A pair of beautiful antique, gilt arm chairs, upholstered in while muslin.

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A Wheat designed cross, make from Boliver Island driftwood.

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Painted white chest, assorted statutes and artwork.

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Gilt bench, covered in linen.

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A pair of vintage chairs newly upholstered in a trendy trellis fabric.

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One of a pair of driftwood lamps, designed by Sally Wheat.

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Finally, a standing lamp, made of driftwood, designed by Sally Wheat.

Looking around at other booths at Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy, I spotted several items that reminded me of Sally's home:

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Antique shutters - these are similar to the shutters found in Sally's family room.

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A pair of candlesticks similar to those found on Sally's dining room table.

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One of Houston's favorite antique dealers, Annette Schatte also recently opened a booth here.    Here, Schatte sells mirrors that are similar to the antique mirrors found in Sally's home.   The iron candelabra is similar to the one found in the Wheats' family room.

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Schatte is selling this French lantern, similar to the one hanging in Sally's entry hall.

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A dark wood dining room table with a hand planed table top is reminiscent of the one in Sally's dining room.

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And lastly, one more lantern from Annette Schatte.

To learn more about Belgian style interior design, the web site www.beta-plus.com has a large library of coffee table  books for sale.  Published in Belgium, the books are gorgeous with page after page of interiors in the Belgian style that is rapidly gaining in popularity, giving rise to the saying "Belgian is the new Sweden."