COTE DE TEXAS: Hill Country House

Hill Country House

I want to welcome a new blogger to the design blogosphere: Hill Country House. She's a native Texan, born in Dallas, but now living in Fredericksburg with her husband and children. Fredericksburg is a great town - small, atmospheric, and home to Carol Bolton's famous Homestead. Bus loads and car loads of antiquers flood the town on the weekends and during the summer. It's become a hub of unique bed and breakfast places which have enjoyed volumes of national press these past ten years or so. If you've never visited the Texas Hill Country and especially, Fredericksburg, it is well worth a trip.

There is tons to blog about from Fredericksburg, and Hill Country House is starting out writing about her gorgeous "house" - a term I use loosely. It's a large home, on over 20 acres of beautiful countryside. It's actually more of a resort than a home. It's fabulous! She is taking her readers on a tour of her house, room by room, and I suggest you take the tour if you are at all interested in seeing how other people live. And it's quite a life she's living over at Hill Country House!

In order of fair disclosure, I admit Hill Country House and I are more than blogger friends. Once, a long time ago we were married to brothers. Alas, no more. Imagine my surprise when one day, I received a tentative email from a reader of mine - "could you be, is it possible, but is the Ben Webb you are writing about THE Ben Webb I was once a sister-in-law to?" Of course he is! One and the same - a flurry of emails were exchanged late into the night. Our wrists were sore from emailing each other so much! And oh, so much lamenting that we are no longer related because we share so many interests!!!! So, it is with great pride and much happiness that I introduce you to my former sister-in-law: Hill Country House - enjoy!


Hill Country House, built of Texas limestone and long leaf pine, the home is evocative of the houses that Germans who settled in the Texas Hill Country built and added to over the generations. The limestone, the tin roof, the deep porches are all elements that Hill Country House shares with older, German homesteads.

17 comments :

  1. I just paid her a visit. What a beautiful home she has! Thanks for sharing her site!

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  2. I had already stepped by her blog and I LOVE her house .
    Bloglandia is such a small world !!!

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  3. I certainly love the exterior of her home. Must make time to get over there!

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  4. I love the story of how you and your former sister-in-law reconnected. Serendipity in Blog Land.

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  5. Oh, how funny. She had visited me, I went to visit her and gasped when I saw her house! MY OH MY, what a place!

    I almost went to delete all my own house posts in shame. :-0

    She certainly has a home that I would say has a resort feel! Yes, that would be an understatement.

    Lovely! And how wonderful that you two reconnected.

    xo

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  6. I recently stopped by her blog as well...of course I had no idea that she was your former sister-in-law! Great story Joni!!

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  7. This is one of my favorite Texas architectural styles. An hommage to the German immigrants who made plentiful use of the Austin Stone in the area. Welcome Hill Country House.... That Joni....so glad you "ran" into her again. Your home is like a painting. I love the unpretentiousness of the dining room (well, all rooms!) Love the tobacco color of your ceilings! *stealing that for my beadboard!*

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  8. I, too, have just checked out her blog and fell in love with her home. It is beautiful...I'm jealous! What a wonderful story.

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  9. I will not spell homage with two m's....I will not spell homage with two m's....

    I really do know better!

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  10. I absolutely love the style of that porch in the first picture it's just so inviting. Reminds me of the movie The Notebook.

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  11. Wow. Thank all of you so much for your comments. My house itself is a gift as well a handful to take care of! Thank you, Joni, for your post, as well as your support and friendship! Now, what do I do as an "encore"!!!??

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  12. Great architecture! The stone is beautiful. What a happy coincidence for you Joni! And thanks for a fun new blog to get addicted to.
    Katie

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  13. Joni, I can hardly wait to visit Hill Country House! Thank you so much, for writing about it here. And what a great story, it is! Loved it!

    Pat

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  14. Wow, what a story Joni! I will be sure to visit her blog.

    ~Kate

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  15. Thank you ever so much for leading me to this fabulous blog. I toured through your ex sister-in-laws home with my mouth dragging on the floor lol.

    Anna :)

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  16. Hi there. I ran across your blog today and it has some gorgeous ideas. Thanks for sharing. I live in Charlotte, NC now but was born and partially raised in Dallas. My dear grandmother is Catherine Camplen of Cathy's Antiques. She just closed her shop she's had for years in the Galleria. I'll be checking in periodically as I am decorating my brand new home!

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