Readers Houses

Today, I have a few houses to share from readers!  I love when you send me pictures of your homes and encourage anyone who wants to show their home to email me!!

 

Today, one of the houses shown is new to Cote de Texas readers, while the second is a house I first showed many years ago.  Since then, the owner totally redecorated it, and thought you would like to see her changes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

First up, The Red House.

Some years ago I showed a house owned by interior designer Cheryl Ketner in Texas. She and her husband, builder Kerry Ketner (www.ketnerservices@tx.rr.com) had bought a house which they completely updated and decorated all in the shades of red.  Many readers loved her bright and vibrant house, and they especially liked all their renovations. 

A few days ago, Cheryl contacted me, telling me that she had tired of all the red and wanted a change and thought you would like to see how she had transformed her house yet again.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Before:  The house is located in Plano, Texas – right outside of Dallas. It was a builder’s special which the new owners Cheryl and her builder husband Kerry updated to make it more custom. 

  

After:  The brick was painted taupe, but Cheryl left the original brick lining the windows.    The trees were thinned out, and the beds were made larger.

 BEFORE:  Here is a picture of the house when they bought it.   There is a large entry hall that overlooks the living/dining rooms through arched columns.

 

Entry Hall Before:  The walls were painted yellow, with touches of red and black.  The hardwoods were stained darker.

  

 

Today:  The walls are now a soothing green/blue/gray Benjamin Moore Healing Aloe throughout.  Cheryl kept the red rugs for a pop of color, but otherwise everything else was lightened – like the chairs and the lampshades. 

Although the house is now lighter and brighter, it isn’t cold – rather, Healing Aloe has a very warm tone that keeps the interiors from feeling sterile and icy.

 

Before:  the living room is red with the yellow walls.

AFTER:  New white slips cover the chairs and sofa.  The red coffee table was replaced with a new white marble topped one, and the sconces are now painted white.  The red and yellow patterned curtains are a soothing white – bought at Ikea for $39 a panel!   The red rug is layered over wall to wall seagrass.

Before Dining Room:  Here, the Ketners sit in the dining room with their red fabric chairs.

AFTER:  The dining room with the new white fabric chairs.  Here you can see the Ikea panels with the contrasting taupe hem that were added to the curtains.

BEFORE:  The family room had rather plain looking built-ins and wall to wall carpet.

 

AFTER:  A sea of red and gold, the mantel and bookcases were painted and updated.  Wood floors were added.

AFTER:  And today, the furniture now is covered in tight, tailored light slipcovers (perfect for dogs!)  There is a new gray rug and stool, and white/black coffee table.  The other big change is the fireplace with white carrara marble and white bookshelves with new lamps.  The sunburst mirror was moved from the master bathroom.  Wonderful!  

BEFORE:  The kitchen had light cabinets and wallpaper.

 

AFTER:  The cabinets were painted red with new granite, stainless appliances and floors.

 

Today:  The cabinets and walls are now Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige and reach to the ceiling, new hardware, along with black quartz countertops and carrara backsplash.  The change is total.

                                                                                                                                        

BEFORE:  The butler’s pantry was the pink-beige stain with the 90s style backsplash.

AFTER:  The butlers pantry was painted black with red undertones and seeded glass.

 

Today, the butler’s pantry is painted gray to match the kitchen.  There is now regular glass, carrara marble and mirror backsplash.  It’s more sophisticated now.

 

AFTER: A new Crate and Barrel breakfast room with knockoff Breuer chairs, along with a contemporary FLOR rug.

BEFORE:  The view into the kitchen.  What a difference the Ketner’s have made!!

 

BEFORE:  The red version.

 

AFTER:  And now, with the gray kitchen.  At the desk, you can see where a section of cabinet was removed to make a display shelf.

BEFORE:  The master bathroom.  Here there is a sloped ceiling.

AFTER:  The bathroom got a major overhaul.  The ceiling was leveled out with a furr down added.  A wall of carrara subway tiles were added, along with a new  quartz countertop and mirrors.

 

BEFORE:  The guest room with the yellow walls and bright brown bedding.

AFTER:  The walls are now light with white bedding and leopard quilts.  I love the ikat pillows and the new bedding.

 

In general, the changes in the house were structurally minimal except for the bathroom and the addition of new, extra cabinets in the kitchen.  All the other changes were mostly cosmetic – new paint and new fabrics.  The biggest change was editing, taking away a large amount of extra, unnecessary accessories which helps make the house look more serene and less cluttered.  The new paint, BM Healing Aloe is the most effective change.  It’s said over and over again, but a fresh coat of paint in a new color can be the most dramatic decorating change you can make.   And notice, by keeping the red rugs, it helps to keep the house warm and cozy and gives a pop of color.   And finally, another change, a really minor, very inexpensive change – new lamp shades – is something that anyone can do and almost anyone can afford, and the effect can be very pleasing!!

House #2

Next up is a reader’s house in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It isn’t often I get a chance to show a house from New Mexico, and adobe houses are completely alien to me in Houston!   So, this house is a real treat.   The native architecture of New Mexico, and I suppose Arizona, are so aesthetically connected to its environment – the brown adobe walls seem to disappear into the earth.  

This particular house has an interesting history.  It was built in 1970 by the daughter of the popular primitive artist Streeter Blair.   The house, decorated in a whimsical style, was featured in the book “Mud, Space and Spirit.”   Later, CdT reader Elizabeth and her artist/musician boyfriend Grant Hayunga bought the adobe house and remodeled it, keeping its original integrity, yet making it a bit more luxurious. 

The house is adobe brick with interior Venetian plaster walls.  The floors are terra cotta and reclaimed wood, while many doors are antique.  There are many fireplaces, and rough hewn vigas, or wooden beams, as would be expected.   The house, with views of Cerro Gordo and the Sangre de Cristo foothills, sits on half an acre and is completely surrounded by an adobe wall.

 

The adobe wall that surrounds the house.

 

Behind a half wall lies a courtyard.

I was lucky to find the original pictures of what the house looked like when the present owners bought it:

                                                                  

BEFORE:  The main living room.  With the original flag floors, painted walls, and stain glass.

                                                                      

 

AFTER:  Today, the flags have been replaced with terra cotta tiles, the walls are Venetian plaster.  Instead of contemporary strings of lights – there are now iron chandeliers.  I love the flatscreen easel!  I love those.  Here are a selection from Restoration Hardware.

BEFORE:  Looking towards the front door.  The new owners removed the wood raining and stone stairs that lead to the corner door and replaced it with wood stairs.  The door at the near left was removed below:

 

AFTER:  Looking towards the front door, you can see the rough hewn rafters.  At the left, you can see how the owners modified the stained glass window and made it more subdued and less colorful.

  

 

Looking from the front door to the living room.

 

BEFORE:  The dining room with orange brick walls.

AFTER:  Through antique doors, the dining room is seen from the living room.

AFTER:  Such a difference!  The brick walls were painted a fresh white and the wood floors and molding around the windows were stained black-brown.   Instead of traditional furniture, there is now antique styled chairs and tables.   Again, the contemporary lighting was removed for an iron chandelier.

    

 

BEFORE:  The kitchen before had dated granite countertops and light stained cabinetry.  It got a major overhaul.

  

 

AFTER:  The dining room – leads into the new kitchen.

A center island was added, along with all new cabinets.

 

Before:  The master bedroom with orange walls.

 

AFTER:  The master bedroom with the new dark stained floors and white walls.

    

 

The fireplace with a new free-form stone mantel.  I love the sconces on each side of the bed.

BEFORE:  The master bathroom.

AFTER:  The master bathroom with a free standing tub and corner fireplace!  How romantic!!

The shower is behind the sink wall.

 

The shower with natural looking stone floor.

The half acre is filled with courtyards.  Here, in this courtyard off the master bathroom is a fountain.

This second story balcony overlooks a window that opens to the fountain’s courtyard.

The balcony and winding outside stairs.

A view of part of the house and garage during winter.   It looks so different with snow!

Here is the same view of the same courtyard during the summer.  There is a fireplace at the right side of the terrace.

And the view from the same terrace, looking out.

This house in Santa Fe is currently for sale.  If you are interested in this beautiful property, go HERE.

AND, if you would like to share your house with us, please email me at Cotedetexas@aol.com !!!

AND

The 2015 Paper City Design Awards were announced this month HERE and Ginger Barber won First Place for BOTH Residential Design over 3500 sq ft AND Residential Design under 3500 sq ft.

A huge congratulations to Ginger and her team!!!

I was honored to show both of these winning houses.

To reread the story of the English Country Manor House built in the Texas countryside, go HERE.

And to reread the story about the second winning design, go HERE.

I was so excited for Ginger to win both of the top awards!!!  Very well deserved!!!

AND finally,

You may remember over the years my featuring the houses of Michael Siller.  Most recently, he and his partner Larry Hokanson built a Federal style house in Houston that is pure sophistication and a luxurious dream.  The CdT story of the Federal house is HERE.

The other day, I noticed the Federal house is now for sale.  To see the listing, please go HERE.

Dear Miss Cote de Texas

I have a new letter about decorating today:

Dear Miss Cote de Texas:  I have read your post on seagrass about a million times, and I just
love the way it looks and appreciate all of the information you provided about
it!  I am on the verge of ordering it for my stairs and a small library room, and
my initial thought was to use it in my family room and wall-to-wall in the
master bedroom as well.  I am having second thoughts about the family room,
though, and I was wondering if you might be so kind as to take a look at the
attached pictures and give me your opinion. 

My concerns are that we have a
tan couch (which must stay, so I worry that the seagrass would be “blah” in
there, even if I layered a rug on top of the seagrass) and the fact that the
family room opens to the kitchen… would I be better off doing a smaller
(although larger than the one pictured) area rug so as not to “stop the eye and
the flow" from the kitchen to the family room?

Thank you for your letter!  First, let me address some basic questions.

 

In general, seagrass is a timeless product, classic, and not trendy.

To me, seagrass is a miracle product – it is almost worry free and stain proof.  Now, be clear, I am talking about seagrass, NOT sisal.  Sisal stains like crazy and in my opinion should be completely avoided in high traffic areas.  But, seagrass is the complete opposite and doesn’t stain easily.  We have three dogs and there have been numerous accidents – trailing in mud, etc. – and my seagrass is virtually spotless.   I keep a bottle of “Nature’s Miracle” which eats up pet stains by using enzymes, and truthfully, it works like magic.  In general, seagrass is just very easy to keep clean.  You can take a wet rag to it and get almost any spill out.

 

 

In a very dressy interior, seagrass adds texture and coziness and brings down the “don’t touch” vibe.

Besides being easy to care for, seagrass is relatively inexpensive compared to other rugs.  It can be replaced every five years or so without a large expense.  To me, seagrass is wonderful.  I like the way it looks and I think it

makes rooms look rich.  I love the texture and color it adds to an interior.   My personal preference is a custom-cut seagrass rug – where it follows the perimeter of the room, 4 to 8 inches away from the walls and closer around the fireplace hearth.

Large expanses of seagrass can help cover up a floor, if you don’t like the stain.

For a family room, I think it’s a perfect product because of its ease and affordability.  It’s a great product to use if your floors are not fabulous and you want to cover them, or if your hardwoods are the stained your favorite color.   No, seagrass is not as comfortable as laying down on a plush thick rug,  but I can guarantee you that a thick, plush rug or carpet will quickly look dirty and worn while the seagrass will look fresh and new for years and years.  For families with babies, I suggest layering a sheepskin rug for the little ones.   As for layering,  a zebra or cowskin rug placed over a seagrass looks wonderful.  Also, today I suggest getting the seagrass with the thicker backing on it.  It tends to lay better when the rug is large.

Seagrass looks especially good in a family room – with a cowskin or zebra layered over it.

Bunny Williams recently remodeled her Connecticut home – using seagrass area rugs throughout.

When deciding on an area rug, there are other options in fiber rugs that are trendier – the patterned textures from Starke are especially

nice.  But I can’t guarantee you can get them in any size like seagrass which is easily seamed to make it larger than just 13’ wide.  Many places will tell you they can custom cut fiber rugs, but really – they won’t do anything wider than 13’.  Seagrass can be seamed – and  you will never notice where the seam was placed – ever!   Which means that you can have a seagrass rug that is 24 x 18’ – no problem.

My all time favorite room – but when you look closely – the sisal seam is very visible here.

See it?  With seagrass, in a large room, the seams are invisible.

Custom cut seagrass – just a few inches from the walls – and it is cut closely around the hearth.

Custom cut – holes can be made to fit around heating grills and light plugs.

I usually prefer a large rug to cover the room, but when the floor is gorgeous like this – a smaller rug might be better.

I do think this rooms needed a custom cut rug – especially with the angled wall, it would look better.

Love this room with the skin layered over the rug.

 

Stark and other companies make patterned textured rugs – like this one from Charlotte Moss’ newly decorated Hamptons house.

I can’t promise that the trendier fibers are as easily cleaned as seagrass.  If you want a patterned fiber rug, maybe think about the living room or the dining room instead of the family room. 

  

Now, to answer the question for this reader – should she get seagrass for her family room?  She has young children and a large family room.  She is already getting wall to wall seagrass on the stairs, in the library and the master bedroom.  Should she get seagrass in the family room too?  Is it too much?  Where should it stop?

Her living room is a beautiful space – with wonderful windows and light.  I love the window seat at the back.

There’s a great fireplace flanked by two French doors.

And two more French doors lead into the kitchen.

The reader says that the sectional was bought for another house and she knows it isn’t right for this space.  She would like to move it downstairs for the children, but for now, it stays.   The rug is moving upstairs, but she wonders should she get another rug – will the seagrass look too blah with the sectional?  Also she worries about the seagrass at the door leading into the kitchen.

So, first, I really think seagrass would be great – with this sectional or not.  I would definitely layer a cowskin rug or a zebra on top – to pop a bit a color.

Also, I think I would go with a custom cut rug that would cover the major portion of the floor.  You can see how the area rug cuts off the room and makes the back part disappear.  One large rug will make the room look cohesive.  Custom cut it around the hearth. 

 

As for how it would look up against the breakfast room – here you can see, having a rug in one room and not the other is just fine. 

 

And here, another room where the seagrass stops at the breakfast room, with no problems.

Here, you can see white walls and almost the same fabric as your – layering the zebra over the seagrass really pops the room.  You could  buy another area rug with more color, but to buy one large enough to fit the sofa – it will be expensive.  Seagrass is such a budget friendly product, especially when a large size is needed.

 

Another view with the zebra print layered over the seagrass for color pops.

 

But don’t go overboard – with too much pop and pattern.

 

Let talk about the room.  I know you said the sofa stays, but the scale is really big for the room.  This size sofa needs a huge room, and would look best floating.  Here, the way it is set up – you can’t see the bay window in the back.  I’m wondering if you could take some of the sections out and make the sofa smaller?  Perhaps just use it as a sofa with or without the chaise instead of a sectional with a chaise? 

I put together a few idea rooms to show you what you could do with the room:

 

Here – using the sofa as is, or perhaps with a few sections removed, I would get the seagrass and layer either a zebra or a zebra pint rug on top.  I showed a glass topped brass table to allow the zebra to really show through it.  I like the abstract black and white print on the back wall.   I would get a few – not too many – but a few black & white patterned pillows, down filled 24x24 or 22x22, nothing smaller.   Since the sofa is so large – instead of side tables and lamps, I added the copy of the Serge Mouille for a touch of contemporary. 

Here is a room that reminds me of what yours could be – with the large seagrass, the zebra, a print over the sofa.  Without the sofa blocking the back window – you could decorate that area with matching pillows and a seat cushion.  Also, it would look great with a textured shade layered over the dead zone between the ceiling and the window.  The other windows have pretty transoms, so I would not add a shade there.

 

Here is another mock-up.  I used the $399 Ikea sofa here – for a reason.  At this price, why wait to move the sectional downstairs now?  I also used two chairs from Ballards.  Instead of the modern prints, think about an oversized map or print.  I also used two large stone lamps for texture.

Here, I used the $399 Ikea sofa with the Ikea chaise to take the place of the large sectional.  The chaise is smaller but gives that same comfort level.  I liked this round coffee table made of wicker for a bit more texture.  The white cowskin adds a bit of accent.  I like the greenery of the fig plants.   And again, here a chandelier – contemporary faux Serge, which I love.  

 

And one last idea – with trendy green velvet pillows, a leather chair, a rattan chair for texture, and I added curtains in a green chintz for pattern.  A touch of trendy gold in a sunburst mirror behind the sofa.    

I hope I have given you some answers about the seagrass vs. an area rug.  And I hope I have given you some ideas about decorating down the road.

If you have a decorating question that you want me to answer here, please email me at cotedetexas@aol.com .  AND if you previously submitted a question that I did not answer – submit it again!!