BlantonDesignBlog.com

I have some pretty amazing friends, I must say. Several months ago I mentioned Ivan Spaller and Priscilla Glover in this blog when talking about their “Marlin House”. They are both artists in many ways and I finally had the opportunity to work with them in staging their latest masterpiece, “Barcelona Modern”. A long rectangular house with cut outs at the entrances and large steel-clad round windows, this is a home like you have never seen before and likely will never see again. Most of their houses are like this, as Spaller/Glover don’t like to repeat themselves and are only limited by their imaginations, which appear to actually have no limits. Every house is a stunner and an audible gasp is usually heard when entering their homes. The Marlin house was just a simple farm house before they got ahold of it and moved to Bouldin Creek, where they added hand-cut, custom gingerbread, marble floors (in the kitchen and baths), custom ballisters and trim throughout and a third story steel and glass gable in the master bedroom that has a breathtaking view of downtown.

The Bouldin Castle was their next project where they converted a 100 year old stacked stone church and continued the theme to roughly triple the size into this monumental structure, now already an icon of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood. They added a basement, large turret with spiral staircase that leads to the master suite and reading loft atop the tower, carriage house and expanded kitchen with coffered ceiling constructed on an inverted arc, by the way.

Bouldin Castle

Master bath in Bouldin Castle

Custom sink in guest bath

Barcelona Modern is no exception to their impressive portfolio. When they approached me about helping them stage it, I just brought them to the warehouse and let them pick the pieces they thought would fit their vision. I compared it to giving Picasso a palette with only colors I would chose: blasphemy!  With lots of collaboration between us as well as feedback from their realtor Kenny Hilbig with Gottesman Residential, we came up with a winning combination in luxurious modern furnishings and artwork that reflects not only the quiet, minimal spirit needed to allow the house to shine, but also floral and nature photography from Stacy Kirk and Chris Carson. Andrew Anderson, Rebecca Bennett and Cheryl Finfrock also graciously supplied their amazing artwork to the project.

Other details in this home that stand out are the white oak floors laid in a chevron pattern, dramatic light fixtures throughout, perfectly round crystal door knobs and push button light fixtures that are a nod to the modernist trend in the 1920’s. My grandmother’s house had these same light switches so somehow they gave me a nostalgic feeling in this brand new construction. Spaller/Glover have a true appreciation for restoration and classical architecture so even though these three projects I have mentioned are essentially “new”, there is definitely a sense of history in each one.

Barcelona Modern exterior

Barcelona Modern living/dining areas

Barcelona Modern master bedroom

Stuart Sampley is a great local architect who happens to live down the street. I drive past his gorgeous green craftsman home pretty much every day when I am heading north. Baird and I always comment on it and point it out to friends visiting or are new to the area as a real example of Bouldin Creek architecture (whatever that is!) because it is a classic craftsman home with hip, modern landscaping and an amazing addition on the rear that includes his office. When I describe Stuart’s style in a nutshell, I say that it is “craftsman with a slightly modern flare”. He apparently pitches the roof line a little steeper and adds clean, contemporary elements throughout, while keeping the charm that everyone loves in a craftsman home. That’s not all Sampley does, of course, it’s just what I have mostly been exposed to.

Now, after admiring his home for the last 5 years on my drive downtown, I have finally had the opportunity to work in two of his latest projects. The first was actually a surprise to me, as I didn’t know he was involved until a week or so after the job was complete. This is the gorgeous Monte Castillo Parkway home built by Michael Alwan of RedBud Custom Homes. I have just updated my website with this job listed first under “Projects”. Michael is a real out of the box thinker and stays passionately true to his vision. He built this home in the middle of several “Texas Tuscan” around the corner from The Oasis, as not to follow sheep-like in the pattern of the other builders who are under the impression that this is what the buyer expects and wants in this location. I suppose that is yet to be determined as the houses finish construction and begin to sell! I knew when I entered this house it was something special - and yes, maybe not perfect for everyone - but you can feel the quality, and even though it is all new construction it seems to have a sense of history: perhaps this is where Sampley left his mark.

Monte Castillo Parkway

Monte Castillo Parkway living room

About a week or so after I completed staging the Monte Castillo house, I noticed a new Sampley house come on the market in the neighborhood. It is represented by Rob Albertson with Austin Fine Properties who coincidentally is also a Bouldin Creek resident.

I decided to contact him right away since the newly constructed house was not staged yet. Suprisingly, he told me that none other than Stuart Sampley had given him my information as a contact for staging this home on Johanna, as I had just done another one of his projects with Red Bud Custom Homes.  This is when I officially made the connection to the Monte Castillo house and how it all came together.  Aren’t referrals wonderful?

The Johanna house was a dream, as I can get away with a little more design risk in Bouldin than I can in other parts of town. People who live here are generally pretty progressive thinkers and won’t be deterred by a bright red modern table and some funky art in a craftsman entry.

Johanna Exterior

Johanna Entry

Johanna family room

Artwork in this house is graciously provided by Cheryl Finfrock, Rebecca Bennett & Andrew Anderson.

More of these photos are available in my opening slideshow as well as on Rob and Stuart’s sites I reference above. I look forward to working on more amazing projects with my fabulous neighbors!

We recently completed a job for Jason Jackson in South Austin, who has listed this great remodel with Brent Fannin of Turner Residential. I have done several listings with the folks at Turner Residential and have always been a fan of not only the homes they build, but the homes they represent on the market!

Jason remodeled this mid-century home that had great bones but just needed a facelift. It has a dramatic entry, huge back yard and is on a nice, quiet street. He used the 12 x 24 tile vertically in the bathrooms for an even more modern feeling.  At $214K it seems like an amazing starter home.  This was a fun and easy job. Original art by Rebecca Bennett, Kevin Greer & Jeffrey Swanson.

Entry to Blarwood

Blarwood living, dining & kitchen

Blarwood bathroom with vertical tile

Blarwood master bedroom

We had some fun working with Ruth Vela with Avenue One this summer. One house in Belterra needed a few things shifted around inside to make some sense of the rooms that a bachelor was repurposing to fit his needs. There was no budget to bring in extra furniture so we had to work with what was already in the house. We formalized the dining area, rehung some art, relocated some furniture from crowded rooms into empty ones and made the music room a real destination. Ruth really tackled this job with all she had and certainly wasn’t afraid to roll her sleeves up and get dirty! I hope she gets a quick sale out of this one!

Bolton Dining Room

Bolton Music Room

The next week Ruth had a tenant move out of another listing and we were able to bring in almost a full house worth of furniture to stage it. The master bedroom is enormous but the other 3 bedrooms are pretty small, so it was better to showcase 2 out of 3 of those rooms with furnishings so potential buyers can actually visualize what will actually fit. Sometimes people see small bedrooms and assume you can’t even get a bed in there, however we always use queen size beds to illustrate that you can fit normal furniture in these rooms. The intention here of course is to alleviate any doubt in the buyer’s mind.

Madison master bedroom AFTER

Madison living room, AFTER

Madison living to kitchen AFTER

Madison extra bedroom

Allison Cartwright with Twist Tours took all these after photos as well as most of the ones on my site! I love her clear, crisp images with wide lens that showcase the space without distortion. Just gorgeous!

I am not sure if my listings have just been priced right or if it is just the busy summer season that is responsible for all my houses selling so quickly! Do I dare take the credit? My last five listings have all sold between 4 hours and 3 weeks - one of these listings is the Rockcliff house, listed with Kathleen Bucher for $3.5 million on Lake Austin. It is not uncommon for homes in this range to sit and wait for the right and qualified buyer for months or even years, so this quick sale was truly extraordinary! I did the consultation on the main home and provided a rug for the formal living room and complete furnishings for the guest quarters. Here are some of the photos below:

Rockcliff Exterior

Rockcliff Formal Living Room

Hall from main home to guest wing

Rockcliff guest wing

Rockcliff guest wing kitchen

The house on Bunny Run listed with Megan Gattis also sold for over asking in the first week with multiple offers! I was able to quickly move the furnishings out and into a new listing with Tammy Young in Hyde Park. This is a darling little cottage/bungalow with loads of charm. I just changed the dining room furniture out from the larger scaled Bunny Run table to a neat little farm table I got at The Khazana and metal farm chairs from Four Hands Home. I love the eclectic set up in this home.

Avenue F Living/Dining room

Reading area in Avenue F

You walk into the middle of the living room with the fireplace on the right and slightly larger living area on the left. I thought the fireplace made a cozy and intimate area to watch TV, read or sit by the fire. If you are sitting on the couch or side chair you can still enjoy the TV and fireplace as all face generally in that direction but the reading chairs could be reversed for a larger conversation area when entertaining. Swivel chairs would be ideal for this spot but I didn’t have any available at the time of this installation! The Moroccan light fixture over the dining table was a lovely surprise: I love the way it illuminates the whole area with dappled light from the perforated metal. Gorgeous!

Admittedly I do not specialize in traditional decor but occasionally enjoy delving into this arena. My clients with The High Road property last summer (Steve Keith - builder and Lisa-Marie Contaldi with Intero Real Estate) contacted me again for their new project in Tarrytown. A contemporary craftsman with lots of great details and the big dream kitchen everyone is looking for these days. Every bedroom has its own bathroom and it even has a 3rd floor/rooftop kitchen nestled in the giant trees that surround the home. The clients opted for just the downstairs staging to warm up the space but wanted to keep it leaning towards the contemporary side as far as decor. I think I found a pretty good middle ground. The entire first floor has TONS of open shelving that of course needs to be addressed, so I carefully selected a mix of books, vases, sculpture and other items that filled in the space without overwhelming it.

Stamford Living Room

Stamford Dining Room

Stamford Kitchen

I also did a fun job with Megan Gattis at Avenue One for her clients on Bunny Run. As if the name of the street wasn’t charming enough, the house is a wonderful little cottage surrounded by some amazing plant and tree filled grounds that truly feel like you are exploring The Secret Garden. With wall to wall seagrass carpeting and plantation shutters it was easy for me to find the design scheme in “Tommy Bahama meets Martha Stewart.”

Bunny Run Living Room

Bunny Run Living Room 2

Bunny Run Entry & Dining

Bunny Run breakfast room

Bunny Run bedroom

The photos from the home on Rockcliff Drive should be posted any day now, so stay tuned for that - and thanks for reading!

Last time I wrote that I had a house sell in 3 days - well, this time we have topped ourselves with a contract in the first 4 hours! This was a really fun project where I worked in conjunction with the owners to bring this remodeled mid-century home to it’s best. Karen and Olivier took an old dingy 1950’s home and opened up a few walls, expanded a bathroom, remodeled the kitchen, added new hardwood floors and a deck to retain the charm of the home while bringing it up to modern expectations. They took some daring choices with some accent wall colors in navy blue and olive but it was fun to coordinate art and furnishings around and it really seemed to have paid off! They also had an extra sofa, some Eames bentwood chairs as well as a great bright red Bertoia bird chair I was lucky enough to incorporate with my existing furniture and art. Debby Reynolds with Turner Residential was kind enough to give me some repeat business on this one.

Corona Living Dining room

Coincidentally, I helped another great couple with their house just a few blocks away on Larkwood. They only needed a quick consultation and “To Do” list as well as a rug and a couple of plants and they were all set. Mindy and Daryl had done plenty with the instruction of their non-nonsense realtor Eileen Gill so all I had to do was come in and confirm their long list of tasks. I think the house looks amazing!

Larkwood exterior

Larkwood Living Room

Larkwood bedroom

In keeping with this more modern design approach, I completed the Summit Oaks condos in March (mentioned in last month’s entry). I included my Bonnie and Clyde sofas from IF+D, the coffee table from BoConcept, media stand from CB2, Tripod lamp from DWR and dining chairs from West Elm. I also have some great art in here from Kristy Battani, Rebecca Bennett and Andrew Anderson. Here are a couple of the photos from that job:

Summit Oaks Living Room

Summit Oaks Dining Room

I have been staying busy with other listings up north as well as Tarrytown. Stay tuned for more updates on those listings as well!

We were able to rent out our little house on Krebs Lane (also on the market) for SXSW to some great folks from California and also prepped a gorgeous condo (Summit Oaks - stay tuned for photos!) for Bryan Cady with DEN Property Group for the market as well as SXSW to offset the costs for the owner.

Late February brought my first job with Cady at the Barton Place Condos. Beautiful condos in a super-secure building in an even more amazing location on Barton Springs right in the middle of the restaurant row of Uncle Billy’s, Chuy’s, Austin Java and Shady Grove. Walk to everywhere! See the virtual tour here!

Soon after the Barton Place Condo was complete I was finally able to work with a friend (through our music connections) Justine Smith with Moxie Realty Group. She has a great listing (also in 78704) that I was able to transition many pieces of the amazing art from Vireo Cove directly into. This was a fun project as the owners were very pro-art and decided to have the main living room set up as a formal type setting (art heavy) and then create a second living space upstairs in the loft for the TV/Family area. Thanks again to Sharon Kyle-Kuhn, Rebecca Bennett and Andrew Anderson for their generosity in allowing me to use their work. Here are some photos of these living spaces:

Peacock Living Room

Finally (for this post anyway), the best news of all! We staged our third home for Stephen Ferguson and his amazing crew (we staged Whiteway and Intervail for him: both on the website) and 3 DAYS LATER they received a contract! This is incredibly fast, even for us! I was privileged to be a part of this project from the the early part of the planning stages, as Stephen asked a few quick layout questions from me before his stellar team jumped in and made it all happen: beautifully and in record time! See this beautiful project here: 3000 Skylark Drive

I have a few more projects in the works in this busy season - stay tuned for more exciting updates!

I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Modern Home Tour again this year - this time with TWO houses out of 16! The first is my project on Oakhaven that I staged for Kim and Don Fry with JB Goodwin and Brodie Builders (respectively). It is a new-construction home with strong mid-century lines and influences, which is perfect in this Barton Hills neighborhood where so many of the surrounding homes are ranch and mid-century. It was a smart choice by DeWitt Architects in creating something new and exciting while still remaining consistent with the neighborhood. The quality in the materials and construction in this home is impeccable. Every time I bring someone in to Oakhaven I get a series of wow’s. I had my staging represented as well as my fine art: www.BlantonArt.com, and Stacy Kirk Photography. My husband Baird came in for the duration of the tour to hand out business cards to any interested parties.

The 2nd house I staged was specifically for the tour itself. Vireo Cove is a magnificent modern home in Westlake built on a steel frame with dramatic floor to ceiling glass throughout the living room and master bedrooms. Built for the site which is on a steep slope leading down to woods and a small creek, the house is on several levels, which Architect Erik Gonzalez said made the house more “dynamic” than if it were on one plane. You can see the architect’s photos here:

http://www.sagointernational.com/work_plushouse.html#

I gathered several of my favorite artists from around Austin to help showcase them as well as the staging for this amazing home, including: Chris White, Andrew Anderson, Rebecca Bennett, Sharon Kyle-Kuhn, Kristy Battani and Rene Norman. I printed up postcards with all of our information to hand out to tour patrons so they could refer back to it to see more of these artist’s incredible work. I tried to select pieces that would compliment the house, not compete with it. I respect the fact that the tour is mostly for architects to showcase their amazing projects and it was a real honor to be a part of this tour on any level.

Vireo Cove

I believe about 2500 tickets were sold for the tour again this year. It was a beautiful day and I think people were glad to be out and about after our little snow and ice days earlier in the week. I enjoyed meeting so many enthusiastic people and especially the great ladies from Wilson & Goldrick who have been marketing this incredible house while on the market. I’m looking forward to next year!

I am proud to announce the launch of my new website, www.StacyKirkPhotography.com

Stacy passed away in 2005 but I am honored to represent her photography on behalf of her family. After months of discussions and planning, her website is now up and features 37 carefully selected works but more will follow over the next few months. All are open edition, archival inkjet on canvas (giclee’) and are available in 3 sizes, based on a 24″ frame, a 36″ frame and a 48″ frame. Prints will be created by her printer, Fidelis Art Prints in Vancouver, BC, shipped to me where I will have them stretched on a frame locally and they can be delivered to you or picked up in my studio at Bay6 in East Austin.

www.StacyKirkPhotography.com

I think you will find these works amazingly beautiful and unique. Stacy worked with a friend who was able to create a specially built digital camera that was able to get detail and resolution that was up to her exacting standards.

She also used one the highest resolution scanners available to achieve incredible effects that almost simulate x-rays. I think you will be amazed at the beauty in these works!

I have included a few in some of my staged homes and they always make a big impact. They have to be seen to be believed!

Thank you so much for having a look!