metal chandeliers

we had some very minimalist chandeliers made by a houston craftsman and inspired from a photo we had saved from a magazine.

they finally arrived and turned out just as we had hoped - but the installation was not quite what the electricians had hoped - very challenging to say the least.

the great room is still not quite complete but the chandeliers are such a welcome addition.

interior shots #3

dining room, kitchen and sub-kitchen. still waiting on a painting for above the dining room's industrial buffet.

interior shots #2

bar area at front entry and other side of bar area at great room.

interior shots #1

not fully done but here is the start of the interior decor.

...a portion of the great room; guest room; downstairs screened porch and upstairs hall.

a view of the back deck

front lights

so, the front facade gets better all the time. here are our front doors (with temporary hardware) and the lighting to illuminate them.

now i just need some good wooden benches (and decent door mats).

the wall

i am so happy with this board-formed concrete wall in the front of the house. now we just need grass - well, rain for grass and then grass.

weathered gray walls

i am inspired again - and again - by that house in montauk.

here i decided to add a little texture to all of the white painted walls and ceilings and trusses. in these photos you can see the wall detail and then two walls downstairs above the bar and by the stairwell. there is also a wall upstairs in the guest room. the last photo is the image that inspired me to include the accent.

the woman in the first photo is debra miller who worked her magic to make these walls look so great.

the back of the house is coming along

here are some photos of the back of the house. i had to take two photos because i could not get far enough away to fit the entire thing in without going off the rock cliff in back that overlooks the river - the top photo includes the screened porch and the bottom photo includes the outdoor shower. the wood accents all await a wood stain.

cabinets for the bar

we are copying these perforated metal cabinet doors in the bar area (these originals are in a montauk house). i cannot wait to see how they turn out. the bar will just have three appliances (bar refrigerator, wine cooler and freezer for ice) and then these metal cabinet doors. the wall behind the bar is stained slatted wood so the contrast will be definitive.

ceiling tongue and groove

it looks like hard work. everything will be painted white.

cabinets are arriving

all of the cabinets have arrived and are being installed. the bar and the kitchen counters are shown here. they turned out to be just what we wanted.

front facade

they are working on the front facade here. it looks so much better without the black coverings on the post anchors. still to come are front doors and a very cool new wall that will be further away from the house. landscaping will make a huge difference.

the ultimate inspiration - marfa, tx

after much back-and-forth on railings, including options to use cable or wood, run it horizontal or vertical, make it a wall or not a wall, and on and on, i came across this photo of a railing i saw in marfa - and it was just right.

beginnings of a fireplace

our fireplace is coming along. that colored paper over the hearth marks the spot where the flat screen will be. it won't be purple though, although that would be kind of cool.

hardware

and then there is the hardware. wow. that is a laborious task. i found some cool things though. a zinc colored pull (on the right in the first photo) for the barn doors. a great rocky mountain hardware-style piece for the wooden front door. and my favorite, these neat little nautical style pulls for all of the built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms. we also found these cool white knobs for the bedroom doors. love the white.

furniture plans

now that the house is coming together, we are starting to focus on the interior. we are having a very large sectional sofa made (by my fantastic upholsterer jose lopez) and covering it with a texture-y but soft indoor/outdoor fabric by perennials (not the best photo). the sofa will be one of the only things in the great room so we are hoping it will be exceptional. check it out.

siding

so the siding is on the front of the house. you can see the wooden accents which will hopefully add a bit of warmth to the cool exterior. i also included a picture of the siding next to the exterior portion of the stone fireplace to show the contrast. we are super happy with the siding - now we just need to get rid of all of those scraggly trees and bushes. ick.

the open design

this is a cool perspective taken by looking up from the dining room and into the upstairs guest room.

the guest room has two (soon to be barn) doors that overlook the dining room and great room below. they slide open for a sweeping view of the entire house. as you look through the guest room, you can see the trusses in that room - and then in the great room beyond.

sliding doors

our large sliding doors (by fleetwood) are in. they are amazing because they are heavy duty material but super easy to slide. and they highlight our view.

raw materials

i took this (very amateur) photo of the raw materials we are planning to use for the house.

the river white granite (middle far right), white ceramic tile and slate (center) are for the upstairs bathrooms; the green/grey pietra granite (to the far left) and the slate are for the master bathroom; and the flamed absolute black granite (triangle shape) and white limestone (2 small chunks) will be in the main living area - the granite on the counters and the limestone on the fireplace.
you can click on the photo to enlarge for a better look.

relaxation

even with all of the construction and the oppressive insulation work everywhere, my girls found a lovely spot on the upstairs deck and did what we hope this house will do for all who share it with us - they kicked back, grabbed a book, and RELAXED.

ceilings

so, all of our ceilings inside and out will have this awesome tongue and groove woodwork. this image is an exterior shot of the lower deck ceiling. inside the house, the ceilings will be washed with white paint but outside they will remain a natural color. love that detail.

insulation

as of yesterday, our house was being sprayed with insulation - which does not make for the most attractive images.

here is a photo of the great room - taken looking down from the attic/mechanical room. it shows our new 6' x 6' window in the great room plus the expanse of the ceiling height and, of course, the heavy duty insulation. the room beyond is the future screened porch and the scaffolding is for the masonry work being done on the fireplace.

flat it is

okay, flat corrugated metal it is. we made our decision.

below are a few photos of the bayou bend visitor and education center here in houston. it was designed by leslie elkins architecture and is one of my favorite buildings. it has the flat corrugated metal for its exterior. check it out.

i've also included two photos of the absolutely fantastic landscaping at the facility. it is amazing.