and so are Home Tours in April in H-town
it's ridiculous
this past weekend, chose one
in The Heights, Houston, TX
6 homes in 6 hrs
or more, if you wait for the luxury shuttle bus between them
(which we got onto 1 in the end that had music playing with rather disco type lighting up top & plush, pleated black leather seating on a sofa set, plus chairs & a wooden table between 4 seats - never been on such a mini plush van before...)
I had wanted to call this home tour an eco friendly home tour - which 'eco friendly' has been defined as "not environmentally harmful" (& is that any different than being "environmentally friendly?")
now I'm wondering if that's the right word to use for these remodeled/reconstructed/built houses on this tour
the home built in the 1900's & remodeled, if they used other salvaged materials like wood floor boards then is that considered 'green' - as 'environmentally friendly' - (am not sure that brick making was not harmful back when, nor now...)
in the Historic Districts there are strict requirements on remaining historical, but are they all/any of them 'green' - don't know for sure unless I say read the requirements, which would be kinda like reading an old Encyclopedia I'm thinking...
and are they all/any of them--saving tree's, if that's considered 'green' or 'environmentally friendly'?
again in the one house that built out & around the giant oak trees on their lot, did save the trees & the birds that nest in them
Houston Heights...
http://www.houstonheights.org/html/spring_tour.html
note: name of the tour--Embracing Change
as many houses in the area from say the 20's, obviously there's been some changes
but even in the Historical District/Streets there is change behind the facades
one in particular going from 1400 sq ft to 3400 sq ft
Houston LifeStyles article about the Spring Home Garden Tour in The Heights...
http://houstonlifestyles.com/spring-home-garden-tour-houston-heights-april-11-12/
Our tour started backwards...
as there was no parking at the Fire House nor the surrounding streets
so were given the tip, go park at one of the houses on the tour & catch the shuttles from there
we chose the post office parking lot around the corner from the last house
the Queen Anne Victorian...
Johnson Home
1011 Heights Boulevard
1011 Heights Boulevard
"The only one of its type on Heights Boulevard constructed of brick, this Queen Anne Victorian— widely known as Webber House—was built in 1907 by brick mason, Samuel H. Webber, for his family. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Its asymmetrical hipped roofline has a gable end bay and a tower (or turret). It served the community as a quaint bed-and- breakfast for many years before Colleen and Kurt made it their home. The house features a side porte-cochere, a front porch with Doric half-columns on brick piers, windows with one-over-one lights and a recessed entry way."
note: items that caught my eye...
the brick work, of course, but around the front door & the fireplace, I would of guessed that was modern tile maybe made to look brick size - as it was white with some brown flecks in it...
pocket doors, which I thought really was a modern invention, these from front room to dining room were very high, floor to ceiling nearly... (if you look up Pocket Doors, according to Wiki, they were common in Victorian homes)
side entrance bar/ticket window, many a story/conjecture for how that came to be - was it really that ladies left their carriages, entered, then left calling cards inside the little window (which looks for all like a ticket booth window for the movies) - tho now half full of book shelves with a children's table set for tea...
once outside, looking back at the house, see the criss-crossing of the bricks at the corners & it's like it's been woven (so indeed you can tell this brick mason was a master at his craft or he had a lot of helpers that used theirs in the making of this house...)
the brick work, of course, but around the front door & the fireplace, I would of guessed that was modern tile maybe made to look brick size - as it was white with some brown flecks in it...
pocket doors, which I thought really was a modern invention, these from front room to dining room were very high, floor to ceiling nearly... (if you look up Pocket Doors, according to Wiki, they were common in Victorian homes)
side entrance bar/ticket window, many a story/conjecture for how that came to be - was it really that ladies left their carriages, entered, then left calling cards inside the little window (which looks for all like a ticket booth window for the movies) - tho now half full of book shelves with a children's table set for tea...
once outside, looking back at the house, see the criss-crossing of the bricks at the corners & it's like it's been woven (so indeed you can tell this brick mason was a master at his craft or he had a lot of helpers that used theirs in the making of this house...)
photo credit: me, as we were not told we could not take photos outdoors
and as for indoors, we got conflicting comments--it was not OK, it was OK...
I told one of the volunteers, please next year just state on the ticket/brochure & advertising that no photos are to be taken in the homes on tour or if any of the homeowners are OK with it afterall...
note: this is once you're outside coming from the kitchen/mud room backdoor, past the garage apt to the backyard looking at the back/side of the house...
(lots of those it seems are in The Heights behind the old homes, that I never knew were all over - have to wonder, are they for students or workers or artists or that grandmother/mother-in-law house or college student returning back home kind of thing as well...)
if you could see up close between the windows you would see the criss-cross bricks all the way up/down the wall... inside there are curved window frames in the front sitting room, this is perhaps how they made that happen - as well to update them, as they then built a box shape out from the curved window box to hold large wooden Plantation type shutters for these tall curved windows, clever that as well...
note: flip to pg 91 - Spring Home & Garden Tour, Calendar - all the houses in The Heights are in one photo there
note: flip to pg 60-61: Getting to Know Your Neighbors - the Johnson's & the Queen Anne Victorian, on the Spring Home & Garden Tour, The Heights
Roche Home
1414 Ashland
1414 Ashland
"Known to many in the Heights as "The Heron House," this modern Craftsman was very consciously designed to preserve three old-growth Live Oak trees—home to families of Yellow-Crested Night Herons that return every spring. The home's open, light-filled design–with four porches and plentiful windows–not only protected the majestic nesting trees and their inhabitants, but created the illusion of being amid the quiet foliage. Completed in 2014, the front elevation features a Craftsman-style door of metal and glass and double-hung windows. Stepping into the home, Amanda and Fabrice's delightful interior design is modern and eclectic."
note: we could look up & see 2 of the 3 heron nests we were told are in the giant oak trees, 1 of which we thought we could see some feathery movement in... I think it's absolutely fabulous they preserved these trees around their propery, which doesn't look easily done & in so doing kept these heron's nesting trees alive along with the bird's...
later read, about April to October, they could be in the trees nesting, so we were lucky they came earlier rather than later--did not hear the call of a heron, but lots of doves/pigeons were coo coo-ing all around in all the trees as the tour went on during the day...
tophat & bowler hat lamps
found them online for real & am guessing, for fake too
by Jake Phipps - the Jeeves & Wooster pendant lights
ranging around the $350 each mark from what I could find
unless you're on ebay, which there some are going for between $60-120ish
note: for my theatre, arts, costume, set design folks I thought these would be loads of fun... that includes me, ex-wardrobe mistress wanna be set/costume/stage designer (in my next life eh?!) until then these could put me in the mood--either that or deck them out further in Steampunk style... hmm... then sell them at Steampunk Festivals, of which I know there's at least one in Lafayette, LA come November...
FLOR - Vintage 5 Patchwork Design
note: I use to think, use to, that these cute/put the square carpet tiles together carpets/rugs were say just for kids rooms or daycares/schools/industrial settings maybe... but after walking thru this whole modern house have changed my mind - as in nearly every room a different carpet tile area rug was there looking very fun & practical... looking quickly over the choices I find I like this one, tho in the house I really liked a blue/white combination one in a bedroom - I think it was - a lot...
FLOR - Rembrance 3 Cut design, in blue/green
FLOR - Stellar Cellar Tres, in blue/white/grey
note: OK, sorry, I was just sucked into designing my own carpet tile square rug or carpet... possible in the color blue...
Gilbert Home
1638 Harvard
1638 Harvard
"Dating 1920, this one-story bungalow lacked central heat and air and was barely livable when Peggy purchased it as a rental in 2009. She has since renovated and expanded the home which is now her personal residence. Removal of aluminum cladding revealed its original teardrop wood siding, and modern touches include Vetrazzo (recycled glass) and concrete countertops. other thoughtful details include three uniquely different stained glass windows—one contemporary, one Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired and one traditional. The master bedroom door is fashioned from the stained glass of a decommissioned Catholic church. Peggy's creative design mixes old with new and various styles of art."
Vetrazzo webpage...
note: recycled glass countertops in this home were so spectacular... they chose Ruby Red - there was a flyer - homeowner had to wait a long Long time to get this red countertop, but it's so wonderful to look at I can easily see why one would do that...
Vetrazzo - Ruby Red - recycled glass sample
85% Recycled Glass & 15% modified Portland White Cement
note: also in the house, between the front living room to the dining room there is a partial wall--it is a Wine Rack Wall/room divider, on the flyer it says by "Vineyard" (which is near impossible to track down, another time maybe I'll put on my serious detective hat...) But the vents for the actual working wine cooler case rack comes from the floor up, which I've never seen/heard of before...
other serious wine storage/cellar ideas found here...
other serious wine storage/cellar ideas found here...
Vin de Garde webpage...
note: so beautifully modern, can imagine in a fine restaurant, cannot imagine in a home (or none that I could possibly own--OK, so for the Rich 'n Famous types...)
even more home wine storage ideas here - Houzz.com...
Lopez-Marks Home
2023 Arlington
2023 Arlington
"Drawn to the Heights for its artistic, diverse, small-town, historic vibe, Laura and Lewis—who share a passion for historic buildings and architecture—have owned several homes here since 1994, purchasing this 1921 Craftsman bungalow in 2012. Sitting on a nearly one-half-acre lot, the home is recognized as a Houston Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Laura's colorful paintings are hung throughout the home, which also features four porches, a pass- through utilizing reclaimed shiplap from the home's original walls and a great room that doubles in size when a retractable wall is opened."
note: From Vision to Reality - Creating a family home with flow by Marsha Canright, Photography by Anthony Rathbun pg 54-60
Embracing Chage - Houston Heights Assoc. Spring Home & Garden Tour, April 11-12 (2015) pg 62
PaperStone webpage...
Embracing Chage - Houston Heights Assoc. Spring Home & Garden Tour, April 11-12 (2015) pg 62
PaperStone webpage...
note: was used on the counter tops in this house...
told it was Cardboard counter tops (found in the kitchen, think it was their 'leather' choice)
note: when the volunteer said in the kitchen: can you guess what this is made of?
In my head, I swear, the first thing that popped in my head was 'cardboard' & it was!!
possibly due to the brown bag color of it, but still--I'd like to think a bit psychic like that, I 'knew' the answer--popped in my head, just like that?!
from their webpage it reads tho--'recycled paper'...
"PaperStone® is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper that has been saturated with our proprietary PetroFree™ phenolic resins and selected natural pigments on our treater lines. After trimming to length, resin-saturated sheets are stacked and moved into a press where they are fused together under heat and pressure. Paper sheet count determines the thickness of the finished panels."
Nelson Home
1615 Columbia
1615 Columbia
"This 1920s bungalow beautifully blends old and new. With entertaining in mind, the home was completely renovated in 2012 and expanded from 1,400 to its current 3,400 square feet. The wood-frame, pier-and-beam structure features front and back porches and terra cotta paint with off-white trim and gold accents. A front parlor and warm fireplace greet visitors to the home which boasts impressive built-ins, hardwood floors, a kitchen with oversized island, a downstairs master bedroom and a media room. The lushly landscaped backyard—where Kim and Jeff love to entertain— has a summer kitchen, pool and hot tub."
note: I'm pretty sure it was this house, as they all had art in them, which had 4 of Tom Everhart - aka Peanuts/Snoopy Artist - paintings, 3 of Snoopy, 1 of Woodstock (my personal Fav)
One of the volunteers told us, this artist was one of the few - if not only one - that was allowed by Schultz to use his beloved Peanuts comic characters in their art/paintings (or official like, have not looked all that up, yet--but they were very well done, very cute, very colorful & very much 'not' the original comic book character types, they were 'not' just copied onto canvas say...)
Tom Everhart Studio webpage...
http://www.everhartstudio.com/tom-everhart-studio2
One of the volunteers told us, this artist was one of the few - if not only one - that was allowed by Schultz to use his beloved Peanuts comic characters in their art/paintings (or official like, have not looked all that up, yet--but they were very well done, very cute, very colorful & very much 'not' the original comic book character types, they were 'not' just copied onto canvas say...)
Tom Everhart Studio webpage...
http://www.everhartstudio.com/tom-everhart-studio2
note: November 2015 is the next Exhibit showing at the AFA Gallery NYC called: I got ants in my pants & I need to dance, paintings (I think I like his sense of humor, no wonder Charles Shultz liked him?!)
Wiki page - Tom Everhart...
note: and it indeed says he's the only one allowed to paint Peanuts characters...
Nobody barks in LA - Tom Everhart - Work 1999
acrylic & enamel on canvas
note: so cute, caught my eye first, this colorful Snoopy & his paws up
with palmtrees in the background...
Bird lips in a blonde bomb shell wig - Tom Everhart - Work 1997
oil enamel acrylic varnish on canvas
note: so fun, caught my eye second, this colorful (never seen before pose prob too) of Woodstock...
read more here...
note: "Charles Schultz was an artist, and he knew it..." Tom Everhart, from his lectures... Artful Living magazine article Master Class by Alyssa Ford, Spring 2014
McIngvale-Cegelski Home
713 East 13th
713 East 13th
"Built in 2014, this lovely two-story home embodies a trove of Craftsman charm, which includes exposed rafter tails, decorative gables, a porte-cochere, solid wood Craftsman-style doors and nine-light patterned windows. Reminiscent of period Heights architecture, the home has a full- width front porch and large covered back porch. The open living room and kitchen floor plan allows for large gatherings of friends and family. Elizabeth and Michael's classic, clean, chic decorative style showcases the beautiful woodwork, and each bathroom features a unique selection of tile."
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Tickets bought here...
day before & plant shopping besides, at The Heights Buchanan's Native Plants...
day before & plant shopping besides, at The Heights Buchanan's Native Plants...
note: where I did indeed find a new house plant - was told it's a "Peperomia plant" ...tho when I look that up, do not find a photo of what mine looks like... we shall just see if it lives... and if it ends up with a flower, that will be even better...
Buchanan's Native Plants
note: almost came home with a cement dragon, posed like a kitty cat or peaceful puppy maybe just looking out the window, guarding the garden, the yard, the house... hmm... perhaps I've watched too many episodes of Game of Thrones...
Coffee & Lunch bought here--Revival Market...
cortado - espresso - Greenway coffee roasters
a shrimshaw espresso bean, which I have gotten to try 2 other times at different coffeeshops (Blacksmith & Inversion I think it was, off the top of my head)
Revival Market's Coffee Roaster - Greenway Coffee Roasters - Houston, TX
Whole Coffee Beans:
"Intore" -
farm I thought, but perhaps since translated as 'chosen' like the country's traditional dancers, am guessing this is a blend
Rwanda -
country in Africa
Greenway "G" Roasters -
tho don't find it on their webpage, this is from Revival Market
Flavor notes -
Kumquat, red grape skin, apricot
Cinnamon -
ground cinnamon, I add to almost every V-60 cup of coffee I make each morning - later I will read, it is good for you & it keeps you young & if I think back when I started using it am guessing maybe while living as an ExPat in PLC, Venezuela & heard someone say they had put ground cinnamon in the coffee grounds while brewing their coffee, so tried it & never stopped since!
Coffee Sleeve -
usually I don't use them, as I have a cloth one in my purse... but when I picked this one up, either its texture or the paper used makes it feel like it's leather maybe... and love the design on it as well, but cannot read the print on the back to find out where it's made--next visit to Revival Market I must ask someone behind the counter... I will use it a long while before recycling (or put it on the shelf in my office dedicated to "all things coffee')
usually I don't use them, as I have a cloth one in my purse... but when I picked this one up, either its texture or the paper used makes it feel like it's leather maybe... and love the design on it as well, but cannot read the print on the back to find out where it's made--next visit to Revival Market I must ask someone behind the counter... I will use it a long while before recycling (or put it on the shelf in my office dedicated to "all things coffee')
Lunch choice -
Revival's BLT, lite on the "T" with a side of beans, tasty with cilantro I'm guessing...
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Mini Graff StreetArt Tour on the way to/from the Home Tour in The Heights...
I am always on the look out--look up, low down, look all around...
Mini Graff StreetArt Tour on the way to/from the Home Tour in The Heights...
I am always on the look out--look up, low down, look all around...
lovely musical lady in red/white/black lines
cannot read the signature of this streetart artist so sorry no credit given
#wiley #wileyarts #wileytacos truck #pasteup
#homegrown #slap #sticker above it
note: have seen many a "Love" or a Skull or just "Wiley" by Wiley/WileyArts around H-town, but never the Taco Truck
nor have I seen this "homegrown" slap sticker either, of course reminds of the Arm & Hammer logo - will be on the graff hunt now for more...
Avis Frank Gallery...
http://www.avisfrank.com/
note: is so wonderfully completely full on the outside of this building/art gallery with street art/ graffiti that it made me stop in the street while trying to drive by, good thing nobody was behind me - but I was lost & late in The Heights & kept going, one day I will return & stop & take a Gadzillion photos of all the FAB u lous art on their walls (even before I go inside, which I have no idea what they have inside--but I like them already!!)
note: is so wonderfully completely full on the outside of this building/art gallery with street art/ graffiti that it made me stop in the street while trying to drive by, good thing nobody was behind me - but I was lost & late in The Heights & kept going, one day I will return & stop & take a Gadzillion photos of all the FAB u lous art on their walls (even before I go inside, which I have no idea what they have inside--but I like them already!!)
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