renovating Austin vacation home with majestic view

View from balcony at Austin vacation home

I recently read that a fellow designer in the Denver area sends a post-holiday newsletter to her clients. Several times over the years I have sent holiday, post-holiday and seasonal update letters to clients, both in email and paper formats. I would hear back from a few of you and it was a nice way to showcase some of the work we were doing and learn about projects you were contemplating.

However, as you know, we send frequent newsletters, so I thought a hybrid approach might be best. In other words, we decided to use this newsletter to recap some of our favorite projects of 2021. With our bi-weekly newsletter format, we generally select a few pertinent and timely design topics for the first newsletter of the month. For the second newsletter of the month, Danna and I add more real-time details, photos and interesting anecdotes, designed to keep you inspired.

I hope 2021 treated you well despite the many unusual situations that most of us have had to face over the last two years. We have learned to navigate the virus, supply chain issues, labor shortages and truncated travel and social plans. All in all, we’ve done pretty well and we are so grateful for that. A silver lining is that home is more important than ever and so many of us are moving, updating, renovating and doing maintenance to our homes. I consider that an unseen benefit. Home is particularly important to me and whatever we can do to make a space more beautiful, comfortable and functional, I am all for it!

So, thank you for a busy 2021.  Here are a few of the highlights. Maybe one will spark your creative juices. Since these are 2021 projects, you may notice that we don’t have any proper after photos yet. Please forgive us. Yes, things are taking longer these days and several of these projects are not yet complete, but we are so happy to achieve remarkable results and they are worth the wait!

1. Sort of secret historic refresh
This one is still a bit on the Q.T. but we had the opportunity to do a major refresh to a prominent historical property last summer. It was an honor and a privilege to update this magnificent home and get it ready for the elegant level of living and entertaining for which it is known. Updates included:

  • all new paint,
  • a refresh of two powder rooms,
  • beautiful, elegant wallpapers,
  • updated lighting,
  • painted cabinetry,
  • cleaning, repairing and reinstalling three antique area rugs,
  • upholstery of 56 pieces of furniture and
  • new stairway runners.

Because of the nature of the project, we haven’t taken photographs but here are a few progress shots. Shown below is the new wallpaper, lighting, mirror and faucet in one of the powder baths.

New wallpaper, lighting, mirror and faucet

Décor by Pamela Hope Designs

Reupholstered entry chairs are shown below on the left, while painted vintage sunroom furniture with new cushions are below on the right.

Décor by Pamela Hope Designs

 

2. Highrise Panoramic View
A classic, elegant, modern highrise had good bones and killer views on two sides. The kitchen layout was great but new appliances and updated neutral colors were desired. Since a renovation was in order, a decision was made to open up the wall between kitchen and the living room. This allowed for the view to be enjoyed from nearly any place in the entry, kitchen, living and dining areas. With unobstructed views of Memorial Park, the open feel is spectacular. We are closing in on finishing and moving the client back home. Some of the best aspects of this project include all new Monogram Appliances, a sophisticated lighting plan by Barrett Lighting Solutions, a fresh new paint palette, upgraded audio/video solutions by Echo Workshop  and improved storage.

As shown below, the cabinets are being painted in Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray SW 7016.

Décor by Pamela Hope Designs

Below we share a photo of the former kitchen colors and the wall that blocked the living area.former kitchen

 

In the next photo, you can see the new, expanded view of the living space. Wow, right?!

expansion of living room in Memorial Park

Décor by Pamela Hope Designs

3. Bathroom Bliss
We had fun working with two favorite clients on bathroom upgrades. One was a powder bathroom where we wanted a small yet pretty and sophisticated bathroom in a relatively formal home on a ravine lot in Piney Point. The lovely client’s good taste makes it a joy to create beautiful, traditional interiors with her. Here is a mood board of the desired design.

We used some of our favorite vendors including York Wallcoverings, Schumacher, Horchow and Circa Lighting.

The second bathroom has been planned and all the plumbing and lighting are stored in Houston. We look forward to breaking ground on this one soon. It’s for an addition in the Oak Forest neighborhood. The busy family with three young children needs a pool bathroom and a mudroom. We are creating one out of a pass-through summer kitchen that they have between the house and the garage. This should be a game changer for the family with space to organize and stow the children’s items and a nice, bathroom with shower for pool time fun.

Our contractor created a video of the addition plans. Here is a still shot of them on a project slide:

Décor by Pamela Hope Designs

Here are some of the selections. This bathroom is going to be so fresh and fun!

Again, we are using many of our favorite vendors such as Kohler, Arizona Tile and Ferguson. Fortunately, we secured the last remaining vanity in this darling style!

Photo Courtesy: Wayfair

Since we are using their current summer kitchen for the addition, we are creating a new summer kitchen on the other side of the pool. It will include a grill, a small sink and faucet, some cabinet storage, a bar for eating and a covered pergola with lighting and a fan to help combat the heat during peak summer grilling.

There are so many other wonderful projects. I can’t wait to photograph some of the above and share details on others. We are working on a lot of vacation properties these days too, including an Austin home in the Spanish Oaks area (shown at the top of this page) and a new construction lake house in Livingston, Texas. Reviewing these projects and thinking of others always inspires me. Until next time, find your own inspiration or contact us and we’ll help you discover it.

~Pamela

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