The entryway with vintage beadboard on the ceiling gives it texture, and the floors are from an old barn in Iowa around the 1850's.... Who is responsible for this?????
She is an accomplished contractor/designer named Jacquelyn Ditsler. I am lucky to call her a friend. She said I "inspired her" to change from the typical country genre to Euro Country.....
I am happy to say you will see some Beadboard UpCountry influence and accroutrements here.......BUT...
the credit goes to Jacquelyn, who, after discovering Flamant after I lent her the book,,,,was inspired by it, researched Belgian design, and totally adapted it to TEXAS Euro-country. I couldn't be more proud as you will see.....
Oh did I say the light was GOLDEN??????
Yes it is.....Where's Kate and Henry???? And Jane? Note the galvanized steel staircase leading to the catwalk on the second floor. The great thing about this home is that no T's were uncrossed and no I's were left undotted. If you want a home in the country that is set up for sophisticated entertaining and coziness at the same time this is it.
The light beaming across the vintage 18 " plank floor.... Oh and see the French Settee? EVERYTHING in here can be purchased with the house and there are some pretty incredible furnishings and eye candy. PLENTY of it.
Linen, cotton, natural fibers, grainsacks, vintage chandeliers, French Water Well heads..... baskets, industrial architectural elements..... They are all HERE, in this house. Will they go out of style. NO. Not the way this was designed..
This is a real French Water Wellhead, festooned with an acanthus leaf motif. It weighs, well, A LOT. The floor is reinforced..... It was empty. What did Jacquelyn do with it ? Added a storage backbar from Europe and then.....
Filled the wellhead with corks and winebottles...Is that a bottle of Dom in there??? Oh, Jacquelyn and her husband are gourmands by the way....
I love this thing....
The adjacent seating area overlooks the pond....
Here is the star of the kitchen..... The II Vie Italian Stove.. Gorgeous.... Like an Italian La Cornue... They love to cook.... When Jacquelyn builds a house ( and she's done a few ) she does it like it would be her own.......
Open kitchen with a butler's pantry, and a vintage French buffet put to good use among the subway tiles.........
Dining room.... Need I say more?
No buffet here! A clever shelving unit from vintage architectural elements for serving.... Lovely host, hostess chairs in linen with rosettes.....
Where's this???? The bedroom?
Of Course! A screen used as a headboard and the towers serve as great alternatives to the usual accoutrements.
This is the Master bath and Jacquelyn's design whimsy, the Champagne bucket next to the tub.... What, you don't have one?????
Vintage French Buffet.. Great in a bath, and so functional...
Vintage vanity chest in the bath......I love the reflection of the chandelier..
Guest bedroom upstairs.....
Look at the stained glass and the view......
The second guest bedroom, more traditional with a lovely vintage bed.
View of the living area from the catwalk....
The back entertaining deck in the golden light.....
The pond with the fountain...
Wouldn't you like to end your evening here????????
GOLDEN POND IS ON 24 ACRES NEAR ROUND TOP. THE MAIN HOUSE IS APPROX 3000 SQ FT. THE AREA IS HOST OF THE BIGGEST ANTIQUES FAIR IN THE COUNTRY. THIS BEAUTIFUL PROPERTY FEATURES FOUR STOCKED PONDS, AND A SECOND HOMESITE FOR A GUESTHOUSE. THE MUSIC FESTIVAL AT ROUND TOP IS NEARBY, AND IT IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED BETWEEN HOUSTON AND AUSTIN.
OUTTAKES!
We were all drinking gin and tonics (which I don't usually drink) but this was with a hard to find French gin called Magellan that is smooth as silk, and it's pale blue. We were shooting this after trying the gin, so I had to come back the next day and retake some shots. Thought you'd like to see ...
All of them
scurrying out of the way as I was getting a pic of the water...
Chandelier unlit but the tasting table being put to good use, someone, (David of Round Top Inn) brought delicious roasted pecans.....I make those too, but the secret ,evidently, is whipped egg whites.....
This obviously was not a shoot staged by Jermaine of French Kissed. SHE would never leave her gin and tonic out in the room where anyone could see it. That was mine. Oh and those are insulated glasses so they really aren't as big as they look.
Those Pecans were yummy! I wonder how long it took Jacquelyn to amass all those corks?????Hmmmmmmm. They are not bad labels either.
That IS a bottle of Dom in there!!! The End;) Hic!
In World War One, Briards were used as Military dogs by the French for sentry and messenger purposes. Here, a rare portrayal of a wounded solder taking his also wounded dog to a church that had the Blue Cross....The blue cross was the animal rescue designation....
Here's a picture of our some of our guys. Let's not forget our four legged friends on this Memorial Day and the contribution of all breeds, and the wonderful mixed breed dogs, from all countries whose heart and dedication has been priceless.
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