You won’t find them in ordinary kitchens. Or at ordinary stores. Sub-Zero, the preservation specialist. Wolf, the cooking specialist. Cove, the dishwashing specialist. Find them exclusively at your local kitchen specialist.
m o r r i s o n s u p p l y. r e e ce . c o m
MCALLEN 5401 North 10th Street, Suite 101 McAllen, TX 78504 (956) 225-0035 Monday—Friday: 8:00am—5:00pm
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Ole Decor Distinctive Real Estate
is the ONLY multi-media marketing agency of its kind that gives you all the online tools you will need to sell Real Estate and increase inventory! Listings published on our website will automatically be pushed onto all the major search engines on the web and social media! See our latest magazine ONLINE ALL THE TIME
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Eddie Reyes Editor
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Anthony Medina Lynn Walker Hoverson
oledecor.com 5800 Padre Blvd. Suite 203 South Padre Island, TX 78597 follow
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INFO go to oledecor.com, call 956.266.8663, or email eddie@oledecor.com. Contact us via social media or email us at officemanager@oledecor.com.
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On the Cover Before and After does not truly convey the transformation this lovely beach house has undergone at the expert hands of team Sisters Interiors of South Padre Island. It was taken down to the bones says Ann in our interview with her. Visit us at www.OleDecor.com to see more of this beautiful Sirena! Photo by:
Anthony Medina
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contents Summer 2022
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Distinctive Real Estate This Beach House has it all! Kick back on your balcony sipping on a cold beverage with the warm stnenokissing pmocyour dna face. strapCall GL David for your gulf breeze keys and BTW he makes a killer Rita.
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*ytinilakla decnahnE Designer Spotlight Ann of Sisters has done it again! Transforming noitartlfi tra-eht-fo-etatS this little gem into a diamond was no easy task, tazibusiness tinas dndoes a but 36 plus years*ninoithe *slarcome enim in dehandy. dda morf tsoob tneirtuN
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Featured Artist It’s easy to see the Hand of God working through artist Jerrie Howell curator and owner of Hand of Man stained glass gallery. Schedule your class now!
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Indoor / Outdoor Living Here are some ideas for your own outdoor lounging area. Give us a call, we know just the right guys that mcan happen oc.remake tawsysit llew .www just in time for Summer.
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Distinctive Real Estate
The Island Is Calling 132 E Carolyn Dr. SPI, TX
OFFERED AT: $1,895,000
MLS: 94675
INQUIRIES
David A. Gower: 956.459.5119 David@spiproperty.com www.spiproperty.com
2200 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX
Your dream home awaits with the beauty of the sea and the sound of the waves. This stunning contemporary with breathtaking views is steps from the sand & a short walk to shops & dining. The heart of this home is on the 3rd floor w/kitchen/dining/living room w/18ft sliding doors that open to the balcony w/your front row seats to take in the sunrises over the ocean & the sunsets over the bay. This home has an elevator, impact resistant windows, quartz countertops & tile floors throughout. Beautifully landscaped with tropical palms & pool. Whether you are seeking a home to call your very own or a “home away from home” with passive income rental potential, this impeccable home is offered furnished & ready for you.
For more photos and information visit realestate.oledecor.com 8
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THINK BIG BIGGER LOANS
FOR YOUR LUXURY HOME JUMBO LOANS MADE EASY
Branch/Lender NMLS#1518582/200719This is not an offer for extension on credit or a commitment to lend. A DIVISION OF HAMILTON GROUP FUNDING, INC.
Designer Spotlight
From the distinctive design studio of Sisters Interiors on South Padre Island, Texas, we quote a description of Casa Sirena which is also known as The Mermaid House: … “a marquee example of South Texas coastal living—blends high design, sun, sea and family at heart.” ~SISTERS INTERIORS
CASA SIRENA Written by Tina Garbo Bailey Photography by Anthony Medina
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n the private, gated community of The Villas of South Padre Island, this threestoried, luxury beachfront villa was well-matched with the design team of Sisters Interiors. Lead designer Ann Hunsaker led the tour through the Island getaway. This June, Ann will be celebrating her thirty sixth year as an Interior Designer. This beachfront home reveals its quiet luxury as soon as the doors are opened. As we walked through the Mediterranean-styled villa, Ann shared that the owners of the villa had been wonderful to work with and that, “there were opportunities throughout the house… to truly create.” Every surface of the home has been touched—including modification of the original footprint, addressing exposed, structural deficiencies, and making improvements of the fenestration, site drainage, landscaping, the roof and the stucco system. 12
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Sisters Interiors has expertly invited the beachfront home’s coastal beauty to the interior, making it the design focus. What once was heavy stone façades and earth tones has been transformed into a sea-induced, soothing palette with clear vistas that can be seen from inside and out. Casa Sirena is now a seminal watercolor of white ground, gray and blue tones with the occasional infusion of a warm chroma.
Breathtaking beach views from all three floors, design features and expertly-curated furnishings warmly greet residents and guests at every turn. La Sirena reveals her secrets as one moves throughout the home, a marriage of quality and comfort bathed in island sunlight. Just inside the diminutive, solid wood French door entrance, the experience begins with a three story rotunda which has flooring tiled in white and gray marble crafted in a herring-bone pattern. From there you could ascend the wallhugging, curved staircase which provides multiple views of the lantern that is suspended from the center of the foyer dome. This fixture is a simple, geometric interpretation of a classic lantern style, accenting the area’s furniture, sconces and art pieces.
Designer Spotlight
The sleek doors and their hardware we acquired from Texas Wood Supply pg 21
The same foyer floor tile simultaneously accents the wrought iron railed, solid wood stair risers—taking the exclusive feel vertically up the spiral staircase. The upper foyer is highlighted by the former curved landing at the top of the stairs which has been trimmed in order to add uninterrupted volume to the room. Beyond the foyer lays the open layout of the first floor’s living space. From the foyer, a corridor is announced by accenting wood beams with a washed stria effect to mark the intervals between the ceramic Italian ceiling tiles of a classic geometric floral pattern. The windows have been enhanced with quartz sills throughout the villa’s structure. Walking further, the first floor living space opens up to the great room which includes a pool. The beach is just beyond the loggia. While looking up from the living room, the serpentine second floor landing reveals the openness of the two levels that share the full volume of the space. Neutral rattan club chairs and upholstered American Leather sofas surround a sandy-colored, driftwood, trunk style coffee table. One of the two pre-existing fireplaces which had become non-functional has been converted into a bright and inviting, tiled vignette of greenery and decorative elements.
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The original footprint of the primary kitchen was expanded by absorbing five feet from the adjacent, large living space. This “foodie’s” kitchen was meticulously planned, including custom cabinetry which was designed to utilize the full height of the ceiling, facilitated by using a row of downlit glass and display cabinet doors at the crowne. Heavy corbels and stone have been replaced with lighter, easededge quartz countertops that make for a sleek, yet inviting, culinary heart for the home. The same soft blue-gray Walker Zanger mediterranean tiles found in the gallery ceiling have been repeated on the backsplash above the ceramic cooktop for a beautiful focal point. There is a central window with a striped Roman shade in line with the luxe-sized, apron front sink and commercial style faucet which is centered below the window. The peninsula and its counter height stools can serve as a breakfast bar for cocktails and canapés—or a quick family breakfast before a great day on the beach.
The main kitchen is expertly equipped with Subzero/Wolf appliance that would be the envy of any chef Stevensons Appliances pg 20
A curved cove—an enhanced existing feature—leads to the first floor’s junior master suite which is just beyond the kitchen. Natural elements have inspired the choices of furnishings, including a blue and white rug and the floral bedding, all beckoning the room’s views of the swimming pool and the Gulf of Mexico. Perfect for adult visitors, this room has a sliding glass patio door that leads directly to the pool area. The en-suite bathroom has an enclosed wet room which includes an elliptical-shaped soaking tub, three vertical niches and a wall shower that is accented with a custom break-front vanity. Exquisitely crowning the vanity is a white coral surround mirror. The first floor has a second guest bedroom with a custom-tiled en-suite bathroom that is also accessible by way of the hall. A full utility room is a component of this area’s well thought out design. All are themed similarly to the seaside palette found throughout Casa Sirena. olé decor Summer 2022
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Designer Spotlight
On the second floor past the coffee bar is the daughter’s room which has bedding of white with a blue paisley design print on the coverlet with matching pillows. Behind the entry door is a niche with a mermaid sculpture fit for a mermaid’s room. The floor of the en-suite bathroom is decorated in Emser porcelain tile floor with Walker Zanger geometric deco tile and mosaics in shades of gray. This bathroom also has a wall of bubble mosaic design that flows from above the tub and continues onto the ceiling. There is a playful three-dimensional butterfly motif mirror that was upcycled using white paint, making it a defining statement in this, fondly-called “the butterfly bathroom”.
Down the same corridor from this room you will find the son’s bedroom with walls that are dressed in coastal art. Here the bedding choice is a simple white with a natural fabric coverlet with a blue, racing stripe motif. The en-suite bathroom’s vanity and shower are matched in a gulf blue color. There is a tiled barrel vault feature that runs along one portion of the bathroom’s ceiling.
As we made our way into the mixed-purpose third floor, a full-sized billiard table came into view. Its gray felt tabletop sets the tone in this area which offers a variety of spaces. Desks flank the repurposed, former fireplace nook and there are abundant eating areas. According to lead designer, Ann, “the owners wanted to keep things neutral, but, we were also able to play with color in select spots.” There is an infusion of highchroma artwork on this floor. Between billiards and the sea, lies a furnished seating area with a coffee table for warmth.
Designer Spotlight
The adjacent penthouse kitchen contains Sub-Zero appliances and also includes a large wine refrigerator, a pizza oven and more. All are incorporated into light blue-green cabinetry. The quartz countertops anchor and complement all of it. To highlight the vaulted ceiling that the Sisters Interiors team designed, a life-sized, silver painted marlin is mounted on an upper wall. (There is also a placeholder for a future spiral stairway to the observation deck above.) The full-sized, modernly equipped media room can also be found on this floor. The room sports a collection of Star Wars movie posters and is guarded by a campy, metal robot which is posted in a niche. American Leather seating faces the three yard wide screen. There is a custom storage and hospitality cabinet that spans the wall under the movie screen. Behind the seating area, a piece of art with a depiction of a mermaid’s tail hangs as a tribute. There is a hidden stairway to a carpeted demi-loft that overlooks the media room. Two divans with upholstered cushions along with flat surfaces for beverages and snacks makes this area perfect for surfing the web or viewing a surf movie on the screen. The almost forgotten highlight of this room is its en-suite bathroom with white tiled arched ceiling which evokes the feeling of being in a subway. 18
The top floor guest bedroom includes another unobstructed view of the Gulf of Mexico. A white canopy bed with a daybed afoot is dressed in a matching, sporty blue and white canvas. Completing the room are generous bolsters. The bathroom on this floor has harlequin, oval and circular coin tiles. The shower is decorated in white tile and great sunlight! Lastly, “the round room” is located in the turret of the house. Domed with a series of round, shuttered windows, this circular room is outfitted for media viewing or a game of foosball—but actually has great acoustics for something musical. There are convertible sofas that make into beds and giant beanbags in this sweet spot, making it ideal for lounging or sleeping. (The Mermaid House sleeps fifteen guests very comfortably! )
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With a grand total of seven thousand square feet in its floor plan, Casa Sirena is the largest remodeling project Sisters Interiors has completed as of this date. Located in an especially lovely part of South Padre Island, Texas, The Mermaid House is a perfect spot for nomads—both digital and vacationing. So, wheels down and fins up! The design group of Sisters Interiors sourced materials from Company C, Regina Andrews, Annie Selke, Peacock Alley, Global Views, Phillips Collection and Seaside Casual.
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It’s better outdoors
Visit us at www.StevensonsAppliances.com to view other quality appliances and specials.
The Best Brands, the Best Service, the Best Price 234 East Elizabeth • Brownsville • 956-542-3333 | 3101 N 10th Street • McAllen • 956-664-9222
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Featured Artist
A Woman’s Life’s Works In Stained Glass
Written and Photographed by Lynn Walker Hoverson
S
he started it! In 1977 a young woman in her mid- twenties moved to Harlingen, Texas from Austin, Texas. With a fair amount of stained glass experience to her name, Jerrie Howell opened the Hand of Man stained glass business in Harlingen and she has not stopped designing, fabricating, repairing and educating at the same location where it began. These photographs of her “comfortable shop” as she refers to her long-running business show only a fraction of what her talented hands have produced during the past forty-five plus years. Her stained glass projects grace condos on South Padre Island and other Rio Grande Valley locations, homes in Dallas and other places in Texas, and smaller, cherished places for students’ productions completed during Jerrie’s educational classes. 32
Her first stained glass class was at night school in Austin. She knew right away that it was a craft she truly enjoyed. That quality must have shone through because after only 6 weeks, she was hired to teach the same class, a basic level of stained glass skills. Her natural artistic talent bloomed as she continued learning the “tools of the trade” —which have not changed much at all from the beginning of stained glass history. She has continued to draw her own original designs. “I had to count on my self and an eraser! There were no computers when I began.” Seeing her students Googling for ideas is always a disappointment to her and she believes, although perhaps the Internet is an interesting place to look for seeing what a student might like or dislike for designs— relying on it “kills your creativity”. Summer 2022 olé decor
During a time between participating in her first stained glass class and her relocation to Harlingen, Jerrie worked for a stained glass company in Florida. Her work for them included teaching stained glass classes and selling the necessary supplies and equipment for those classes. It was a “traveling” endeavor that required moving all the glass and tools, etc.— every time there was a new venue—which was often; the continuation of laboring like that came to a welcome end. In her spacious location at Hand of Man, Jerrie has been able to spread out and display the many varied colors and textures of what is, undoubtedly, the most interesting supply of stained glass in the Rio Grande Valley.
She has a special corner in her shop filled with particularly unique stained glass pieces that she personally reserves for fine accents and other special effects in her own projects, much to the dismay of students who can see the sparkling appeal of “the good stuff”. Jerrie said one of the main differences between antique stained glass artisans and people working in this medium in the present day— is that now— there is a great abundance of glass to choose from.
Featured Artist
Being able to laugh about it now, she explained that if any projects could be considered “nightmare projects”, they would be from the repair category— due to the tedious aspects of stained glass window assemblage. Broken pieces of glass have to be removed from the damaged areas. The channel that each piece fits into captures a depth of the edges of glass. There is often well-aged putty still trapped within those spaces. The gunk has to be removed to make way for a new glass piece and that can require hours of painstaking scraping and picking with an Exacto knife to properly prepare the surfaces.
Another shift in the world of stained glass fabricating is one of Jerrie’s concerns for the future of stained glass business: obtaining top quality supplies and equipment. “This is not a fast craft”. To produce an heirloom quality artwork calls for setting a high standard. One of her suppliers of glass, molds and equipment was recently destroyed in an explosive fire of its long-established location. She thinks it might be possible the company will never recover from that disaster—one less resource. Many stained businesses are winding down as owners get older and find themselves without someone to pass their stained glass legacy on to.“It is what I really enjoy doing.”, said Jerrie. Even though she is, technically, retired, people depend on her to stay open and she said really wouldn’t know what else to do if she did not have her shop. 34
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She added that after her Dad died a few years ago, her attitude changed. Sometimes she looks around at her stained glass establishment and wonders what will happen to it all; will the contents all end up in a big garage sale one day because there will perhaps be no one that knows what to do with it? That topic lead to a turn in our conversation. She told me something I had never heard about stained glass. According to Jerrie, the White House in Washington, D.C.—prior to Mr. “New Deal President” Roosevelt—had walls of beautiful stained glass installed in it. Some were Tiffany Studios stained glass; but Roosevelt had them all removed. Where they ended up is a mystery!
Even though Jerrie’s Hand of Man shop of stained glass wonders has suffered flooding several times of its interior—sometimes as much as 14” deep— she hasn’t quit yet! She continues to design, fabricate, repair and educate. She conducts classes which are usually limited to 7 students at a time. “It takes a lot of space to work on stained glass projects”. Word of mouth advertising is usually how people find out about Hand of Man and their classes. So, now, you the reader knows about this creative opportunity, too. Call Jerrie at Hand of Man: 956-428-4562
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Indoor / Outdoor Living
OUTDOOR EASE THE BEST OUTDOOR LOUNGES A convivial, contemporary outdoor lounging area is more essential than ever at the moment – and not least because both family members and visiting friends always seem to gravitate naturally towards them. Here are enviable alfresco lounges from which to take some inspiration as you plan or renovate your own outdoor living space.
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Indoor / Outdoor Living
CLASSIC CHIC Pergola-covered and with a river-stone floor, this enviable patio is part of a holiday property on the Balearic island of Mallorca. The pergola itself is supported by plastered masonry pillars, with a forged iron top frame and cross wires covered with bamboo and a salvaged mature grape vine. The built-in seating was added during the home’s recent renovation: “Small spaces always feel bigger with in-built seating arrangements,” says designer Oro del Negro of More Design (moredesign.es). 42
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KEEP IT COUNTRY Asked about the charming mix of vintage and reclaimed pieces that characterise their contemporary home in the Cape Winelands – including this romantic veranda – the homeowners say: “We don’t find them; they find us. They are mostly passed-on heirlooms and junk-shop or reclamation-yard finds.” The collection of blue and white plates that hang on the wall here, for example, belonged to one of the owners’ mothers. olé decor Summer 2022
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Indoor / Outdoor Living
MIXING DECK Sporting a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, this front deck is much more like an outdoor room than a conventional veranda: it has sliding wooden shutters that can be used to partially screen it from the elements – such as strong winds or harsh sunlight – or to fully and securely enclose it. The wooden outdoor furniture is from Bloc Outdoor (blocoutdoor.co.za) and the wall decoration was picked up on the homeowners’ travels. 44
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STONE COOL A seriously sophisticated holiday home needs outdoor living spaces to match, and this elegant patio is perfectly appointed for relaxing, day and night. Designed by the homeowner – who is the creative director of a large fashion retailer – every aspect of the space has been as carefully considered as the rest of the house. The adjacent pool area is the perfect spot for magical summer parties alfresco olé decor Summer 2022
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Indoor / Outdoor Living
SIMPLE PLEASURES This sleek covered patio is used as an outdoor entertainment area for dining and lounging, with separate zones created for each function. Aesthetically, the space is a considered dialogue between contemporary and traditional elements, with resolutely practical finishes – such as the polished concrete floors – softened by classically styled furniture that includes lots of natural wood as well as comfortable upholstered pieces. 46
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GREEN ROOM
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In a family home that’s all about seamless indooroutdoor living, spaces suitable for enjoying family time and entertaining friends are an absolute essential. This patio runs the house’s full length, and all the doors can be flung open to connect inside and out. Interior designer Simone Hirsch of Simone Katherine Interiors (www. simonekatherineinteriors.com) has created a genuinely romantic space that includes this comfortable lounge area, festooned with hanging plants and surrounded by garden greenery.
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