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From the Editors

In a perfect world, we would plan our dream home with our architect, designer and builder all sitting around the table from day one, brainstorming and discussing our best options. Well, that’s just what happened with the teams of professionals featured in this issue. They collectively saw the advantages of each player’s expertise and collaborated on their respective projects, from every detail and finish right down to the landscaping.

Architect Winn Whitman, along with builder Gary Robinson, has created yet another architectural masterpiece in Soaring Wings, as the home is known. Garnering much acclaim both locally as well as internationally, it is a movie star in its own right having recently served as the backdrop for a movie filmed in Austin. This three story home with soaring overhangs and expansive views was designed to optimize the use of local stone and other materials but in a format reminiscent of famous structures such at the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

With experience drawn from her days of building homes in Colorado, Paige Lentz of Joubert Design Build utilized space both inside and under a contemporary San Antonio home with historical influences. Additionally, her team maximized the home’s orientation by creating doors that disappear into wall pockets, allowing for open-air living and cross ventilation.

John Hathaway, AIA, and designer Ron Malott executed the grandest of arched entries. But the mighty arch did not stop there. Once inside this Spanish-style home, more arches provide passageways from one area to the next.

The marriage of two avid art collectors led to the collaboration of a designer dream team featuring Janet Hobbs, Ray Tonjes, Sharon Radovich and Annie Gillespie. Working together to design a home for the newlyweds while combining each partner’s most prized pieces resulted in an “East Meets West” relaxed style where Asian and craftsman merge comfortably.

All of us foodies flock to Farmers’ Markets, but it’s not just the fresh produce we’re after. Jar after jar of handmade preserves and condiments are the hottest items. Join the trend and start preserving your own. You’ll find tips for healthy canning practices and how to enjoy them all year long.

Texas has 90 state parks! We picked 10 that are certainly day trip (or weekend) worthy and include the usual draws such as camping, hiking and swimming with some history and downright beautiful scenery thrown in.

We wish you an adventurous summer! Please share this issue with a friend and be encouraged to recycle.

Trisha Doucette & Leslie Woods, editors

P.S. Find us on Facebook at: facebook.com/urbanhomemags

On The Cover: Taking inspiration from the Getty to the Guggenheim, Winn Whitman, along with Gary Robinson, created a house with uncompromising style and construction. Page 22.

Scan to view more features of this home.

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2013 | VOL. 8 | NO. 3 Publisher Louis Doucette Editors Trisha Doucette and Leslie Woods Contributing Editors Cathy Coneway – ABOR Catrina Kendrick – Catrina’s Ranch Interiors John Martin – Austin NARI Justin Bravo – NARI San Antonio Karen Matuszewski – By Design, Real Estate Services & Custom Home Consulting Contributing Writers Claudia Alarcon, Sharla Bell, Jackie Benton, Julie Catalano Mauri Elbel, Sue-Ella Mueller, Dana W. Todd Strategic Media Placement Diane Purcell Advertising Sales Sandy Weatherford Gerry Lair Photography Four Walls Photography, Gordon Gregory, Coles Hairston, Stephen Knetig, Thomas McConnell, Siggi Ragnar Design and Production Tim Shaw – The Shaw Creative Printing and Direct Mail SmithPrint Phone 512.385.4663, Austin - 210.410.0014, San Antonio Fax 830.981.8887 Business Office 4714 Cambridge / Sugar Land, Texas 77479 Sales Office 10036 Saxet Drive / Boerne, Texas 78006

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Email louisd@urbanhomemagazine.com Website www.urbanhomemagazine.com Urban Home Magazine Austin-San Antonio is published by Big City Magazines of Austin, LLC. Advertising rates available upon request. All rights reserved by copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent from publisher. Every effort is made to assure accuracy of the information contained herein. However, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Advertising is subject to errors, omissions and or other changes without notice. Mention of any product or service does not constitute endorsement from Urban Home Magazine.

The information contained in this publication is deemed reliable from third party sources, but not guaranteed. Urban Home Magazine does not act as an agent for any of the advertisers in this publication. It is recommended that you choose a qualified remodeling, home furnishings or home improvement firm based on your own selection criteria. Urban Home Magazine, does not act as an agent for any of the realtors or builders in this publication. It is recommended that you choose a qualified realtor to assist you in your new home purchase.

Urban Home Magazine will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. All real estate advertising in Urban Home Magazine, is subject to the Fair Housing Act that states “We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation.

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June / July 2013

Contents

cover 22 Soaring Wings Photography by Thomas McConnell

featured homes

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32 Historic Encounters Contemporary Photography by Siggi Ragnar 40 The Masterful Arch Photography by Coles Hairston

trends 48 Design Designer Dream Team 68 Outdoor Too Much Of A Good Thing 74 Food Homemaking Revival

highlights

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58 Why This Space Works, Designer Spotlight: Heather Blue Harkovich of Heather Scott Home & Design 62 All For One And One For Art

departments fabulous finds 78 Destination:Texas State Parks essentials 65 New Products: Outdoor Seating 66 New Products: Outdoor Living

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55 56 57 81

contributing editors John Martin, Austin NARI & Justin Bravo, NARI San Antonio Catrina Kendrick, Catrina’s Ranch Interiors Karen Matuszewski,

By Design – Custom Home Consulting Cathy Coneway, ABOR

82 Advertiser Index

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Soaring

Wings

By Mauri Elbel

|

Photography by Thomas McConnell

Soaring Wings, the distinctive nearly 6,000-square-foot work of art painted on the rugged canvas of the Texas Hill Country, is a masterpiece that lives up to the ascensions insinuated by its name. For architect Winn Wittman, the three-story, four-bedroom, six-bath house was a creative vision built on the momentum of inspiration rather than a project driven by client desires.

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started building it as a spec house,” says Wittman, principal of Winn Wittman Architecture. “I didn’t have any clients.

I just wanted to do something that would push my capabilities as an architect. It was definitely a labor of love.”

The architect’s labor of love led to a Westlake Hills home that has garnered a slew of awards and notoriety from around the world, including a Dream Home award for Best Contemporary Home of the Year and Architectural Record’s House of the Month.

“One of the interesting things about this house is the amount of international acclaim it’s gotten,” Wittman says. “It’s been featured in magazines from China to Germany.”

This past fall, the home also served as a set for Terrence 24

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Malick’s untitled drama featuring Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Val Kilmer about two intersecting love triangles set against Austin’s music scene.

And what an impressive backdrop it is –– from the home’s 146 windows to the 3,200-pound bathtub carved from a single block of grey granite that anchors the master bathroom, no expense was spared in the design of Soaring Wings.

The project evolved over four years, and it seems Wittman knew all along: build something great, and they will come. And they certainly did –– a family relocating from Houston to Austin began following the home’s progress and decided they wanted to buy it. “They really appreciated the quality and the thought that urbanhomemagazine.com

went into the construction of the home and the selection of the materials,” Wittman says. “They pretty much trusted me.”

Soaring Wing’s structure is constructed entirely of red iron on concrete piers sunk deep into rock, joined with full penetration welds, the strongest and one of the most costly connections.

In total, the solid red iron frame weighs 34,000 pounds. Its shellstone and copper exterior is locally sourced while paying homage to famous designs elsewhere –– the 17,000 pounds of honed Texas shellstone used in the house is only found in Leander, Texas yet it resembles the fossilized stone used on the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Hand-folded and seamed copper panels were selected for their urbanhomemagazine.com

low maintenance and longevity –– they will naturally weather to a green patina in approximately 20 years. Copper panels, 18 inches by 3 feet in size, are staggered in a pattern that evokes a similar one used by Frank Gehry on his famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

“I wanted these materials to relate to native materials in Texas architecture but to be used in a contemporary way,” says Wittman. “I liked the ability of the copper to flow seamlessly over a form, and I appreciated the durability as well. Copper is an expensive material but it lasts a long time and gives a rich surface appearance which contrasts nicely with the Texas shellstone, which I had originally seen Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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in my days at graduate school in a number of buildings at University of Texas at Austin.�

Soaring Wings is divided into public and private wings, separated by a two-story, glass-and-steel bridge with stainless steel ceilings which also allowed Wittman to run air conditioning into the spaces without exposing the vents or duct work. The master suite occupies the entire lower level of the private wing, and consists of a bedroom and sitting area, his and hers walk-in 26

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closets/dressing rooms, and the bath area. The focal point of the master bath is undeniably the nearly two-ton bathtub carved from a single block of grey granite that sits in a bed of Mexican beach pebbles, tying into the Zen-like Japanese rock garden beyond. Matching granite his and hers vanities, a steam shower with body sprays and fixtures designed by Phillipe Starck, and a vaulted ceiling featuring a Venetian plaster surface are other visual points of interest. urbanhomemagazine.com

Throughout the home, a rich mixture of select maple, black galaxy granite and fine carpeting flooring merges to create a subtle palette that is light and contemporary. A media room can be set up for the optimum home theater experience or reconfigured as a private office with a separate outside entrance. The private wine cellar features a shellstone entry and vaulted ceiling. All three levels of the home are completely accessible, and a threestory elevator can comfortably carry up to five passengers or a urbanhomemagazine.com

person in a wheelchair. It also comes in handy when bringing groceries up to the kitchen from the garage level.

Roughly 3,000 square feet of Pink Arizona sandstone decking and 1,500 square feet of durable IPE wood decking wrap the house. Wittman designed custom handrails and guardrails for the decks and the stairs, consisting of 3/8-inch plate glass held in place by custom-made stanchions cut from 3/4-inch steel and capped with a stainless steel tube section, Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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resulting in railings that provide an exhilarating experience while remaining safe.

The most impressive array of the nearly 150 windows in the home is located on the second floor — a curved and faceted 40-foot by 10-foot window wall with floor-to-ceiling glass wired for motorized roll shades that provide unobstructed views to the Hill Country beyond.

The heated swimming pool is a feat of hydraulic engineering 28

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and forms the center of the private outdoor courtyard, equipped with three powerful pumps that move over 500 gallons of water per minute over the waterfall edge.

Soaring Wings was designed to accommodate intimate or grand entertaining with its gourmet kitchen featuring Thermador® appliances, a main sink and a prep-sink, and custom-designed cabinets covered in matched vertical grain sustainable fir veneer. Counters are covered in Caeserstone®, a urbanhomemagazine.com

harder material than granite with a unique sparkling quality.

“I am a gourmet cook and I really take into account what a chef would need in a kitchen environment,” Winn says.

“Everything is fairly accessible and there is also a butler’s pantry that comes in handy.”

Nothing in the quality of the construction of the home was compromised, and the mechanical and electrical systems are no exception. Every room is wired for audio, video, computer, urbanhomemagazine.com

telephone, and programmable capability for dimming, intercom and security. Special lighting fixtures include pieces from Italy with Murano Glass and others by well-known designers from around the world. There are seven separate high-efficiency heat pumps with enough tonnage to cool the home during a big party on a summer day. Even the HVAC vents are a special design imported from Japan. But if you ask Wittman about his favorite elements of this house, you will get a list of accomplishments.

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“I like the flow of spaces from inside to out,” he says. “There is a corner of the house that actually intersects the swimming pool and there is glass, which is a favorite place for the owners to sit and read. The courtyard is a very serene place with sort of an Asian feel, including bamboo and running water.”

But perhaps the real beauty of the home for the architect, as well as builder Gary Robinson of Home as Art, was derived from the challenge at hand.

“It was a very complex, unusual design that required a lot more thought than a usual house,” Robinson says. “It’s not the most difficult home I’ve ever built, but it certainly was up there.”

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It might have been this combined fascination with a good design challenge that brought the innovative designers together to execute a vision capable of bringing in and capturing others.

“Even the site Winn selected wasn’t a site most would have chosen, but I enjoy that kind of challenge and so does Winn,” he says. “Some want flat and easy whereas Winn and I want something complex. We see that as appealing.”

The driveway was another exercise in colorful creativity –– a testament of the out-of-the-box thinking that was poured into every aspect of Soaring Wings’ design. Winn and Robinson decided to dye the concrete moss green and texturize it using a rather unconventional material: candy. Subcontractors dropped gummy bears and worms into wet concrete and washed them out when it dried to give a fossilized impression.

“That is the way Winn and I both think,” he says. “For us, it is very important to think of the details and come up with ways to make it look interesting and different. It requires some thought and creativity. The driveway was certainly that.” v architect Winn Wittman Architecture 512.630.2724 | Winnwittman.com BUILDER Gary Robinson, Home as Art, Inc. 512.636.0726 | Homeasart.net urbanhomemagazine.com

AWARD-WINNING INTERIOR DESIGN custom homes • lofts spec homes • commercial Stephanie J. Villavicencio, ASID Texas Registered Interior Designer

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Historic Encounters

Contemporary

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By Dana W. Todd | Photography by Siggi Ragnar

Paige Lentz and her team at Joubert Design Build achieve meaningful design in a house in which they juxtapose ancient materials against the clean lines of soft contemporary style. urbanhomemagazine.com

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any homes in The Dominion, an upscale gated community originally developed in the mid-1980s, are Mediterranean or traditional in style. The prestigious community is home to families and celebrities alike and is a desirable place to build a custom home. This reason is behind Paige Lentz, president of Joubert Design Build’s, choice of a half-acre lot in the neighborhood to build a home showcased in last year’s Greater San Antonio Builders Association’s Parade of Homes™.

Not content with the norm, and in keeping with her firm’s commitment to sustainable design and construction, Lentz designed the home to evoke Old World European and Americana influences.

“We were aiming for an historic feel,” Lentz says. “The design of the main living spaces is reminiscent of an old German farmhouse, with its corrugated tin ceiling replicating historic barn construction.”

She describes the “wings” of the single level, 5,338-squarefoot house as “Austin contemporary,” a softer, unimposing contemporary style with a heavy reliance on organic materials.

Not yet pervasive in the San Antonio marketplace, the Austin contemporary aesthetic is elegant and simple but never overstated.

“We worked to blend the contemporary and the historic in a thoughtful way,” Lentz says.

By limiting design to a single level, Lentz aimed to make the house accessible for a homeowner of any age or stage. At press time, it was for sale.

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“In the Parade of Homes, people either loved it or it didn’t resonate with them at all,” says Lentz. “There has been interest beyond the Parade, particularly with people planning to migrate here from out of state because this style is not available elsewhere in San Antonio.”

Many like the use of a full height crawl space underneath the house, enabling easy access to utilities in case future repairs or changes are needed. Not a normal feature in many San Antonio 36

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homes, Lentz brought this feature from her years designing in the Colorado residential construction market.

“It seemed wasteful to pour all the concrete necessary to build on a slab on this steeply sloped lot,” Lentz says. Her firm is known for its sustainable design and construction practices, building high-performance homes via a system approach to construction.

“Instead of using a top-down approach to design beginning urbanhomemagazine.com

with the architect,” Lentz says, “we integrate all trades at the beginning of the process to design a better home. Then everyone is sharing decades of experience up front.

“We are known for authentic building and use reclaimed materials much of the time. Our homes perform well even when they contain features such as high ceilings and lots of windows, which historically aren’t efficient. We compensate by focusing sustainability on the building’s envelope, such as urbanhomemagazine.com

appropriate site orientation to capture prevailing breezes and utility efficiency,” Lentz continues.

Using all of these sustainable practices, and adding to them the use of organic and reclaimed materials, Joubert Design Build constructed the home as an efficient and comfortable one. Uncommon in The Dominion, a 1,000-gallon rainwater collection system increases the home’s efficiency and affordability.Material choices play an important part in evoking the historic, yet clean, feel to the house. Sisterdale limestone and authentic plaster replicate an historic look inside and outside of the house. Other design touches, such as 22-foot ceilings and a standing seam metal roof, contribute to the timehonored look. Reclaimed 100-year-old longleaf pine floors mix with stonework throughout the house’s interior and add more vintage components necessary for a full-house celebration of the everlasting beauty and usefulness of what’s old. The same is true for the trim-less design of window and door openings, constructed to mimic historical details.

Lentz also used new products to evoke a time-worn feeling inside and outside. She converted commercial gabion fencing to residential use and incorporated rocks in tandem with it to provide unique curb appeal.

“Repeated uses of red throughout the house tie it together,” says Lentz, including a handcrafted, imported Italian red bathtub in the master bathroom and a red basin in one of the secondary bathrooms. A new red Viking range and range hood in the kitchen evoke the historicity of 1800s rural Midwestern red barns throughout the heart of America.

Other special features in this national award-winning kitchen make this house a perfect fit for the right homeowner. Not only is the kitchen designed with top-of-the-line appliances, but a full walk-in pantry with floor-to-ceiling shelves on two walls and a butler’s prep kitchen off the main kitchen make this an avid cook’s paradise. The great limestone fireplace in the living room provides a divider wall for the kitchen, holding a wine refrigerator and beverage center on its opposing side. Honed marble countertops draw attention to the kitchen’s perimeter cabinetry, with an island topped with leathered granite. These Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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non-shiny surfaces maintain the farmhouse feel. A seasoned craftsman custom designed the kitchen table, the body of which he made from old railroad ties and topped with easy-to-maintain stainless steel.

Earth friendly materials continue throughout the house’s four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, including recycled cork flooring, American-made recycled glass tiles, and additional slabs of honed marble.

One of the most unique and difficult project components is now a showstopper in the living room. Lentz conceived the ceiling fan, sporting touches of red, of course, and built it from a windmill. The Texas rancher who supplied the original windmill “thought it was a crazy idea at first,” Lentz says.

“By the end of the conversation, he saw how it could be done,” Lentz remarks about transforming the windmill into an interior fan. “Determining how to put it together was the hardest challenge on the project. Hoisting it up was a challenge since it weighs 200 pounds.”

The result is a sculptural and functional part of the home that is yet another throwback to yesteryear. During the Parade of Homes, the living room was the source of a bottleneck of people stopping to take photos of the fan, according to Lentz.

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With all the design details going on, Lentz and her team did not forget functionality. To open up the house, the team chose dining room doors to disappear into wall pockets, modifying the original drawings which called for folding accordion-style NanaWall® doors. Similarly, the six doors on the garage all open completely, rolling into the ceiling and disappearing for uninterrupted flow into the attached courtyard. Refurbished cattle feeding troughs serve as flower planters and lead the eye through the courtyard and the heart of the outside space which Lentz envisions as an entertainment place or a play space for kids.

“Each home is an expression of the person for whom I’m building,” says Lentz. “Houses tell stories. We build what’s amazing, and we always find someone who will love it, too. We have great pride and passion for what we do.”

This home’s story is one of comfort, clean lines and efficiency.

The storyline is complete. The home is now waiting for a cast of characters — its new family — to take residence. v DESIGN/BUILD TEAM Joubert Design Build San Antonio: 210.545.0032, Denver: 303.355.1778 Joubertdesign-build.com urbanhomemagazine.com

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The

Masterful Arch

By Sue-Ella Mueller | Photography by Coles Hairston

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Throughout architectural history, arches have long symbolized a gateway to what was beyond, giving all who walk under a sense of anticipation, of more to come. The St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Arc de Triomphe, the Victory Arch of Constantine; many have been awed by these great, bowed structures. But there is a little known archway that, while not as grand in stature as the aforementioned, is equally able to render one speechless.

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T

ucked back in a wooded area, just a stone’s throw away from Lake Austin, sits a custom built, Spanish-style home with an opulent arched doorway lined with hundreds of exquisitely, hand-painted, Moroccan tiles that beckons to visitors and leads to the heart of a majestic masterpiece.

“When I first walked the lot with the clients I was taken in by the great setting. It’s a fairly wooded lot with beautiful, giant oak trees. I knew I wanted to exploit the surrounding elements,” says architect John Hathaway, principle of Vanguard Studio, Inc. “The clients, Ellen and Tommy Burt, wanted an authentic Spanish home to fit their lifestyle along with that of their two young children. Taking that into consideration, I decided to keep it simple and clean on the outside, elegant and not too fussy. Any more on the outside and it would be like putting too much makeup on an already pretty face.”

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With a classic Spanish tile roof, a soothing stucco finish and a smattering of handmade, iron lanterns surrounding the façade, it is indeed elegant. However, the simplicity ends at the door.

“One of the most unique elements of the house is the bold, arched doorway. It’s a big, arched window, about 18 feet wide, with double doors in the middle,” says Hathaway. “It makes the house special and unique. It’s just striking.”

While Hathaway, a custom home architect with more than 20 years of experience, was indeed the one at the drawing board, he copiously gives credit to designer Ron Malott of Malott Designs for much of the “wow factor.” “I’ve worked on many projects with Ron and I knew he’d be a perfect fit for the project,” he said.

Malott, who at one time worked on celebrities’ homes such as Bruce Springsteen, Jim Carrey and Steven Spielberg while urbanhomemagazine.com

living in California, came up with the idea to encase the arch with special ordered, small, Moroccan tiles, each hand painted yellow with individual blue motifs such as stars and crosses. “I had to convince the client and John on the doorway. But when it was finished, I think we all agreed that it was well worth the expense and the work. The arch creates a moment; it just blows everything out of the water!” says Malott.

Inside, the home is equally as tasteful with special attention to detail throughout the open floor plan. The inside of the door is framed by a rich, mahogany wood with custom-made, round, metal medallions on either side. “Since it’s the first thing you see when you walk in the door, we needed to amp it up,” Malott says. “It was a tremendous effort, but the custom medallions gave the clients something no one else has and they loved it.”

The front entrance opens to a horizontal hallway lined with urbanhomemagazine.com

stone columns supporting several arched entries into the two story living and kitchen areas. A walkway on the second floor encircles both areas, allowing for “more of a connection between the upstairs,” says Hathaway. “The two story space gives it a very grand feeling.” But these large spaces can be challenging according to the architect. “There is always the question of what to do with the space up top. It can be an effort to create interesting spaces so it isn’t just plain and boring as your eyes move up to the second level.”

With that in mind, Hathaway designed a Juliet balcony that looks out over the kitchen, and huge windows and sliding bay doors to create the back wall with views of the outdoor living space. Malott, too, suggested unique, visual features for the walls. “In kitchens, you always see backsplashes; they are just so expected. My thought was that an authentic Spanish home Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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would’ve had a big hearth in the kitchen. To match the room’s size, we used large-scale bricks above the stove of varying colors, bringing a warmth and authenticity,” he says.

In addition, the kitchen features a built-in table that flows from the countertops. “Everyone does huge, granite islands and they can look very hard. Why not do a top out of mahogany instead and make it look more like a table? It just looks so much softer than a big piece of granite, but is just as functional,” said Malott.

Ellen Burt loved the look of the table. “We wanted the island to look like a large piece of furniture. We also wanted a little color in the kitchen, so we chose turquoise carved, turned legs,” she says. “It offers an unexpected twist and it looks beautiful.”

Steering away from a basic terra cotta floor, Malott had each terra cotta tile hand painted and stained in different colors of tans, reds and browns to line the floor of the kitchen and living areas. The vaulted ceiling, too, pulls color into the room with its dusty blue-gray paint against the dark, hand-hewn wood planks. “There’s a double-sided fireplace in the living room and adjacent study. Above the fireplace is the focal point of the room, a recessed brick wall that gives the room more depth,” Hathaway says.

Leading upstairs to the family’s private quarters, which includes three bedrooms and a game room, is a turret-style staircase.

“Between John and Ron, not one detail was overlooked,” comments Burt. “Even the stairwell has alternating tile patterns on every riser. They’re just beautiful to look at all the way up.”

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Since the Burts enjoyed entertaining, there is also a large, outdoor living area which features a kitchenette and grill as well as a dining table with seating for 12. Two steps to the right is a more secluded outdoor area with plush couches and a cozy fireplace, perfect for a romantic evening by the pool and spa.

Additionally, Hathaway also designed a guest house for overnight visitors. “It’s a secluded casita with the same high ceilings and a bathroom and a bedroom,” says Hathaway. “It’s a very cool, little niche.”

Perhaps the only problem with the house may come with trying to get guests to leave. However, that’s no longer a concern for the Burt family who recently decided to put the house on the market. With their children getting older, the couple is ready for something new. “We put the house on MLS [Multiple Listing Service] on a Thursday and it was sold by Sunday,” laughs Burt.

Essentially, the family is now homeless, but they won’t be for long. They’re already in the process of building their next dream home. And guess who they invited along for the ride?

“John and Ron both put a lot of passion into their jobs and really get to know their clients’ wants and needs. Of course we’re using them again,” she says. v Architect John Hathaway, AIA 512.918.8312 | Vanguardstudio.com Designer Ron Malott Interior Design 512.517.8740 | Ronmalott.com urbanhomemagazine.com

Catrina’s

Ranch Interiors

Elegant Ranch Designs at Affordable Prices

When Imagination Matters.

31300 IH-10 West (exit 543 across from Toyota) Boerne, Texas 78006 830.755.6355 • 210.535.3070 www.CatrinasRanchInteriors.com

S U M M E R F U R N I T U R E “ B L OW O U T ” S A L E The kids are out of school and we will all be spending more time at home entertaining. It’s time to freshen up your look! Accessories and accent furnishings are playing a greater role in the room makeovers done by our design professionals at Catrina’s Ranch Interiors.

Come see our rooms full of new arrivals at prices that will get you excited!

Design n Trends

Designer

Dream Team

By Jackie Benton

|

Photography by Four Walls Photography

You can make all the plans you want, and the universe will still laugh. Sometimes, things don’t go according to the plan we’ve envisioned, but instead the way they are supposed to go. What looks like a setback in the process can actually turn out to be the pivotal moment that points us on the path intended for us all along.

T

his was the situation for Bob and Sandi Tomlinson as they sought to build a new home in Austin. The newly married couple hoped to celebrate both their experiences before and after meeting as well as embrace their future life together. Delays and changes actually helped create a perfect design dream team to construct their unique and deeply personal home which was featured on the 17th Austin Cool House Tour.

With good “design bones” created by Barley and Pfeiffer Architects, the Tomlinsons made the decision to transition the project to the building design firm of Hobbs’ Ink. The result was the creation of a home design team with all the important players — home designer Janet Hobbs, owner of Hobbs’ Ink, landscape designer Annie Gillespie, owner of Botanical Concerns, home builder Ray Tonjes of Ray Tonjes Builder, Inc. and interior designer Sharon Radovich, owner of Panache Interiors — all gathered around Janet Hobbs’ conference table for regular meetings.

“The Tomlinsons made that commitment, and I have never been involved on a project where all facets were engaged so early on,” says Tonjes of homeowners Bob and Sandi Tomlinson. “This was in some respect a perfect storm for what we like to advocate for custom homes, where the whole team of building, interior and landscape designers are all involved from the planning stage forward. Quite often, the interior designer gets involved further down the road after construction has started, and the landscape designer gets brought in at the end, almost as an afterthought. That was one of the most rewarding parts of the whole project: helping to put the whole team together and working with each of the designers who got to know the client, and learned of their travels and furnishings and artwork — all of which translates into how you tweak and fine tune the little things that make a house a home.”

“We used much of the original plan; the basic layout of the house and its style did

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not change,” notes Hobbs. “I like to think of this house as being more than a sum of its parts. I think there was a synergy created by having us all involved, with good ideas and collaboration coming from everyone. Sandi worked with the landscape designer, Annie Gillespie, and they did a wonderful job — it’s beautifully understated as you approach, with nice lighting that makes the house glow in a certain way. It just feels good.”

The proper flow of the house’s energies was integral to the home the Tomlinsons wanted for themselves. One major decision the team worked on was the heavy stone wall in the house.

“We couldn’t decide if it should transition into the screened-in porch area. We were able to sit down at the table and talk about pros and cons, and ultimately decided not to carry it outside,” says Radovich. Other design elements were shared and discussed around the table as well. “We really focused on organic textures.

We were inspired by images Sandi had gathered of other designers’ and architects’ work which she liked, and it helped us find direction more quickly,” Radovich says.

“It was so important to Bob and me that we could come and rest in the space of our home. We wanted to create a space to slow the pace of life and enjoy quiet moments; a place where we weren’t feeling cluttered or distracted by having to take care of the house, but allow ourselves to be,” says Sandi Tomlinson.

“For me, that personal connection comes with nature. All of those natural elements are a strong part of the house, there’s so much openness and wood and stone and water that you just kind of relax in all of that.”

Combining separate households reflecting two lifetimes of experience also presents particular challenges for an interior designer responsible for creating a cohesive sense of flow. “It’s a very common situation in the design process where, in my role as interior designer, I often find myself acting as the mediator, noting that ‘this piece will work’ and ‘this won’t,’” explains Radovich. “They both had nice furnishings to work with. Sandi had an eclectic collection of Asian, artisan and traditional pieces 50

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that she was attached too. For the centerpiece of the main room, she coveted a Fortuny silk chandelier. Bob’s pieces were more masculine and craftsman’s style which complimented the architecture. Blending the pieces was a bit tricky but in the end, we were able to use most of their personal favorites.”

Separately, before their marriage, the Tomlinsons created original art collections, so an “art wall” was created in the bedroom area to provide a home for the combined collections and lit properly with recessed directional lighting, and then continued down the hallway to create a personal gallery, with original art on one wall and family portraits on the other, with track lighting providing proper illumination.

And then there were “The Three Boys” — Sandi’s name for her beloved three little Buddha statuettes, as well as the much larger five foot tall Buddha statue the two found while on honeymoon in Bhutan. Special niches were created in the home’s walls to accommodate the smaller statues, while a larger niche was created for the larger Buddha statue, which has a special meaning for the Tomlinsons. “This particular Buddha has one hand up reaching for the sky or stars, with one hand turned down to symbolize being grounded to the earth, so we have the aspirational, while yet remaining grounded,” says Sandi. “When we saw him on our honeymoon, we knew he had to come home. urbanhomemagazine.com

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We built him a niche, he’s beautiful, and now has a beautiful place of welcoming to the house.”

Another favorite area of the Tomlinsons’ home is their outdoor living area. The screened-in porch has a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and Lake Austin, complete with a mesquite mantel over a stone fireplace, and a cozy semi-circular sofa. All of these amenities are nestled in among the landscaping designed by landscape designer Annie Gillespie.

“As a result of our discussions, we ended up enlarging the deck so it became a functional space for grilling and sitting; more than a glorified landing.” says Gillespie. “There’s a nice flow between the screened porch and the deck with steps that lead to another outdoor sitting area framed by perennials. The lot itself is not very wide, but very deep, and much of the yard has been left natural, with an abundance of mountain laurels and native plants.”

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“I was thinking I would never build a house but we found this property in Rollingwood, with such beautiful views as well as a view of lake, and we decided we would build a home here,” recalls Tomlinson. “The process and the creativity was a joy for me. So many people say when they go through the homebuilding experience that they will never do that again, but this has been so joyful, and I have so much gratitude for all the people involved.”

So, plan all you want, and see how events twist and turn of their own accord and rhythms, and ultimately lead you to another entirely different outcome. In the end, it’s not staying within the confines of a plan that define a home, but the welllived lives within it. The Tomlinsons’ home is the embodiment of what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant when he wrote, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” The Tomlinsons’ previously separate journeys through life are now blended within their new home as together they look forward to creating new experiences. v HOME DESIGN Hobbs’ Ink 512.261.6226 | Hobbsink.com BUILDER Ray Tonjes Builder, Inc. 512.258.6691 | Raytonjesbuilder.com LANDSCAPE Botanical Concerns 512.276.0526 | Botanicalconcerns.com INTERIOR DESIGN Panache Interiors 512.452.7773 | Panacheinteriors.com urbanhomemagazine.com

Meet The Dream Team HOBBS’ INK

Ray tonjes builder, inc.

Botanical Concerns

Panache Interiors

Where a home designer, custom builder, landscape designer and interior designer come together to create a masterpiece.

512.261.6226 Hobbsink.com

512.258.6691 Raytonjesbuilder.com

512.276.0526 Botanicalconcerns.com

512.452.7773 Panacheinteriors.com

We’ve got great glass

www.VentanaMan.com 512-388-9400 1609 Chisholm Trail #100, Round Rock

Dawn F. Hearn, ASID, NARI, CAPS Texas Registered Interior Designer #9501

New Construction Remodeling Space Planning Consultation Furnishings Accessories

www.dawnhearn.com 512.930.0250

REMODELER’S ADVICE

The

Well-Planned Outdoor Space

B

ackyard pergolas and gazebos have become very popular in recent years as the gathering spots for families.

They are dining rooms, reading lounges, hot tub surrounds and extensions of the home for parties. Two aspects that tend to be an afterthought are the green spaces surrounding these structures and lighting. john martin, Green space can take the form of flower beds, herb gardens or living screens to President, Austin NARI provide privacy and soften the overall feel of the hardscape. Adding lighting to a new backyard feature extends its usefulness so it can be enjoyed at night as well.

The best time to consider these two elements is in the initial design stages.

Once your goal for the area has been determined, it is very easy for an architect Justin Bravo, or design professional to add this detail President, to the plans. Early planning in the key to NARI San Antonio successful plantings and ensures that bed preparation, irrigation, drainage, sun exposure and high quality planting soil are addressed. Understanding your lighting goals, whether they are to illuminate a structure, provide ambience or highlight plantings, enables the professional to plan and install accordingly.

Irrigation – If the beds are going to be created by a masonry wall or another permanent structure, the irrigation must be plumbed early. It is fine to cap the water lines once they are in the beds so they can be trimmed out at a later time, but if you don’t install water lines early you may be faced with hand watering which is not very efficient. Additionally, consider your water source. Will the water come from a sprinkler zone that is timed for a grass area or a flower bed? Different areas require varying amounts of water. And don’t forget about drainage; the water needs to be able to get out of the beds so as not to rot the plant roots.

Lighting – To hide your wires, run them at the early stages of the build when you plumb your irrigation, and locate a logical place for a switch, such as a post or an interior light switch.

Highlight the key features of your new planting beds or striking architectural aspects of your pergola with uplights, or add step lights to keep everyone safe at night.

A well-planned outdoor structure that includes irrigation, lighting and eye-catching plants is sure to make your backyard the envy of the neighborhood. v To find a professional remodeler in Austin or San Antonio, visit Austinnari.org or Remodelsanantonio.org.

DECORATOR’S ADVICE

Outdoor Living

on a Budget

By Catrina Kendrick, Catrina’s Ranch Interiors

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ecently, I had the pleasure of having outdoor cookouts at several friends’ homes. Now, these were not grand castles, but the homes of dear friends who are regular folks. I was very surprised and pleased at what I saw! These friends, like most of us, absolutely live outside in nice weather, and have created their own little paradises for their families to enjoy.

At one of these homes, the family had created a real sidewalk café feeling on the porch of their home by enclosing the entry with large hedges of bamboo. Behind that, a privacy fence contained the area off the sidewalk, making it as private as any little bistro could be. I thought that this use of their front yard was genius!

They had poured a nice sized slab first, which could be done easily because it was street side. This was large enough to accommodate three, square Coca Cola® tables that are, of course, red and white, and still have room to move around or even dance. Overhead, a crisp white pergola matched the trim of their home. The entire patio was decorated in red and white, playing off the colors in the Coca Cola® tables. Although their chairs were mostly simple, clean, white plastic yard chairs, they had added three vintage metal chairs that they had powder coated in bright white. I loved this touch, making the whole scene feel very retro. I was told that they were looking for more of these chairs, and would add to the set as they could find them affordably.

It really made me smile to see the shiny, red gas barbeque cooker!

It was purchased at Home Depot® and was the perfect addition to their retro patio. On that cooker we turned out a great steak dinner for eight people. When it was time to serve, red and white checkered tablecloths were added and red restaurant-type candles were lit. We ate dinner on white Chinet® plates with white paper napkins. White Christmas lights that were entwined in the wooden strips of the pergola were turned on to add to the ambiance of the evening. It was a wonderful meal, and elegantly done on a budget!

As a designer, I have the pleasure and frequent opportunity to furnish and decorate large, beautiful outdoor spaces with grand outdoor kitchens. Some of the custom furnishings are as expensive as the interior furnishings. Many of the kitchens are equipped with dishwashers, microwaves and always a television. It is not surprising to see a fully equipped bar. In contrast, it was exciting and refreshing to see a patio space so well done, little by little, and of course, on a budget! v To design your outdoor space, big or small, call 830.755.6355 or visit Catrinasranchinteriors.com.

CUSTOM HOME ADVICE

When it’s time to

talk “green”

DON’T LET BUILDING YOUR DREAM Home TURN INTO A NIGHTMARE

with your builder.

By Karen Matuszewski, By Design – Custom Home Consulting

L

ast week I received an email from an Urban Home reader who was ready to talk pricing with her builder and wanted some advice. This portion of the custom home process is one that can be especially anxious if you don’t know what to expect. There are different ways that builders price the homes they build. The most common include “fixed price,” “fixed fee” and “cost-plus.” There are other variations but for today’s discussion we will examine the “fixed price” approach.

The Fixed Price is a method where, after a series of discussions on what type of home you want, the builder will give you a fixed price to build that home on a specific lot. At this point, typically you (along with your custom home consultant — yes, that was a shameless plug) and the builder will have worked through a preliminary set of plans. The price will have several line items called “allowances” which will pertain to things like decorative lighting, plumbing fixtures, flooring, appliances, etc. For example, you might have a $5,000 lighting allowance, a $7,000 plumbing allowance and a $10,000 appliance allowance. These allowances are like “buckets of money.” If you don’t spend all your plumbing money, you can use it in lighting.

The Fixed Price model will also include a list of “specifications” which outline what materials the builder will use in the various areas of your home. Items like foundation (will it be a rebar or post-tension slab), structural framing elements (spacing of studs on interior and exterior walls) and exterior finish (stone or stucco or combination) are all examples of what you would see in the “specifications” section.

The contract should also address how changes will be handled.

This is important because no matter how much time you spend pouring over the plans, building a custom home gives you the freedom to make changes as you go along. During the frame stage, you might see a place where a window should be, or a cool ceiling treatment could be added.

Typically, it is only the more experienced builders who will offer a Fixed Price contract. These builders are confident in their labor costs and purchasing methods. v Have some more questions about the different pricing models of building a custom home? Send me an email at Karen@ CustomAustinHomes.com or tune into my radio show “He Said-She Said Radio Show – Gettin’ It Done @ Home” on Saturdays from 6-8pm on TALK 1370 AM or 96.3 FM, call-in number: 512.390.1370.

Proud partners in the URBAN

HOME

Dream Home

Using the services of a professional to help assemble your new home team can save you time, money and frustration.

Karen and Rob Matuszewski are custom home consultants who have been helping clients build new homes for 10 years. They have earned numerous designations in home construction from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and can provide references and credentials. Call us today for your complimentary consultation.

Services include: Lifestyle Analysis • Community Selection • Lot Evaluation Builder Interviews • Architect Interviews • Plan Design Assistance Project Financing Options

Call in and talk to us live on

• Construction Visits Interior Design/Landscape/Pool Referrals • Current Home Marketing & Sale Representation • Interim Housing Assistance

HE S HE SAID S AI D Gettin’ It Done @ Home Saturdays 6 to 8pm Talk Radio 96.3 FM & 1370 AM

Call-in number: 512.390.1370

By Design Custom Home Consulting Karen & Rob Matuszewski

Karen@CustomAustinHomes.com • 512-917-2653 Rob@CustomAustinHomes.com • 512-695-6498 www.customaustinhomes.com Follow us on Houzz.com!

works WHY THIS

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SPACE Designer Spotlight: Heather Blue Harkovich of Heather Scott Home & Design

Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

By Mauri Elbel | Photography by Gordon Gregory

urbanhomemagazine.com

Located directly on Montana’s Madison River, one of the best fly-fishing locations in the country, Austin-based designer Heather Scott came on board to design the interior of this stunning second home completed in 2011. The 5,050-squarefoot, 5 bedroom, 5 1/2 bathroom house is just a short walk from the Montana town’s main streets brimming with local art galleries and restaurants.

The vacation home serves as the ideal summer retreat for a Texas couple and their many guests seeking reprieve from the heat that permeates throughout their home state.

What were the homeowners’ design goals for this project?

HBH: The homeowners desired a vacation home which would be conducive to a significant number of visiting guests so the floor plan was developed with one great room for gathering and separate bedrooms and baths for each guest room. The great room proportions are designed to feed and seat numerous guests on a daily basis, and three of the guest bedrooms accommodate two queen beds which allow for many visitors.

What was the concept behind the style of this great room?

HBH: The owners are very traditional in style and specifically requested the home not look like a log cabin or lodge. But I wanted to keep the design fresh so I was careful to stay away from the more traditional decor such as tassels and fringe often seen with this style. I would call this aesthetic new traditional. urbanhomemagazine.com

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This space was obviously designed with a tasteful eye. What played into your decision to keep the colors neutral?

HBH: The color scheme for the main rooms of the home was inspired by the colors of the area, specifically the woods and snow. This neutral base allowed me to create a timeless envelope to furnish the room with textured materials, such as velvet and linen, as well as traditional lines, such as English arm sofas and chairs. The goal was to have the house feel tastefully furnished but never untouchable or ornate. It is meant to be welcoming and comfortable.

How did you maintain such a great balance in this space? It’s even-toned but never boring.

HBH: This room is the hub of the house, and it serves as the gathering place for everyone so it has to function as the kitchen, breakfast room, office, family room and entry. Because there would be so many activities going on, I thought it was important to make sure everything flowed together and was not disjointed. Each of the five bedrooms is finished in a different color –– gray, blue, green, brown and cream –– to facilitate guest

room placement, so I decided to use neutrals in the main space.

Every element I selected had to be in the defined color palette of griege, cream and brown. I used textures in materials, such as nubby fabric for the dining chairs, velvet on the sofas, and sisal on the carpets to add interest to the room. When you are in the room, it feels very comfortable and welcoming, and it puts you at ease. I think there is a risk when using neutrals because it can become boring. But in this instance, we used textures to keep it interesting without taking away from the views outside looking out on the Madison River and Big Sky Mountain Range.

Please tell us about the materials, furnishings and lighting you selected for this space.

HBH: In the main area of the home, custom rugs from Merida help soften the 35-foot wide by 43-foot long room. Within this space, custom kitchen cabinets, Caesarstone® counters, a custom copper sink and a 16-foot bar make a welcoming hang out for breakfast before fishing or afternoon cocktails. The oversized hanging lanterns from Currey & Co. provide a wow factor to fill the high ceilings. The dining table is by Fremarc and extends to 120 inches. The sitting area is furnished in a variety of upholstery goods, many from Vanguard Furniture, in linen, velvet and cotton colored predominantly in greige, chocolate brown and linen. A desk area with computer, printer 60

Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

and fax sits facing the river to provide a peaceful view for any necessary work tasks while visiting.

Designing the entire interior of this home, please tell us what you loved most.

HBH: The homeowners sketched out what they wanted on paper. We hired a local architect, Carla Farnam, to draw up the plans, and a local contractor from Ennis, Montana, Clark and Sons Construction, to build the home. As the designer, it was fabulous to be able to select everything –– from each piece of tile down to each piece of furniture. It was a great opportunity because when you build a home nearby, you often take your original furnishings with you, but with a vacation home so far away, you are really starting with a clean slate.

Were there any challenges encountered when designing this space, and how did you overcome them?

HBH: The home has wonderful views from all angles so the goal was to have windows on the three main sides. This made it very challenging for storage in the kitchen. Luckily, this is a vacation home so the homeowner does not have as many items

as one would have in an everyday kitchen; however, we were very focused on cabinet layout and usage. We made the area on the far left a pantry for food, but it also includes a shelf and electrical for the coffee maker and toaster. We were also able to build a closet on the backside of the wall for less used items, such as oversized bake ware and linens.

Seeing this home from beginning to completion, what are your favorite elements when you stand inside of it now?

HBH: Outside of the view, I personally like the impact of the lighting –– not only the kitchen pendant lights, but also the lamps which are quite oversized. Because the room is so large, many of the elements are much bigger than what you would typically place in a home. For example, the pendant lights are nearly two feet each, versus 11-inch pendants you see in many homes. But I also like how restful the room is. The color palette is very calming. It works well with the nature outside and allows visitors to relax and put their feet up after a long day of fishing on the river. v Heather Scott Home & Design 512.342.6899 | Heatherscotthome.com facebook: Facebook.com/heatherscotthome blog: Heatherscotthome.wordpress.com urbanhomemagazine.com

ALL FOR ONE AND

ONE FOR ART

By Sue-Ella Mueller

When you think of pools and spas, a good number of descriptive words come to mind: cool, refreshing, soothing, fun, peaceful. However, rarely does one associate a spa with awe-inspiring art; a space that captures one’s attention and allows for introspection.

But art comes in many forms, and as one Terrell Hills homeowner thought, why not in the form of an outdoor living space and spa.

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Photography courtesy of Artesian Custom Pools, Inc.

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atthias Schubnell and his wife, Erika Ivanyi, are avid art collectors and admirers of the German Bauhaus style of design, where form follows function. Their love of modern art was the driving force behind the couple choosing one of the few contemporary houses, designed by the renowned San Antonio architect Ken Bentley, among the majority of classic, traditional homes in their neighborhood. So when they made the decision to add a spa and fireplace to their small, outdoor patio, they knew they wanted one to complement their home. urbanhomemagazine.com

Collaboration between a San Antonio homeowner, landscape architect and pool company goes beyond the simplistic and moves into the artistic realm.

“Our design goal was to add an outdoor area to match the style of the house, to reflect the same principle both inside and out,” says Schubnell, Chair of the English Department at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. “But we also knew it had to be functional as well as beautiful.” Armed with his and Erika’s ideas, Schubnell set out to find a landscape architect to put those ideas to paper and a pool company to put it all into play.

John Troy, principal of John S. Troy Landscape Architect in San Antonio, knew as soon as he met Schubnell that he was dealing with an artist. “He and his wife have a contemporary urbanhomemagazine.com

home full of amazing pieces of art and furniture. His dining room table is just one of the beautiful pieces and I asked about it. ‘You like it? I designed that,’ he told me. I understood immediately that he was someone who had incredible visual skills,” says Troy. “One of the things I love about my profession is the whole idea of relating people to their outdoor space, connecting people to their environment. The couple shared their appreciation of modern design and modern furniture with me, and I really understood what they wanted. I had a sense of anchoring the architecture, making it a part of the clean lines of the home and making it unique.”

In order to accomplish the project, Troy realized the couple would need a custom design and pool building company that would be able to turn their ideas and his drawings into a reality; one that was beyond an ordinary pool company that could tackle the distinctive challenges of the project. Well known in the San Antonio and Hill Country areas for its unique pool designs and high quality of customer service, Artesian Custom Pools was an obvious choice.

“We were excited about being brought into the project,” says Brett Corrigan, who, along with partner Johnnie Brajkovic, owns Artesian Custom Pools. “We truly enjoy the challenges that an architect or a customer can bring us. This was a unique opportunity to work on something we normally don’t get to do. Anytime we have this type of challenge, it’s fun for us and we love it.”

With the team in place, the contemporary spa began to take actual shape. “There was good collaboration among all of us and Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

63

that made the project go smoothly,” says Corrigan, a sentiment that was echoed often among the parties involved. Adds Troy, “We all communicated well with each other and everyone brought something to the table. I drew the plans, but Matthias could visualize the sculptural aspects of the space and helped to refine the design. And Artesian Custom Pools did a superior job of understanding the client and my design, and created the perfect product.”

The spa is lined with 2x2 inch Egyptian glass tiles that Artesian special ordered for the project. A “wet-edge” spa, it has three sides seeming to drop off into the smooth deck. The fourth edge is bordered by a large, weeping wall that trickles into the spa. The wall is narrower towards the top and makes it look almost as if the dark spa is simply a shadow off the wall.

“We wanted the wall to be sculptural in nature, to make it look freestanding,” says Schubnell.

In order to make the look work, Brajkovic, who is in charge of the construction department for Artesian, said a little 64

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manipulation of the land had to come into play. “There is a tremendous amount of high clay soil in this area. We put piers underneath to anchor the spa in place. With a wet edge, if the spa shifts even a little bit, you lose the illusion,” he says. “There also wasn’t a lot of room for the typical equipment involved in an underground reservoir. We had to bury it directly behind the spa. It was kind of tough to find a place to make it fit completely.”

In addition, the spa comes with all the bells and whistles. Artesian installed a selfcleaning vacuum in the floor of the spa, an automatic water leveling system, customized placed jets and remote control activation for the jets, lights and water wall.

The fireplace area was also a custom creation that the client visualized and designed, and Artesian built. “The house has a long, vertical window that looks out to the area, so we wanted the fireplace to be horizontal in nature, creating a big L almost,”Schubnell says.

The fireplace, too, can be controlled with a touch of a button for electronic ignition.

“We built it brick by brick with a custom made burner bar and used crushed glass as a medium, so when it heats up, it sparkles and glows. It turned out great,” says Corrigan.

But perhaps the toughest part of the project came with the pieces that have little to do with the focal point. The pavers situated throughout the spa area are individual pieces of limestone taken from a local Hill Country quarry. “Every stone was cut and sanded by hand, with each one weighing between 500 to 600 pounds apiece. We literally moved them like Egyptians by placing them on PVC pipes and rolling them in to place,” Brajkovic said. “In between the pavers, they planted thyme for cooking. It was a good use of space.”

The end result is a spa and outdoor living space that truly does match the motif of the entire home and one that has brought the homeowners great joy. “Being in constant conversation with John Troy and both Johnnie and Brett, who were here almost daily during the construction, allowed us to accomplish what we set out to do,” extols Schubnell. “There aren’t many pool builders who have the patience or willingness to go the extra mile. And there are many architects who get territorial. But we had none of those issues. We worked closely together and the project turned out even better than we could have hoped for.”

All for one and one for art. v POOL Artesian Custom Pools, Inc. 210.251.3211 | Artesianpoolstx.com LANDSCAPE John S. Troy, Landscape Architect Inc. 210.222.1355 | Johnstroylandscapearchitect.com urbanhomemagazine.com

essentials

new products

outdoor seating

1

1. Fedro by Dedon® is ergonomic in design and perfect for lounging around the house, pool or at the beach.

Its lightweight design was conceived by Milanese fashion designer Lorenza Bozzoli and is portable, stackable and supremely comfortable. The chair’s birdlike form inspired the color schemes based on birds from South America. Dedon. Dedon.de.

2. The Tokyo chaise lounge by Cassina is composed of 12 curved wooden strips in your choice of teak, beech or bamboo on a solid wood base. The materials and construction techniques employed aim to provide humidity and heat resistance while maximizing comfort and design aesthetic. Cassina.

Cassina.com.

3. The Serpentine by Ligne Roset® consists of quilted rolls intertwined into the delicate metal structure to create a very comfortable armchair perfectly at home both indoors and out. The steel tube structure with an antirust layer and Teflon treated fabric cushions filled with polyester foam are perfect for the Central Texas climate.

Ligne-roset. 800.BY.ROSET, Ligne-roset-usa.com.

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4. Modernica’s® Case Study Stainless series is built using marine-grade stainless steel; durable, suitable for extreme elements and virtually rust-proof. The fabrics are hand-upholstered using Sunbrella® materials, which are UV-resistant, water-resistant, mildew-resistant and fade-resistant. Modernica. 323.933.0383, Modernica.net.

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5. Gloster’s Bristol swivel rocker dining chairs are made of durable Teak sourced from sustainable, environmentally responsible plantations. The chair’s slatted surface enhances drainage after a rain shower. Over time, the smoothly sanded teak will adopt a silvery patina.

Outside In Style. Austin: 512.250.0000, San Antonio: 210.558.1818, Outsideinstyle.com.

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6. Shambala is ideal for areas calling for large proportions. Handmade, all aluminum frames are hand painted in a nine-step process creating a finish resembling the burl dashboard on a Rolls Royce. The frames are hand woven by artisans using an exclusive striated and embossed wicker weave that truly fools the eye and has a very organic feel. So elegant in its simplicity, this is a collection that would make any casual living area shine! Cozy Outdoor Escapes.

210.276.0734, Cozyoutdoorescapes.com.

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essentials

new products

OUTDOOR LIVING 1. Aluminyze™ is the brilliant new way to display your favorite photos by infusing them into a lightweight sheet of recyclable aluminum. These photos, available in a variety of shapes, sizes and finishes, are exceptionally vibrant, long-lasting, scratch-resistant and waterproof.

Aluminyze™. Aluminyze.com.

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2. Sleep under the stars in hotel bedroom comfort. The CristalBubble is a unique inflatable structure designed

by Pierre Stéphane Dumas. Completely self-efficient, it is inflated by a special turbine which keeps it in shape, renews the air and eliminates pollen, humidity and condensation problems. Inside, the air is fresh and filtered. Casabubble. 805.426.5278, Casabubble.com.

3. Kids will love to get down and dirty with Family Games America’s Little Pals Gardening Kits. These child-friendly planting kits come complete with trowels and spades, wheelbarrows, watering cans, paint-your-own plant pots, garden markers and gardening gloves. Ages 5+.

Family Games America. Familygamesamerica.com.

4. This wall-mounted mailbox is handcrafted by Austin’s own, Steelhouse Mfg., from heavy gauge steel.

Standard and customizable options are available in several colors or a bare steel finish, and can be personalized with address numbers. Steelhouse Mfg. 512.961.4907, Steelhousemfg.com.

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5. Ronda Outdoors presents “The Italian Drawer,” an innovative system that revolutionizes the BBQ world.

Thanks to the insulating system, the magnetic seal and the use of specially designed and patented materials, The Italian Drawer is able to keep the desired temperature, warm or cold, as long as you need. The magnetic seal avoids dust and unwelcome intruders.

Ronda USA, Inc. 855.766.3287, Rondaoutdoors.com.

6. Designed for the urban farmer, this Amish-made Chicken Coop provides a safe, comfortable home for your hens. The frame is solid wood with galvanized wire and includes removable floors to simplify the cleaning process. Nesting boxes are waterproof and the external roof hatch makes egg collecting easy.

Arhaus Furniture. 512.973.3384, Arhaus.com.

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outdoor n Trends

Too Much of

a Good Thing S

By Sharla Bell | Photography by Stephen Knetig

uch was the case with a lovely home in Austin: near the bottom of its neighborhood on a corner lot, with a dry creek running along its rear property line, sat a house several feet below the front street. When storm drainage from the neighborhood came racing down said street, trying desperately to find its way to the creek bed below, the water got over-zealous and jumped the curb, heading downhill, and finding the fastest way to the creek was through the house. The end result was 14” of water in places that no homeowner wants to find water. And 68

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the outcome of the ordeal? A massive remodel, both inside and outside, aimed at correcting the debacle so that the family would never have to worry about flooding again.

To this end, the owners asked CG&S Design-Build to help them transform their landscape into a beautiful, user-friendly and worry-free yard. CG&S was charged with doing whatever it took for the homeowners to rest easy in a rainstorm, but as long as they were transforming their property, they had a wish list: “they wanted play areas for kids and pets, an outdoor kitchen, a

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It’s a case of too much of a good thing. In Texas, we typically think of water as a blessing, and this farmer’s daughter was certainly taught to pray for rain, but when rain comes in droves, especially after a time of drought as there so often will be in our neck of the woods, a poorly designed landscape — and the house on that land — will suffer the consequences. spa and covered outdoor living. After construction started, they added a swimming pool to the mix. They wanted plantings that were attractive but low maintenance, and a fresh look from the street,” says architect Gregory Thomas, who revamped the landscape design of the site after the pool was added.

With quite a project on their hands, CG&S first called on civil engineer Terry Ortiz of LOC Consultants to help address the drainage solutions. The homeowners collaborated with Landscape Architect Stephen Domigan on the initial design, which included the dry arroyo (a dry, flat creek bed with steep sides — in this case, man-made) near the house and berms near the street. The berms, which are simply mounds of earth, “were designed to address the eventuality of water jumping the curb; they redirected water away from the house in two directions — along the south side of the house and also keeping it parallel to the street until it was downhill from the house. Between the berms, a walkway with steps was located to connect to the front door. The steps needed to act like the berms and divert water away. The arroyo was designed urbanhomemagazine.com

as the next line of defense. In the event that the water was high enough to cross the berms and steps, we knew this water would head straight downhill and across the lawn toward the house. A deep, stone-lined arroyo was designed to accept this water and again redirect it around the house. At the low end of the arroyo there is an area drain connected to two oversized drainage pipes; they run under the driveway and exit at a stone bulkhead that then allows the water to flow across a lawn area and finally to the dry creek,” explains Thomas.

When the homeowners decided to add a pool, Thomas needed to rethink the original plan for the back yard to assure proper drainage would occur. “The topography was such that the pool was at risk of taking on surface drainage from the water that had been redirected by the berms around the south end of the house.

To assure that the pool did not take on such drainage (and the attendant debris), new ideas were conceived to allow localized drainage of the back yard to occur separately from the storm drainage brought on by the front yard berms. The berm along the south side Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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of the house was extended well into the back yard; storm drainage was kept along its backside, while localized back yard drainage was allowed on the house side. Grading was accomplished on the house side — grade was lowered away from the house to a lower edge along the berm. The house side of the berm was designed as a flat arroyo. Its end merges into the back yard lawn, but the water heads to the dry creek through the back fence.”

Once the drainage issues were engineered and designed for this Austin home, Thomas recruited Mark Biechler of Pearson Landscape Services to build the arroyos, berms and beds as well attend to the planting design and selection. Biechler worked to modify the drainage elements into landscape features, turning function into fabulous. For example, rather than the large berm in the back yard looking like a giant mound of earth, Biechler and his team added a boulder facing to it and topped it with native shade grasses, thus making the berm a highlight of the yard rather than simply a utilitarian piece. He also took the floor of the arroyo and gave it the dual purpose of a walking path. In addition, he and his team “repurposed existing rock from the site to camouflage the concrete outlet for the two large drain pipes that bring storm water from the front of the house and empty into the middle of the backyard.”

At the clients’ request, plant selections were made that provide color, movement and seasonal interest with minimal maintenance. “The desire was for a simple, drought tolerant landscape that didn’t block the view of the house. Clean, low and simple was the goal,” explains Biechler. Pearson Landscape Services did the full installation: berms, arroyos, stone planters, irrigation and plantings. “Landscaping is a very organic process. We worked closely with the clients and CG&S to solve unforeseen problems with quick design changes such as walls moved or created, beds moved or re-shaped, and patios extended or raised.” urbanhomemagazine.com

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In the case of this home, a perfect storm of factors colluded to cause the flooding: the natural water flow and runoff patterns were blocked by a large structure, namely a house. Excessive drainage, caused by too much slope from the higher elevated lots up the street created a massive flow headed straight for the house. Finally, the house was built below street level and too close to the grade — the existing ground — leaving an open invitation for the water to enter the home. To avoid similar problems in your own projects, Biechler suggests that you first “document where the water is running through the property during a rain storm, noting problem areas where water may be held up or large pooling occurs. Work with a good landscape company and have them produce a simple topographical map of the property to avoid large impediments to the flow.” And above all else, don’t situate a house on the low point of the property. When this is the case, a landscaper can’t use gravity to carry the water away.

In the end, this family got an attractive, usable and entirely flood-free landscape. And we would do well to learn from their experience: while water is usually our great friend here in Texas, it is also a formidable force, not to be underestimated, but rather to be prepared for. v DESIGN/BUILD CG&S Design-Build 512.444.1580 | Cgsdb.com LANDSCAPE Pearson Landscape Services 512.386.5900 | Pearsonlandscape.com 72

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Photo by Patrick Wong Courtesy of CG&S Design-Build

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Food n Design

Homemaking

Revival

By Claudia Alarcon

Reality check: all those en vogue products which are now categorized under the label “artisanal” were once the common pantry staples of our great grandmothers. Before we came to rely on mass-produced, storebought groceries, canning, preserving and pickling were the only way to secure provisions in the days before refrigeration. In fact, certain food preserving techniques like salting and smoking have been around since the dawn of civilization. With our increased interest in seasonal, local and even homegrown produce and meats, aided by a strong DYI movement, these traditional methods are enjoying a well-deserved revival. Visit any of our local farmers’ markets and you’ll find everything from Poteet strawberry preserves, to bread-and-butter pickles, homemade mustard and house-cured bacon. There is even growing interest in fermented products, with sauerkraut, kimchee, and kombucha leading the charge.

Don Strange of Texas, Di-Anna Arias Last March, we attended the incredibly informative “Preserving and Serving the Harvest” seminar at the Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, featuring house-made foods preserved and prepared by the Don Strange of Texas kitchen. The day-long course was part of a series titled “Backyard Basics,” offered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, that focuses on self-reliance through home-based food production, preparation and preservation. The course consisted of concurrent sessions on cheese making, various canning techniques, fermenting and pickling, food drying and more. Di-Anna Arias, Director of Culinary Vision for Don Strange of Texas, and Don Strange of Texas Executive Chef Susan Johnson shared details, techniques and recipes behind the special lunch menu that included such DYI fare as house-brined corned beef and pastrami, sauerkraut, house-made mustards and pickles, and fresh biscuits served with persimmon chile pequin jelly, amongst other delectables. We were hooked.

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Unfortunately, these classes are not regularly scheduled. “This was the first event in conjunction with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program, and we hope to schedule another in the fall,” says Chef Arias. “I don’t know if it will be the same topic but it could be — it was very popular. This program is something that can also be created as an educational/hands-on activity during a private event at the ranch. It was important to me to utilize the Don Strange Ranch to teach the resurging art of canning foods to the community of San Antonio and the Hill Country; foods that are healthy, affordable and without preservatives.”

Chef Arias has a long history of preserving foods. “I remember enjoying fresh foods — mainly pickles and jams — at a very early age. My grandmother was a huge canner. We gathered wild berries in East Texas and made the most wonderful preserves,” she says. “I also watched her make pickles — sometimes the process of brining the cucumbers took a couple of weeks. About 22 years ago I discovered a wonderful peach orchard in Fredericksburg where we could pick our own peaches. Our entire family would go on a day when our favorite variety of peaches were ready, and pick several bushels. Then, under my grandmother’s expert canning eye, we made the most delicious peach preserves that you have ever tasted. I would definitely say that my grandmother was the most influential person in my life in teaching me the art of canning.” It’s amazing how canning and preserving can make such powerful memories, and become a vehicle to pass down family traditions. “As a matter of fact, this past weekend I turned fresh jalapenos into ‘candied jalapenos,’ and I canned spicy bread-and-butter pickles,” says Chef Arias. urbanhomemagazine.com

Confituras, Stephanie McClenny In Austin, a rising star in the jam and jelly world is Stephanie McClenny, owner of the award-winning Confituras. McClenny taught herself how to make preserves about four years ago, and founded her company in September 2010, making small batches of jams, jellies, marmalades, curds and fruit butters using strictly seasonal, local ingredients. By January 2011, she had won a Good Food Award for her Texas Fig Preserves at the national competition in San Francisco, followed by her Bourbon Brown Sugar Peach Preserves the next year. Now, she serves as a judge instead of competing. Confituras’ Cranberry Cinnamon Jam was featured in Saveur magazine’s 2012 holiday issue.

“I had a brief sojourn into the culinary field several years back before I started Confituras,” she says. “Although that didn’t work out, I really enjoyed being in the food business and thought about how I would approach it the next time.

Add in a bushel of peaches and Confituras was born.” Confituras focuses on produce from regional farms, including peaches, figs, tomatoes, pears, strawberries and apples, as well as local honey, herbs and chilies. “I am always scouting for fruit and other products that I haven’t seen before or that farmers are testing out. Last year, we saw the first successful pluots (plum/ apricot) grown in this area that we had ever come across. I also love foraging for fruits and herbs that are native to our area.” McClenny has been known to use prickly pears, mustang grapes and agarita berries. She sources lemons, oranges and grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley, and blueberries and mayhaws from East Texas. Her Rio Star grapefruit marmalade and strawberry black pepper jelly have almost achieved cult status in the Austin area.

“I really enjoy the creative process and the challenge of working within our local growing seasons. This helps drive flavor combinations. For instance, this year our strawberry season began before Meyer lemons were gone for the season. Thus, strawberry Meyer lemon marmalade was born,” she says. “Some of our more interesting preserves include herbs or fruit pickles. These are not newfangled flavors or methods — they are ways [in which] our grandmothers preserved.” Some popular examples are her blueberry basil jam or pickled peaches. And her pickled blueberries disappear as soon as they hit the farmers’ market stand. “We are excited to be working on some new pepper jellies this summer,” she adds.

Lately, McClenny has started teaching preserving classes at local urban farms, and giving community outreach demonstrations, including a participation in the Foodways Texas symposiums. “I joke around that I come from a long line of hoarders, but the truth is, I love seeing all the pretty little jewel-toned jars of preserves all lined up in my pantry, whether it’s tomatoes or peach jam. I also love the fact that I know exactly what went into each and every jar. I always tell beginning canners to use high quality, fresh ingredients. There is a temptation to make jam from fruit that is turning, but canning does not improve the quality of what is going into the jar.” v Confituras Confituras.net Don Strange of Texas 210.434.2331 | Donstrange.com Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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Spicy Refrigerator Pickles Courtesy of Claudia Alarcon

I tried these pickles that a friend of a friend had made for a 4th of July party, a classic example of how canning recipes get passed around amongst family and friends. They take no time to make and are deliciously spicy. Look to your farmers’ market (or friends who garden) for the cucumbers. Feel free to adjust spices to your taste. Because they are not processed, these pickles must remain refrigerated and consumed within 30 days of making.

1 T coriander seed 1 T mustard seed 2 t celery seed 2 t black peppercorns 6 allspice berries 4 crumbled bay leaves Combine in small bowl and divide evenly amongst 6 to 8 sterile, pint-size canning jars with lids.

1 medium red onion, cut in half, peeled then sliced in slivers 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly crushed 6-8 fresh chiles serranos 6-8 dried cayenne or other small hot chiles (add more to taste) 1 bunch fresh dill Divide these amongst the jars, adjusting more or less dried chiles per jar depending on how spicy you want the pickles.

Wash 5 pounds small, unwaxed cucumbers, then slice or quarter to your preference. Pack them tightly into the jars with all the spices.

3 cups red wine vinegar 6 cups water ½ cup pickling salt or coarse salt Bring to a boil over high heat in a non-reactive saucepan, then stir until salt dissolves.

Carefully pour brine into jars until all cucumbers and vegetables are submerged completely. Allow to cool at room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Allow to stand for two days for flavors to develop completely. Enjoy!

Peach - Chile Pequin Jelly Courtesy of Don Strange of Texas

¼ cup fresh red chile pequins (or 1/8 cup dried) ¾ cup fresh Fredericksburg peaches, peeled 6 ½ cups sugar 76

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1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar 3 oz fruit pectin Remove peel and seed from peaches and chop coarsely to make ¾ cup.

Place chiles and in the work bowl of food processor. Pulse on and off to chop fine. Add peaches and chop until peaches are pureed.

Place chopped chiles and peaches in a large saucepan with sugar and cider vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add fruit pectin. Return to high heat and boil for 1 minute.

Pour into 7 (8oz) sterile jars. Process in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Don Strange Thumbprint Cookies Courtesy of Don Strange of Texas

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ t baking soda ¼ t salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature ¾ cup sugar 1 large egg 1 t pure vanilla extract ½ cup jam such as raspberry, strawberry or apricot Confectioners' sugar for dusting Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and a second rack in the lower third, then preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Using your thumb or the round end of a small pestle, make a well in the center of each cookie. Using a teaspoon, fill each well with jam, being careful urbanhomemagazine.com

bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until soft, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mash softened apples with a potato masher. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, lemon zest, sugars and cinnamon. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until smooth.

Pour apple mixture evenly into a baking dish. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced, about 5 hours. Let cool before serving. Apple butter may be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Canning and Preserving Tips not to overfill the wells. Bake, switching the cookies between the upper and lower racks about halfway through baking, until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Continue baking cookies on cooled baking sheets. Makes about 2 dozen.

DO AHEAD: The cookies can be baked ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Apple Butter

Courtesy of Don Strange of Texas 2 T unsalted butter 3 pounds assorted apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters 3 cups apple cider Juice of ½ lemon 1 t lemon zest ½ t ground cinnamon 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and add apples.

Cook apples until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add cider, urbanhomemagazine.com

Courtesy of Di-Anna Arias, Don Strange of Texas

• Canning can help save on food costs.

• Do-it-yourself canning puts you in charge of how much sodium or sugar you add to your canned produce, so consider using this trend to help improve the healthiness of your food.

• Canning may be fun and easy, but it’s important to do it properly and cook thoroughly in order to ensure the preserved food is safe to eat.

• Use ingredients when they are in-season to get the freshest products at the best price. Fruit and vegetable preserves will have the finest flavor with they are made with produce that has been grown in its true season and ripened in natural sunlight and warmth.

• Canned fruits are preserved by using heat which kills yeasts, molds and microorganisms and then creates a vacuum to seal in the fruit.

• Use your canned produce within one year of preserving.

• Store your canned produce in jars that are not susceptible to breaking or cracking under pressure or heat, such as Ball or Mason jars.

• Storage: Preserves should be kept in a cool, dark, dry place, between 50-70 degrees.

• Equipment used for making preserves containing fruit or vinegar must be made of a nonreactive material such as stainless steel, plastic, nylon or wood.

• Jars should be inspected carefully prior to being used and the best size to use for home-canning is 2 cup and 1 quart.

• A traditional preserving pan is called a maslin. The pan has sloping sides, a lip for pouring and a handle to assist with carrying.

• Meat, poultry, game and fish can be preserved by pouring a layer of melted fat over the surface — this fat sets and creates a hermetic seal which eliminates air from contact with the food.

• Curing is a method of preserving by impregnating the food with salt or a salt solution, referred to as brine.

• Freezing at a temperature below 0 degrees preserves food by immobilizing the bacteria that can spoil food, and slows down the enzyme activity that can cause quality deterioration.

To find additional ideas and recipes, become active in canning social networking outlets. ‘Canvolution’ on Twitter is a great source.

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Fabulous n Finds

Destination:

Texas State Parks

By Julie Catalano Photography courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Pedernales Falls State Park

Palmetto State Park

Texas is replete with natural treasures, none as diverse and exhilarating as our state parks. From historic sites to archeological finds to magnificent canyons, there’s something for everyone in the great outdoors. Call ahead for entrance fees, pet and camping policies, seasonal closures or special events. Then pack up your gear, sunscreen, hats, comfortable shoes, water and insect repellant to start your state park adventure. Here are our top ten. Only 80 more to go!

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Pedernales Falls State Park Johnson City, 830.868.7304 The word “falls” says it all at this 5,211-acre park about 35 miles west of Austin. The Pedernales River cascades over a series of layered limestone slabs in a picturesque and dramatic scene — no swimming, wading or tubing at this spot due to strong currents, but other parts of the river are suitable, keeping in mind that downpours in the Hill

Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Goliad State Park

Country can change a peaceful river into a flash flood, so check weather conditions. The highlights here (besides the falls) are hiking, biking, camping and rock climbing. Overnight car campers can reserve a paid spot from 69 spacious campsites with water and electricity or rough it at one of 20 primitive hike-in sites. A rugged 10-mile equestrian trail is for experienced riders only (BYOH—bring your own horse, and no overnight camping with horse is allowed).

Open year-round, seven days a week. Admission is $6 per day for age 13 and older; age 12 and under are free.

Palmetto State Park Gonzales, 830.672.3266 If you thought swamplands were only in Florida, think again. One of the area’s best kept secrets is this 270-acre botanical gem in Central Texas about an hour’s drive from

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

both Austin and San Antonio.

Named for the tropical dwarf palmetto plants that line the Ottine Swamp, the lush green oasis is on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, with more than 240 species spotted on the grounds. Overnight campers should make reservations at least two days in advance during the busy season from March to November; even longer for the one Limited Use Cabin, a charming, modern abode with one full urbanhomemagazine.com

bed, one full bunk bed, refrigerator and microwave located near a small fishing pond and four-acre lake. July is a good time to walk the trails for the thrilling sight of thousands of butterflies. Open year-round, seven days a week. Admission is $3 per day for age 13 and older; age 12 and under are free.

Park and Ride, Hike, Swim, Fish and Work

Goliad State Park and Historic Site Goliad, 361.645.3405 History buffs will revel in the rich legacy of this 188-acre site on the northern banks of the San Antonio River, about 93 miles southeast of San Antonio. The impressive park and its nearby structures — the Presidio La Bahia and Fannin Monument — make up the only standing mission-presidio complex in the United States. Best known as the birthplace of Ignacio Zaragoza, it is also the official venue of the celebration of Cinco de Mayo, in commemoration of General Zaragoza and his outnumbered Mexican army routing the French forces in the Battle of Puebla, gaining Mexico’s independence from France on May 5, 1862. The reconstructed Franciscan Mission Espíritu Santo is available for tours, but the museum at Zaragoza’s birthplace is open only on Saturdays. Campsites and screened shelters available. Open year-round, seven days a week 8am5pm; closed Christmas Day. Admission is $3 per day for age 13 and older; age 12 and under are free.

Guadalupe River - Honey Creek

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) oversees the 90 state parks in Texas, and that’s a big job. You can help.

According to the TPWD website (Tpwd.state.tx.us/stateparks/), every year thousands of volunteers donate more than a half-million hours of service worth more than $17 million.

More fun facts: The website has the parks cross-referenced by activities, for everything from swimming to stargazing to biking to birding. There’s more: every state park has a geocaching challenge (“geo” for earth; “cache” for hidden) where participants answer a series of questions to attain specific prize levels using GPS devices or smartphones — no shovels required!

Other Day Trip-Worthy Parks Guadalupe River State Park, Spring Branch, 830.438.2656 Is there any Texan who hasn’t “tubed” the popular Guadalupe River? Besides floating on inner tubes, there’s a brand new Children’s Discovery Center with hands-on exhibits, a new 5.3 mile equestrian/mountain biking trail, and a two-hour guided tour of the adjacent Honey Creek State Natural Area.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Canyon, 806.488.2227 Is it any surprise that Texas has the second largest canyon the United States? Only Arizona’s Grand Canyon outranks this breathtaking natural wonder of majestic geological formations 32 miles south of Amarillo. Where to begin? Considering the park covers almost 30,000 acres, probably the visitor center/ museum to pick up maps and choose from a wealth of activities including scenic drives, hiking, biking, horseback riding (another BYOH park) and so much more. The park is famous for its annual outdoor two-hour musical drama TEXAS (texas-show.com), running Tuesdays through Saturdays this year from June 1 to August 17. More than 60 actors, singers and dancers depict the story of the Panhandle settlers in the 1800s, complete with special fire and water effects in the Pioneer Amphitheater carved out of a natural rock basin. The park is open year-round, seven days a week; hours vary due to season. Admission is $5 per day for age 13 and older; age 12 and under are free. urbanhomemagazine.com

Government Canyon State Natural Area, San Antonio, 210.688.9055 Lucky San Antonians have 40 acres of natural area right on the outskirts of town for hiking, biking, ranger programs and more. Birders seeking the endangered Golden-Cheeked Warbler have a good chance of catching a glimpse here.

Government Canyon Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

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Monument Hill

Kreische Brewery

Lost Maples

Battleship Texas

Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites, La Grange, 979.968.5658 These two very different sites are united by a scenic trail.

Monument Hill contains the remains of 52 Texas soldiers who fought to keep Texas free. Guided tours of the Kreische House and the ruins of the first brewery built in Texas, the Kreische Brewery, built by a German immigrant, are held year-round.

Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site, LaPorte, 281.479.2431 Contractors recently began a $17.5 million renovation project on the 99-year-old U.S.S. Texas battleship on the 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground where Texas fought for its independence from Mexico on April 21, 1836. Check out more than 400 years of early Texas history in the San Jacinto Museum of History at the base of the 489-foot San Jacinto Monument.

Lost Maples State Natural Area, Vanderpool, 830.966.3413 If you can’t bear the summer heat, no sweat. Catch Lost Maples in all of its 2,000+ acre glory during the colorful fall foliage season, usually around October and November. Delightfully cool in more ways than one, it’s worth the wait.

Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site, Port Isabel, 956.943.2262 The smallest Texas state park, it’s big in history, boasting the only Texas coastal lighthouse open to the public. Includes the Port Isabel Historical Museum and Treasures of the Gulf Museum. v For more information on Texas State Parks, Tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/.

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Port Isabel Lighthouse

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REALTOR’S ADVICE

Getting Your Yard to

Work for You

By Cathy Coneway, Chairman, Austin Board of REALTORS®

A

visit to your local greenhouse or home improvement store garden department can be an overwhelming experience.

You’re surrounded by row after row of colorful flowers, billowing trees and stacks of soil — where do you start? Just like weeds can take over a garden, a landscape project can grow out of control.

The secret is having a plan. Before making that trip or even thinking about the type of plants, shrubs or flowers you want to buy, it’s important to determine the type of landscaping that fits your budget and lifestyle.

Short on Time?

If you’re looking to spend less time on your lawn, look for plants that don’t require significant upkeep, such as trimming, mowing or watering. They should be native to your climate zone and able to withstand hot summers or cold winters without additional maintenance. In addition, slow-growing grass types and evergreen trees can significantly cut back on routine yard maintenance. If you live in a hot climate, investing in a sprinkler system with a programmable timer is a valuable time-saver.

Low on Money?

The easiest way to cut down on gardening costs is to have a water-hardy landscape. Xeriscaping — a popular landscaping style that uses succulents, polished rocks and free-form designs instead of typical flower beds and lawns — takes virtually zero upkeep and very little watering. Another way to reduce water costs is to install a drip irrigation system. Unlike typical sprinkler systems, drip irrigation systems deliver a steady, even water supply with only a fraction of the water consumed by other systems.

Yard Need a Facelift?

The first step to any gardening project should be to take a look at your existing yard. Taking the time to fill in patches in your lawn, prune overgrown shrubs and remove dead trees, stumps and plants can make a huge difference. Once that’s done, consider purchasing mature shrubs and trees, which can instantly fill gapped spaces in your yard. Planting a variety of colorful flowers in flower beds or in planter boxes, too, will give your yard an instant “wow” factor.

No matter your situation, you can design landscaping that suits your lifestyle and needs. What have you done to make your yard work for you? v

A DV E RT I S E R I N D E X ARCHITECTS & HOME DESIGNERS

Black + Vernooy www.blackvernooy.com 512.474.1632 Hobbs’ Ink www.hobbsink.com 512.261.6226

ASSOCIATIONS

Austin NARI www.austinnari.org 512.997.NARI

HBA of Greater Austin www.hbaaustin.com 512.454.5588 NARI San Antonio www.remodelsanantonio.org 210.348.6274

Copenhagen Contemporary Furniture & Accessories www.copenhagenliving.com San Antonio: 210.545.4366 Austin: 512.451.1233 Scott + Cooner www.scottcooner.com Austin: 512.480.0436 Dallas: 214.748.9838

GLASS & WINDOWS

Anchor Ventana www.ventanaman.com 512.388.9400

GRANITE & STONE

QDI Stone www.qdistone.com 512.832.0500

Dawn Hearn Interior Design www.dawnhearn.com 512.930.0250 Lori Caldwell Designs www.loricaldwelldesigns.com 210.408.2870 Panache Interiors www.panacheinteriors.com 512.452.7773

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Botanical Concerns www.botanicalconcerns.com 512.276.0526

Pearson Landscape Services www.pearsonlandscape.com 512.386.5900

OUTDOOR LIVING

CARPET & FLOORING

Synergy Granite www.synergygranite.com 512.784.3213

CLOSET DESIGN

Foursquare Builders www.foursquarebuilders.com 512.944.4520

Cozy Outdoor Escapes www.cozyoutdoorescapes.com 210.276.0734

Ray Tonjes Builder, Inc. www.raytonjesbuilder.com 512.258.6691

HomeField www.homefieldliving.com 830.626.1971

Schroeder Carpet www.schroedercarpet.com 512.462.1551

California Closets of the Texas Hill Country Austin: 512.441.6061 www.californiaclosets.com/austin San Antonio: 210.829.1991 www.californiaclosets.com/san-antonio

CONCRETE REPAIR

Trim-A-Slab www.trim-a-slab.com 512.943.7655

CUSTOM CABINETRY & DESIGN

N House Design & Build www.nhousedb.com 210.650.3233 Swanx www.swanxcabinetry.com 512.809.6226

CUSTOM HOME CONSULTANTS

By Design Custom Home Consulting www.customaustinhomes.com 512.917.2653

CUSTOM METAL WORK

HOME BUILDERS

HOME REMODELING

Artesian Pools www.artesianpoolstx.com 210.251.3211

CG&S Design-Build www.cgsdb.com 512.444.1580

Austin Board of Realtors www.austinhomesearch.com

David Wilkes Builders www.davidwilkesbuilders.com 512.328.9888 Dylan Martin Homes & Remodeling www.dylanmartinhomes.com 512.692.9212 J Angelo Design Build www.jangelodesignbuild.com 210.882.6263 Realty Restoration www.realtyrestoration.com 512.454.1661

FURNITURE & DESIGN

Bella Villa Design www.bellavillads.com 512.443.3200

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Urban Home Austin – San Antonio

POOLS

Avenue B Development www.avenuebdev.com 512.638.1514

Christopher Voss – 4th Generation Craftsman, Inc. www.christophervoss.com 210.843.4332 Catrina’s Ranch Interiors www.catrinasranchinteriors.com 830.755.6355 / 210.535.3070

BBQ Outfitters www.bbqoutfitters.com 512.347.1988

INTERIOR DESIGN

REAL ESTATE

RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES

Tierra Vista www.tierravista.com 512.267.3777

WINDOW COVERINGS & AWNINGS

Austintatious Blinds and Shutters www.austintatiousblinds.com 512.608.0302 The Louver Shop www.louvershop.com Austin: 512.236.9706 San Antonio: 210.590.3956 Texas Sun & Shade www.txsunandshade.com 512.402.0990

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Dylan Martin HOMES & R EMODELI NG

At Dylan Martin Homes, quality construction doesn’t just refer to the finished product, but the process getting there. We pride ourselves on open communication and giving you, the homeowner, all the information and tools to bring you the end result you desire.

CUSTOM HOME RENOVATIONS AND BUILDING DESIGN BUILD SERVICES www.dylanmartinhomes.com | dylan@dylanmartinhomes.com 512.692.9212 O | 512.350.1088 C