FOR SALE: Southern Charmer in Houston's River Oaks

Front Facade

This River Oaks estate sits on more than one acre.  French Chateau style home with bayou access and manicured lawn and garden.  Exterior is limestone with hand carved ornamental details.  8200 square feet, marble stairway, five bedrooms, six full and two half baths.  Triple points goes for the his and her dressing rooms.  List $9,750,000.  Additional listing information available at http://www.johndaugherty.com/57456299/River-Oaks/3734-Willowick-Rd

Entry

Living Room

Dining Room

Breakfast Room

Kitchen

Garden Room

Library

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Her Dressing Room

His Dressing Room

Family Room

Second Bedroom

Home Gym

Fountain and Garden

Lance Armstrong's Ultimate Bachelor Pad

Front Facade

Lance Armstrong's home in Austin looks like it could just as easily be located on an Italian estate or in Napa Wine country.  The style of the home is old World with Mediterranean influences and Colonial details.
The outside landscaping reflects the Italian and French countrysides with its occasional cypress trees and thoughtfully arranged topiaries .  If I didn't know better, I would expect a vineyard to be just beyond the house.

King of the Castle

Living Room

The most attractive room featured IMHO is the rose and tan living room.  The furnishings look elegant and inviting. Plus, I'm a sucker for coffered ceilings.  Most rooms with a fireplace make it the central focal point of the room but in this case even with the fireplace at center it is not the most dominant feature.  The eyes are drawn up to the crimson painting just above the mantel.  There is plenty to please the eyes and keep them moving to take in every color and detail.  A visual feast indeed.

Terrace

Kitchen

Family Room

Media/Game/Yellow Jersey Room

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom comes in second with the shallow barrel vaulted ceiling and rose tinted accent lamps and sconce chandelier.  The ceiling really makes this bedroom a grand space.

Bedroom Vignette

Pool Cabana by day with an arbor of cypress trees in the background.

Pool Cabana at twilight framed by palms.

To read the full story see Architectural Digest.

Dwell's 2010 "Houses We Love" Issue

In anticipation of Dwell's 2010 "Houses We Love" issue, here is a preview of one of the finalists' design.  Austin architect Nick Deaver's Parlee/Hegland home is among the top twenty finalists in the running.  The finalist's home design will be featured on the cover of Dwell.  This is one of the publication's most important issues of the year and I'm so excited to see a local architect among the top twenty.
The featured home is 5300 square feet and is a 3 Bedroom, 3 Bath home.  The builder is Matt Risinger of Risinger Homes in Austin, Texas.  To see the complete list of finalists and their entries, please visit Dwell.com.

Parlee/Hegland - Exterior A

Parlee/Hegland - Exterior B

Parlee/Hegland - Exterior C

Parlee/Hegland - Exterior D at Twilight

Parlee/Hegland - Interior A

All photos courtesy of Dwell.com.

Dream On : Weekend WindowsHopping

CLASSIFIEDS - Properties to Ponder.
FOR RENT: Spanish Estate, sleeps 12, Villa Lentisco in Andalucia.  with garden and pool.  On Sologrande golf course.  Beach, beach club and restaurant less than a mile away at Marina del Sologrande.

Villa Lentisco

FOR RENT: Chateau in the South of France, 18th century Norman chateau, restored cottage with garden, terrace.

18th Century Cottage in the South of France

FOR RENT: North Frisian Islands Holiday Chateau for Rent, two bedrooms, two baths, terrace.  One of the oldest houses on the island of Föhr, restored.  Located on the marsh in the old village centre of Oevenum.

Home in Föhr

FOR SALE: Tuscan Farmhouse, Castelnuovo Berardenga, with panoramic views of vinyard, hills and cypress trees.

Tuscan Farmhouse

FOR SALE: Country House near Limoges, France.  Built in 1805.  Includes meadow, lake, stables, barn, bread oven and swimming pool.

French Country House

TAKING TEA - TEA BOOKS AND LINKS

Tea Table from The Charms of Tea

The Charms of Tea: Reminiscences and Recipes from the Editors of Victoria Magazine

Tea and Etiquette

Tea and Etiquette by Dorothea Johnson and James Norwood Pratt

The New Tea Book

The New Tea Book

Miss Potter (2006) starring Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger on location at Yew Tree Farm in 2006

I've been in the mood for rustic country cottages lately.  One of my favorite examples in cinema for the rustic country cottage is "Miss Potter".  It's the biographical love story of Beatrix Potter and stars Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.

Graphics for Movie's Promo

Yew Tree Farm House

The idyllic landscapes, lush gardens and charming cottages are an extra treat to take in since the story of Miss Potter is a jewel all by itself.  She was a talented artist and writer.  Socially, she lived in Victorian England but was a century ahead of her time.

Hill Top Farm - Front Facade

Hill Top Farm and Garden

The movie was filmed in London as well as Yew Tree Farm Coniston in the Lake District of northwestern England.  In the Lake District Miss Potter purchased her home , Hill Top Farm, and several more farms adjacent  to her property.  When she found out developers had plans to expand and build out the area she outbid them at auction using the proceeds from the sale of her books.  Upon her death she granted her vast estate to the National Trust to be preserved and is now part of the Lake District National Park.

Hill Top Property

Martin Childs production designer on the film explains why Miss Potter's true life home of Hill Top Farm was not used in the movie because staging scenes proved impossible to use and still have room for the camera.

Hill Top Farm - Interior

Yew Tree Farms - Interior view of the Tea Room

Still from the movie, Ms Zellweger by the Lake

Sources for information and photos are courtesy of Visitcumbria.com,  nationaltrust.org and Yew Tree Farms.