Austin Home Renovation series....Austin, TX...

PART II....before photos....

.....PART II......If you missed Part I of this remodel post then I go back one blog post for the beginning photos and story. In this post I will be showing you the Master Bedroom, Master Bathroom, Laundry room, and Guest House.

MASTER BEDROOM: There were only 2 things that we physically changed in this room. We took out a closet that housed a washer/dryer, moved them into a newly built laundry room off of the left end of Master Bathroom. We also added a half wall to create a niche for a large credenza and large TV. In addition, we painted added more can lighting, added new light fixtures and beautiful hardwood mesquite flooring.

MASTER BATHROOM: We totally re-did this room. We tore out the built in tub and replaced it with a new Albert + freestanding soaking tub....which I absolutely love because when I have time to relax, I take a long bath. We moved the shower to the far right side of tub behind the wall where the toilet used to be and moved the toilet in the old washer/dryer space. The good thing was, there was already plumbing in all of these places. We also created across from each other a his/hers sink/cabinets with a sit down vanity on her side. Paint, new tile, granite, lighting, plumbing fixtures, soaking tub, mirrors, light grey travertine and of course a tv to watch while soaking in that wonderful tub.

MASTER CLOSET: Absolutely the most important room in the house,( at least for a fashionista). We took the same footprint of the closet and built from scratch the island, shelving, drawers, cabinets & etc. We added pull down rods, granite island top, new hardware, beautiful chandelier, and track lighting. Although not as large as my closet in Houston and I have to share with Norman.......it was a great closet!!

LAUNDRY: A must have in any living place for me is an adequate laundry room. After all we spend a  lot of time there.....right?  I really could not accept a closet for the washer/dryer. The best place for this room was to have it come off of the Master Bath rather than by the kitchen which is the normal. I was not sure about this spot, but just after just a short amount of time.... I was sold and it worked out great!!

UPSTAIRS BEDROOM AND BATH: This house appears larger than it really is. The main house ended up at around 2500 square feet and the guest house at 1000 square feet. Three bedrooms in the main house and one in the guest house. We painted these rooms and put in new carpet, We also added new light fixtures and plumbing fixtures as well as some nice window coverings. I wanted a hill country feel, so I decorated one queen bed room in a bluebonnet/Indian Paintbrush bedspread and the twin bedroom with a whimsey hippie decor a la guitar, flower power and vintage chenille spreads.

GUEST HOUSE: When we started the renovations, we first did a few things to the guest house, The previous owners used it for their offices. We did not move walls or add rooms, but we did paint and change out all light and plumbing fixtures. We also put in hardwood floors throughout. We took out all of the book cases and made that area a cozy TV room and the other side a dining area and sitting area. After is was done, we moved in and then began the main house renovation. I will say, we enjoyed our time in the guest house.

You have now seen before and after photos of the the main house and guest house. In the last blog post on this renovation, I will be sharing photos of the beautiful out door living areas on this property and sharing resources with you. So stay tuned.....to me it is the best part!! I love the GREAT OUTDOORS!! 

...Home Renovations....Austin, Texas......

Before Photos.....

....after photos....

When deciding what to study as my major in college, I either wanted to study fashion design or interior design. I was somewhat immature and was more interested in the social life of college than spending the long hours on interior design projects. Therefore, I changed my major, but it didn't change my love for interior design.

Over the last 15 years I have been blessed to create some very interesting interior design projects. Over the next several month, I will share some of my projects with you. They will not be in order of completion or will all of the photographs be of high professional quality. 

This blog is about our Austin/Spicewood, TX home that we just recently sold. We purchased this 8 acre property on Bee Creek, a tributary into Lake Travis, in 2011 and started the renovation soon after. Looking back on it, we really didn't need to remodel, especially since it was a part time home for us, but we did. We could have torn the whole place down and built from the ground up with a better floor plan for the same amount of money we spent on renovating an existing property. Have any of you ever done that? Don't get me wrong, it turned out amazing, but I am just saying.

Part I of this blog are photos of the front exterior, entry, powder room, dining, living area, and kitchen. I will show more of the house in Part II in a later blog and give you more details of finishes, appliances and fixtures in a recap. So that being sad, you will need to follow the series.

The only thing we did to the exterior in the front was change wall sconces and front door and paint. We opened up the front door to a 4' wide opening. I had the commercial grade steel and wavy glass door built that became a focal point at the entry. The whole idea here was to go to a more transitional contemporary from a traditional Hill Country look.

In the entry of the home, we removed stairs that came right down in the middle of the foyer. By removing them it opened up making the whole entry living area look larger. The powder room that was under the stairs had to go away, so we added a powder room at the landing where the new stairs were relocated behind the entry area wall. I wanted this powder room to be special since it would be the main bathroom for guest. I was fortunate to find the most beautiful turquoise sink that my builders wife, Laura Duncan, had discovered and put me on to. Believe it or no, it was the last sink like this one that this Arizona company made. Their machine broke and they just didn't make enough money on this sink to make it worth while to fix. I ended up replacing this sink before we sold, so that I could put it in my Colorado home. I used Brizo sinks and a Toto toilette. We have done a lot of toilettes and Toto is the best!!!

The dining room was open to the living and entry area. We left it as is, but removed the door from the kitchen to dining and made the arched opening into a squared opening and then painted. We did the same opening from the living area to the kitchen to that the two openings would match We also put new stationary doors in that room replacing operating doors. They really didn't serve a purpose, so better security with less operating doors.

The living area was very small, so I ripped out that beautiful Hill Country fireplace. I know....crazy...right? By doing so gave the room about 2 more feet of usable living area. I replaced that wood burning fireplace with a more contemporary linear propane fireplace. Instead of Hill Country rock, I chose a metallic porcelain tile that has the look of metal. I love the way it looks...very sleek and modern with elements of rustic. 

The kitchen was totally ripped out. We took out 2 sets of double doors by the breakfast area and put in windows instead and took out the breakfast area totally so I could add more cabinets. We created an island in the center of kitchen for seating that works as a breakfast area, freeing up the space so we could move the sink under the new windows, so the dishwasher (that would be me) could see the beautiful back view of the pool, landscaping and Bee Creek. We replaced all of the appliances with a Thermador package that included a  48" 6 burner, 2 oven propane range, side by side refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. We also added 2 beverage drawers for bottle water, sodas, and even beer. They are great!! We also created a coffee bar for my coffee connoisseur husband, but my favorite thing in the kitchen, that I install in all my kitchens, is an instant hot/purified cold water dispenser at the sink beside the faucet. They are worth every penny and they are not cheap!!

Whew, this was just the entry, living area and kitchen, so not to wear you out, this remodel blog will continue......so stay tuned....

I hope you are enjoying something a little different from SheShe Show, other than fashion. I would love to know your thoughts.

Xo, SheShe

Stay tuned for more on this renovation.....