Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Warm Country Charm
Clever Renovations Plus Bargain Hunting Equal Refined Farmhouse Style
This historic house has really gotten around. Built in the 1800s, it was moved from New Braunfels, Texas to Austin in the 1980s. A few years later, interior designer Jeanette Van Wicklen and her husband bought it, added a master bathroom and some barn doors, gutted the kitchen, transformed a screened-in porch into a breakfast room, added a room for their son Luke, and moved in. A whiz at finding bargains and knowing how to wield a paintbrush, Jeanette is able to mix finds from consignment shops, Etsy, outlets and big-box stores with ease. The results are a comfortable yet polished look that's perfect for family life.
Van Wicklen was inspired by The Lettered Cottage to create this wall display near the kitchen. She used Command Hooks to hang the boxes, which do not leave any marks on the walls if you wish to remove them.
Here's the photo from The Lettered Cottage that inspired Van Wicklen. The herb crates include the hangers and are from Farmhouse Wares.
This cozy kitchen looks very high-end, but Van Wicklen made some shrewd money-saving moves. While the island's surface is Calcutta Gold marble, the bulk of the counters are butcher block from IKEA. The pantry doors (on the left side of the picture) were once off-the-rack paneled doors; she had the panels cut out and replaced with glass. The walls are covered with horizontal pine planks and the floors are original.
The far end of this shot shows the cozy breakfast room. As you might guess from the ceiling, it used to be a small screened-in porch. "It was a dusty little spot no one ever used," she says. The Van Wicklens also added the high windows to bring in more natural light.
The far end of this shot shows the cozy breakfast room. As you might guess from the ceiling, it used to be a small screened-in porch. "It was a dusty little spot no one ever used," she says. The Van Wicklens also added the high windows to bring in more natural light.
Of course, when you can see through to your pantry, keeping it neat is a must.
Now we are looking from the breakfast room through the kitchen to the dining room. The pendant lights are from Lighting Inc. in Austin. Wondering about the ceiling you can see in the dining room? It's a tin wallpaper.
The kitchen's beadboard ceiling is original to the house; but this opening was not. "This was an old-fashioned closed off kitchen," Van Wicklen says. In order to let in the light, make the space feel better, and improve the flow, they opened up the space to the dining room.
"There's no rhyme or reason to how I display my china," she says. "I like to keep it casual. For instance, I group silverware into mint julep cups so that I can just grab what I need. Also, I added a shiny teapot lamp to draw the eye and illuminate the inside."
"There's no rhyme or reason to how I display my china," she says. "I like to keep it casual. For instance, I group silverware into mint julep cups so that I can just grab what I need. Also, I added a shiny teapot lamp to draw the eye and illuminate the inside."
The dining room is a perfect spot for family gatherings. The table and bench were gifts, the slipcovered chairs are from Pier 1, and the Eat Drink and Be Merry sign came from Sturbridge Yankee Workshop. The chandelier was a lucky score at the Pottery Barn Outlet.
Beyond the dining room table is a former closet that the couple blew out and turned into a wine room, with most of its cabinets from IKEA.
Beyond the dining room table is a former closet that the couple blew out and turned into a wine room, with most of its cabinets from IKEA.
The two chairs in the living room were inherited from her mother-in-law, who brought them over from England. "They were quite tattered so we gave them a spruce-up," she says. Learn more about the chair restoration.
The Greek key pillows are by DwellStudio for Target, and the teal pillows are from Crate and Barrel. The small pillow on the white chair is from Van Wicklen's Etsy shop. The garden urns behind the sofa sit atop her childhood piano. It had became so scratched and banged up over time that she decided to paint it white.
The Greek key pillows are by DwellStudio for Target, and the teal pillows are from Crate and Barrel. The small pillow on the white chair is from Van Wicklen's Etsy shop. The garden urns behind the sofa sit atop her childhood piano. It had became so scratched and banged up over time that she decided to paint it white.
This image gives you a good idea of the floorplan. The rug to the right is the dining room rug, the cowhide is just peeking out, and the living room is to the left.
Dylan the dog is not the only one who gets comfortable in here. The television sits atop a French buffet she picked up at The Round Top Antiques Fair, the sign was found at Riverside Antiques in Llano Texas. The trellis pillows came from Etsy seller Willa Skye Home; the doors lead out to the side porch (which was originally on the front of the house when it was in New Braunfels).
In the family room, the back walls of these built-in shelves are upholstered in burlap. Lights were added on top for illuminating artwork, while the lighting in the lower cabinets is puck lighting from IKEA.
This is the view into the master bathroom; the windows in the foreground used to be on the back facade of the house. The turquoise door on the right leads to a separate room for the commode.
The pendant is by maura daniel. Although the master bath is full of modern-day luxuries, the beadboard ceiling and pine flooring are in keeping with the home's farmhouse roots.
This is their son Luke's room, and it's also part of a new addition. Knotty pine floors have cottage style and keeps things light, as do the white horizontal planks on the walls. The barn door is a new addition that enhances the farmhouse style throughout the house. They found the door track hardware at Barn Door Hardware.
Have you seen this guest room on Houzz and wondered where to buy the wallpaper? It's actually very carefully composed wall decals. "The artist who sold me the decals also sent a detailed drawing based upon measurements I sent her of exactly how to arrange the decals to get the pattern right," Van Wicklen says.
Confused about the windows with blinds behind them? There is an addition on the other side (Luke's room), but the original old glass and plantation blinds are still a fun cottage detail, so she kept them. The little pillow on the chair came from World Market, the quilts and throw pillows on the beds came from Linen's-n-Things, and the beds came from a local consignment store. The beds were originally a steely blue color; Van Wicklen painted them white.
Confused about the windows with blinds behind them? There is an addition on the other side (Luke's room), but the original old glass and plantation blinds are still a fun cottage detail, so she kept them. The little pillow on the chair came from World Market, the quilts and throw pillows on the beds came from Linen's-n-Things, and the beds came from a local consignment store. The beds were originally a steely blue color; Van Wicklen painted them white.
Continuing the thread of a touch of country in the new addition, custom knotty pine barn doors were used in Luke's room. This one opens to a small office off his room.
A big map from IKEA makes a statement. "Whenever we're stumped by a geography question, we say, 'let's go look at the big map!'," Van Wicklen says. The rolling bed tray is from IKEA as well. The bed linens are from Pottery Barn and she found the blinds at Lowe's.
A table lamp and a distressed shelving unit keep the farmhouse feel in Luke's bathroom, which is also part of the new addition.
Bonus: There is a fabulous guesthouse on this property. This open and airy room is her design studio. "Good light and white walls in a design studio are paramount," Van Wicklen says.
If you were a guest here, would you ever leave? Just a bit of the guesthouse kitchen is peeking from the lower right corner; the tile is Saltillo, a ceramic tile from Mexico.
As for the rest of this tailored-yet-comfortable and expensive looking room, Van Wicklen was working her usual bargain magic. She found the antique wicker mirror at the Llano Riverside Antique Mall, and the bed is from Homestead. The loveseat was another Pottery Barn Outlet score, the artwork came from Target, and the wood flooring is from Lumber Liquidators. Finally, the wingback is an antique covered in a white denim slipcover from Shabby Slips.
As for the rest of this tailored-yet-comfortable and expensive looking room, Van Wicklen was working her usual bargain magic. She found the antique wicker mirror at the Llano Riverside Antique Mall, and the bed is from Homestead. The loveseat was another Pottery Barn Outlet score, the artwork came from Target, and the wood flooring is from Lumber Liquidators. Finally, the wingback is an antique covered in a white denim slipcover from Shabby Slips.
Van Wicklen says sippin' a glass of Moscato wine on the front porch and listening to the birds all around is divine.
She definitely knows how to make the most of a front porch. The curtains adds a fun touch and can be closed to block the blistering Texas summer sun.
After a long hot day of designing and planning, a dip in the pool is a must. The pool is located between the main house and the guesthouse, just up the rock stairs.
More:
Houzz Tour: Historic Home in Austin Texas
Houzz Interview: Rebekah's Weekend Farmhouse Retreat
More:
Houzz Tour: Historic Home in Austin Texas
Houzz Interview: Rebekah's Weekend Farmhouse Retreat