Regarding the COTE DE TEXAS Post About Two Houses and the Same Architect

Last night I was reading my favorite blog, COTE DE TEXAS, and some not so nice, remarks had and  were being made about Joni Webb's post regarding a couple of homes she featured that were done by a well  known Houston architect. It seems the person who chose not to reveal him or herself was critical of decorating by paring down and making one's life a little more simplistic. Granted, not everyone      likes the idea of using slipcovers but Joni made a very valid point when she indicated sometimes it can be more costly to go the slipcover route than to just reupholster furniture. I can attest to that because the estimate I got to slipcover a settee and a chair and a half, in the Waco, Texas area, was                fourteen hundred dollars and that was using cheap fabric!

I came across a magazine story about an Austin, Texas couple who were tired of living in their surroundings of 23 years and were ready to reinvent their home. The magazine was the September/October 2002 issue of Better and Homes and Gardens Decorating. The decorating team      hired to accomplish this, did it mainly by paring down, reupholstering furniture the couple already had and by adding a few new pieces to the mix. The design team was Mark Ashby and Mary Ames and      their photographer was William Stites. The color palate was that of either calming or dramatic neutrals and the use of large patterned fabrics.

 The white fireplace was painted a dark brown.

   
They separated the living room into several seating/activity areas.  Two completely different types       of chairs were brought together by using the same fabric to reupholster them both in this part of the living room. There is also an area near the dining room and another area in a corner for playing cards.  

Originally, the couple had their desk set up in their bedroom. They eliminated an unused bedroom and turned it into their new office. They switched out the colors using a dark color on the walls and light colors in the drapes and reupholstered chairs.

 

By putting white dinnerware on top of their wallpaper in the breakfast room, texture and depth were added to the room.

They painted the dining room walls the same light color as the living room and put a solid fabric on the chair seats.

Once they rid themselves of the desk, the master bedroom became a restful place in which to spend time.

                  The antique chest of drawers and the mirror over top were new purchases. Well, there we have it, a home re-do without slipcovers. I realize the person complaining about the COTE DE TEXAS blog will probably never look at, much less read this commentary and that is alright by me.

And, yes, if I had, had a say so in this re-do, I would have requested slipcovers because I am in love with them!