Cromwell Hill - Old Enfield Vintage Austin Luxury Home

I think we have all been waiting patiently for some new listing inventory here in the Austin market. Today, this one came up... a vintage 1932 old Enfield Austin home, located on Cromwell Hill .... she oozeth over with charm. All sides brick, this sweet Austin home sits on more than a third of an acre in the Enflield subdivison, zip code 78703, exemplary elementary school Casis. The home is 2403 square feet with 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 3 living areas and 2 dining areas.

Delightful peri0d architecture and design details like arched doorways, wood trim... love this drippy glass chandelier.

...built ins.

Kitchen is modest - but it screams "Come, come sit down and enjoy some lemonade and fresh baked cookies with me... ". Sigh... times forgotten.

The master bedroom...

Gleaming vintage tub and large hex tile in the bath. ! I am always a push over for pink vintage bathrooms. I can't help it.

Master dressing area with attached green vintage bath. I almost like the green one better than the pink one.

...and also... not shown... a large swimming pool outside.

Listing courtesy of Gottesman Residential.

Giggle-Room - Austin Interior Designer of Childrens Rooms and More

Lieve Saether is the Austin based designer behind Giggle-room. She takes a fresh, pragmatic approach to designing children's room... no icky sticky pink tulle and Disney princess themes here. Only cool, inspiring, inviting rooms that truly capture the child's individuality and spirit. What child wouldn't want to call this home?

Unique color combinations and practical furniture selections that show off this little girl's most prized possessions while keeping books and artwork neatly tucked away.

A display of sweet wooden birdhouses with colorful birds to greet baby every morning and a dangling Moorish-style light fixture... an unexpected yet lovely element in a nursery.

THIS is my favorite. I have always wanted to incorporate a world map into my home but I could never figure out quite how to do it other than tacking it up with thumb tacks. ! I love this.

Girls really go for purple... but most grown ups don't. However, this shade of aubergine is welcome in my home... especially with the rest of the room's accents in turquoise, blues, and brown.

The wall on the left reads "Sparkle & Spin" in gold glitter against the alabaster wall. So chic yet so FUN.

Giggle-room offers their clients everything from a quick fix to full redesign and her services are extremely affordable. ...and of course, Lieve also does grown up rooms too. !

giggle-room.com

Introducing Our New Hyde Park Renovation Project

Where did I leave off? For the past 3 months my husband and I have been working on acquiring this little house in Hyde Park, one of Austin's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Unfortunately, this particular real estate saga was high on drama and incredibly time consuming... not to mention my kids, my husband, my day-to-day real estate clients, and, oh right... the holidays...sigh. Needless to say, my blog was neglected.


I was out for a run one September morning in Hyde Park and I noticed that this little house - which I had jogged past MANY times... had a "For Sale" sign posted out front. This house, I should mention, has had a "For Sale By Owner" sign posted for probably over a year...but the sellers wanted an unreasonable amount of money given the property's compromised condition.

Turned out that the house was up for foreclosure and the sellers were now trying to do a short sale. My husband and I immediately wrote up an offer (for what we thought was market value) and submitted it. Apparently in the nick of time, saving the house from foreclosure. (Interesting to note - a bank cannot foreclose on a house if there is a written offer to purchase...no matter what the purchase price)

Now, 4 months later, and much drama... it's all ours. ! We have big plans for the house that we will renovate for ourselves to live in - hopefully for many years to come. The renovations will begin next month - pending city of Austin building permits. The house is actually located in a historical preservation district... which presents many fun hoops to jump through. Luckily, we have a great builder, Urban Nature, Inc. to help us through the process.

I am looking forward to telling the story of our renovation project this year as it progresses, along with keeping everyone informed of Austin things to do, to see, and of course... Austin real estate.

Happy 2011.

Brentwood Central Austin Home - 1900s Schoolhouse Loaded with Charm

Today I am showcasing this 1911 schoolhouse... relocated from Elgin, Texas to the heart of central Austin in the Brentwood Neighborhood. It rests on a large, private 1/3 acre lot with a creek behind... lots this big are rare in the heart of the city. Imagine having your own personal oasis!

Note the schoolhouse shaped door trim! You can't see it in this photo, but there's a school bell over the door as well. The house has a large inviting front porch and a large back porch.

Inside, many period details and architectural design elements including soaring 12 foot ceilings, arched doorways, and a fireplace mantle with marble hearth.

The kitchen has loads of cabinets and built ins along with a picture-perfect window over the sink. The home could use a little TLC... but is also perfectly darling as-is.

The house is 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1500+ square feet with 2 dining areas, a huge utility room, walk-in pantry, and outdoor storage. This view is from one of the bedrooms.

The bathroom has an original cast iron tub and vintage tile.

The house is priced at $289,000 - which, when combined with the size of the lot... is a steal. Click here for the virtual tour.