Tag: Interiors

Home Decor, Home Design, Houston Architects, Hyde Park, Interiors, Montrose

9 Comments

08/21/09 12:17pm

77006, Antiques, Furniture, Home Decor, Home Design, Houston Architects, Hyde Park, Interiors, Montrose

Baytown

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: A Gift of the Sea

Where is this house?

Two of you guessed River Oaks and 2 more guessed Old Town Spring. And here were the rest of your guesses: Shady Acres, Nottingham, “one of the Villages out in Memorial,” “an early Memorial development,” “close to or on Kimberley, Barryknoll, Kirkwood, or Wilcrest,” Ashford Forest, Woodcreek off Aldine-Westfield, “between Shepherd and Montrose, Westheimer and Gray,” Bellaire, “somewhere on the bay,” Bellville, Brookshire, Columbus, Brenham, “Tomball-ish,” Wilchester, Wilchester West, on Chimney Rock near Memorial, Cypress, “along 1960 areas that are older,” “older parts of Deer Park or somewhere over there,” Galveston, “off Westview across the freeway from Memorial,” Friendswood, “the oldest part of Kingwood off Northpark,” Porter, “up high on a bluff in Morgan’s Point,” “in the vicinity of Holcombe and Greenbriar,” Braes Heights, and “somewhere around Braeswood.”

This week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game was just for the glory. And the winner? Glory, glory, it’s elnina, who caps off a remarkable streak of dead-on entries with a third win this year. (There were a couple of second-places in there too.) Here’s the vague but closer-than-anybody-else winning entry:

This looks like a country, two-story house, with large floor plan on a lot with a pool.
The spacious rooms downstairs have brick floors and upstairs bedrooms – wood floors. Nice stencils accents throughout the house.
No clocks, radios or TVâ€™s, except a small unit in the bedroom (lol).
I can spot few recent updates â€“ like windows, kitchen appliances, nice marble counter in the bathroom, plantation shutters. But when I look at the brick floors, the condition of the wood on the floors and stairs, the fireplace and the painted paneling, I would say that this house is probably 40-50 years old.
I guess it is sitting in a flood zone, close to bayou or the coast. The picture with the ship makes me think that big water is not far away. Maybe somewhere on the bay?

Congratulations, elnina! You’ve won . . . first prize!

Our runners-up this week are Miz Brooke Smith, with a close-but-wrong-bank Morgan’s Point guess, and Jessica1, who wrote this:

I donâ€™t know what yâ€™all are thinking with the nottingham, wilchester, etc. guesses – I grew up out there and never saw anything quite like this. The wood floors are too old, at least for my part of the neighborhood. And those furnishings! Not energy corridor. Iâ€™m saying older parts of Deer Park or somewhere over there, only because I think I saw identical stuff in an antique store in LaPorte.

Ready for the real answer? Here it is:

Home Decor, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Roseland Oaks

5 Comments

08/20/09 11:48pm

77520, Baytown, Home Decor, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Roseland Oaks

Neighborhood Guessing Game: Kitchen Corner

Whaddya get if you win this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game? First prize!

And the admiration of your hard-guessin’ peers. While our prize sponsors take a break, let’s see what y’all can come up with for this one!

The object, as always: guess the neighborhood where this property is located. If you guess correctly, you win! If more than one player is dead-on, the player who provided the best explanation wins.

If you already know this property, or if you come across it while we’re playing the game, you’ll need to play a slightly different version of the game. Please don’t post the answer — you’ll just ruin the game for everybody else. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing. Then post an incorrect guess, but make it sound plausible. If you do this well — throwing other players off their game — you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, that winner might be you!

Here’s a bit more of a tour:

33 Comments

08/18/09 4:08pm

Buildings for Sale

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: Party on Papalote!

Do we have a winner of that free one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance?

Oh, yes we do!

Your guesses in this week’s game were all over the place: “south of Rice University between Holcombe and University, either side of Greenbriar,” Montrose, Fondren Southwest, Briargrove, “outer Memorial toward the Energy Corridor,” Nottingham Forest, Westchester, Meyerland, “along Long Point,” “off Navigation,” the neighborhoods north of Channelview,” Flintstone, Jersey Village, greater Champions, Clear Lake, “around Westpark, just outside the Loop,” “HBU/Chimney Rock vicinity,” Southwest Houston, Alief, Sharpstown, Bellaire, Deer Park, Richmond, near Pecan Grove, “290 and Beltway-ish,” Spring, Tomball, Conroe, “Spring Branch West, in the area bordered by Hammerly, I-10, Gessner, and the Beltway,” Magnolia Park, Baytown, Galena Park, “off Hempstead Highway,” Montgomery, Hempstead, “around Stuebner Airline,” “the near Southeast side,” Champions/1960, Hobby Airport area, and Pasadena.

The winner — for the second time this year — is MariaO, for this entry:

Definitely this monstrosity must be on a busy street, in an area that saw some building in the early 60s and then they kept on adding â€œfeaturesâ€ throughout the decades. And it is not in an expensive area, or they would have redone the metal staircase in the entry. And several other things.
Iâ€™ll guess the northwest side, perhaps off Hempstead Highway?

Got a friend or family member you’d like to have join you as an RDA member, MariaO?

So many colorful guesses this week! This remarkably accurate one from elnina earns a close second place:

I think this is modern two story residential building from the 60â€™s. The house is large, and the owner, maybe in construction/remodeling business converted part of it to office space, maybe with a separate apartment and rented out.
Upstairs area looks definitely more contemporary, with updated windows and new floors, light and bright. But the remodeling is still in progress – the big room has new pergo floors but still old wood paneled walls in different color.
The sliding door from the living room upstairs leads to big terrace, and maybe to the partially enclosed whirlpool.
The other part of the house is more traditional, with lots of paneling and mirrors, brick wall accents, stone fireplace, old fashion wet bar and tile/terrazzo floors. The bathroom is a headache â€“ he canâ€™t decide which direction he wants to go (lol)
Definitely outside the loop but inside the Beltway, probably in semi-residential area.
It could be around Montgomery, Hempstead or Stuebner Airline â€“ just a wild guess.

Also very close: Jeff, who went with “290 and Beltway-ish,” then added:

I think they pieced together remnants of several homes left in their yard after Hurricane Ike.

A special commendation goes to Porchman, who wrote to Swamplot with the actual listing, then threw out only this note of encouragement to fellow players:

Hard to believe itâ€™s one house!

But it is! Well, sorta . . . kinda . . . maybe . . .

Carverdale, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Sommermeyer, Uncategorized

6 Comments

08/13/09 11:48pm

77041, Buildings for Sale, Carverdale, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Sommermeyer

Galleria

Small, Stylish, and Already Sold: Design-y Inner Loop Home Bargains You Missed

“I do always seem to be showing you houses that few of us can really afford,” Houston interior-design blogger Joni Webb admits to her readers:

But the secret truth is, nothing gets me more excited than seeing a house which is NOT expensive yet looks like it was designed by a professional! Nothing is better because it affirms what I fully believe, style is not about money.

So Webb sets out to find a few inside-the-Loop homes dressed to meet her style standards — and priced between $300K and $500K. How long does it take her? Two days, poring through “hundreds, if not thousands” of HAR listings.

What does she find?

Greenbriar, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Montrose, Southampton, Staging, Upper Kirby, West University

22 Comments

08/11/09 9:01pm

77005, 77006, 77027, 77098, Galleria, Greenbriar, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interior-Design, Interiors, Montrose, Southampton, Staging, Upper Kirby, West University

Neighborhood Guessing Game: Hard Rock Bar

Think you’ve got what it takes to win a membership in the Rice Design Alliance?

Ordinarily, an individual membership only takes 45 bucks. But if you want to win one through Swamplot, you’ll have to guess the location of this home. Guess correctly, and you’ll be the newest RDA member!

If more than one of you guesses the correct neighborhood, the prize will be awarded to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.

If you know this property already, or if you see the listing while the game is being played, don’t ruin the fun for everyone else by blurting out the answer. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing. Then submit your own brilliantly argued incorrect guess. If you do this well, maybe throwing a few fellow players off the scent, you’ll earn special recognition when we announce the winner. And if nobody guesses the correct neighborhood, you could walk away with the prize!

Ready to play, players? Then dig these photos:

36 Comments

08/11/09 4:52pm

Homes for Sale

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: Overnight Package

We know what you’re wondering: Which Swamplot reader is gonna ~~walk~~ slide away with that gift basket of personal lubricant products?

Yes, this week’s prize — you’ll remember — is sponsored by Wet International. Shall we recap what’s in it? There’s the bottle of Wet Original, the Wet Kiwi Strawberry flavored lubricant, the Wet Together couples lubricant, and the Inttimo by Wet Total Body Shave Cream for Men.

First though, your guesses: There were 5 each for the Heights and Midtown, 4 for Rice Military and the Baldwin Park area, and 2 each for Montrose, Montrose near Nino’s and Vincent’s, “West Alabama/Bammel Lane,” Sugar Land, the West End, Bellaire, Memorial Heights, and Royal Oaks. The rest: The First Ward, Lakes of Stonehenge, Missouri City, Southdale Addition, “just outside of the West U chimney,” St. George’s Place, Southside Place, Bissonnet east of Weslayan, “somewhere over there in West Southside University Place,” on Fountainview or Augusta between San Felipe and Westheimer, “around the Augusta, Bering area between Westheimer and Woodway,” Greatwood, First Colony, Cottage Grove, the Astrodome area, Shady Acres, Pearland, Silverlake, Katy, “near the Toyota Center,” Lazy Brook, Timbergrove, Timbergrove Court, Clear Lake, Bay Pointe, “north of Beltway 8, near Ella,” “11th at Hempstead,” “the area adjacent to Audubon Place in the neighborhood bordering the sunken section North of 59,” “off Pin Oak, behind the middle school and HCC on 610,” “between the rail tracks and the West Loop east of the Galleria,” “somewhere in the Galleria/Woodway area,” and “Gillette-Sutton” in Midtown.

Happily for all of us, the winner is significantly tickled by the prize:

omg, lube! itâ€™s my lucky day!! not even kidding!!

so sad when a family wants to make the compromise between the suburbs and the city and just doesnâ€™t quite get there, as can be seen by the little ikea kid table at the end of a tiny kitchen that wishes to be like the ones in kingwood. sniff. story of my life

here goes: inside the loop, but just barely. timbergrove and lazybrook were too old and icky so these guys bought in the new developments in the area. maybe across from sterling elementary school so they can pretend they are providing a yard to their kid, even if it is owned by hisd. timbergrove court, maybe itâ€™s called? if not right there, then further down 11th at hempstead in those new suburbia wannabe neighborhoods that back up directly to the railroad. still thinking itâ€™s across from sinclair though.

my guess is that they hate this place, are sucking it up and moving out to the burbs for the schools.

Congratulations, brandy c! Yes, this is your lucky day. Enjoy!

A somewhat drier congratulations to all of you who came real close in one way or another: those of you who spotted the telltale signs of Perry Homes; of a freestanding structure; those of you who called the early aughts.

We had two entries worthy of special recognition: Carolyn — who happens to be the listing agent — sent readers not-too-far away with this fake guess:

I think it is definitely a Perry Home but possibly in Shady Acres or maybe Baldwin Park.

Then there was this second faker-outer, hoping to encourage more of you to guess farther afield:

Having lived in the burbs for 12 years this one is a no brainer. In fact I think Iâ€™ve been in this house in Clear Lake somewhere in my younger days for a house party. Iâ€™m guessing Clear Lake – the neighborhood has â€˜Bayâ€™ or â€˜Brookâ€™ in the name, which is every neighborhood in Clear Lake. Iâ€™ll go anything off Clear Lake City Blvd – Bay Pointe.

That came from Jessica, the reader who suggested this home in the first place. Great job!

Now how about a closer look?

Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Timbergrove Court, Timbergrove Manor

3 Comments

08/06/09 11:46pm

77008, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Perry Homes, Timbergrove Court, Timbergrove Manor

Home Decor

See Ya Out on the Veranda, Y’All

SEE YA OUT ON THE VERANDA, Y’ALL Time Inc. says it will be shutting down Southern Accents — the magazine, not the drawl — with its September-October issue. Now wherever will we find photo spreads of those delightful Curtis & Windham pool houses? Maybe on the SouthernAccents.com website, which will hang around for a spell. [Media Decoder, via Cote de Texas]

Interiors, Quicklink

Add a comment

08/06/09 4:26pm

Home Decor, Houston Architects, Interiors, Shelter Magazines

Block 7: The Calm Before the Scene

Alison Cook likes the recently opened Block 7 Wine Company:

The new venture, located in a smartly rehabbed appliance store on Shepherd just south of the Washington strip, combines retail wine sales with a wine bar that also functions as a restaurant. There’s a short, well-edited menu that will soon be expanded but which already looks and tastes promising.

The place looks smashing: airy and crisp and cool, all gunmetal greys and silvers, with black notes for ballast, a shimmer of glassware and a few bright pops of color.

I admired the vintage store fittings salvaged from the original appliance business and repurposed as a check-out desk, as well as the reasonable by-the-bottle prices and the distinct personality of the list, which does not try to be all things to all people.

Speaking of which:

From my window table, I could see Soma, the Japanese fusion and sushi spot on Washington at Shepherd, and I trembled to think of the ravening scenesters that might soon invade my little idyll.

First taste of Block 7 Wine Company [Cook’s Tour]
Block 7 Wine Company

Photo of checkout station, Block 7 Wine Co., 720 Shepherd Dr.: Alison Cook

Openings and Closings, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail

9 Comments

08/05/09 6:01pm

77007, Interiors, Openings and Closings, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail, Washington Corridor

Apartments

At Home in Houston’s Wilshire Village Apartments, Back in the Day

Note: Updated below.

So tell me, whatever happened to . . . those Wilshire Village Apartments? Houston photographer Sarah Lipscomb stumbled across a couple of classic interior shots of the then-new apartment complex while poking through old photos a few months ago with her aunt, Johnna Lee Muller.

Writes Lipscomb:

They didn’t have internet in those days but they got to smoke, read magazines and look at globes.

Another view of home entertainment in the early 1940s, Wilshire Village-style:

Demolitions, Home Decor, Houston History, Interiors, Lancaster Place

21 Comments

08/04/09 4:24pm

77098, Apartments, Demolitions, Home Decor, Houston History, Interiors, Lancaster Place, Wilshire Village

Neighborhood Guessing Game: Places To Eat

Going through a little dry spell with the Neighborhood Guessing Game? Then you’re in luck! This week’s prize is a gift basket of personal lubricant products from Wet International!

That’s right: The winner of this week’s game will receive an assortment of Wet products, including: Wet Original, Wet Kiwi Strawberry flavored lubricant, Wet Together couples lubricant, and Inttimo by Wet Total Body Shave Cream for Men.

Who’s responsible for this? The prize is being sponsored by Wet International, manufacturer and distributor of the worldâ€™s best-selling specialty line of personal lubricants and intimacy products.

Slick, huh? Well, here’s how to win: Just guess where the pictured home is located! If you’re right, you get Wet! If more than one person guesses the right location, the player who provided the best explanation for the guess wins the prize.

If you know this home already, or if you come across it while we’re playing the game, don’t ruin the fun for everyone else by blurting out the answer. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing. Then enter an incorrect guess, but make it sound perfectly plausible. If you do this well and help to confuse other players, you’ll get special recognition for your efforts. And if no one guesses the actual neighborhood, you could win the prize!

Let’s have a look around:

53 Comments

08/04/09 11:43am

Highland Meadow

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: Enchanted

Any takers for that Rice Design Alliance membership prize?

Missouri City and Katy attracted the most guesses in this week’s game, with 3 each. Pasadena, Mission Bend, Sagemont, Aldine and Clear Lake had 2 each. The rest? Briargrove, “that neighborhood along Eldridge Pkwy. just north of Alief-Clodine (Ashford Point?),” Pearland just east of 288 and south of Beltway 8, Spring, Green Tee in Pearland, “the vast hinterlands Southeast of Downtown,” League City, Bear Creek, “the neighborhood southwest of the Fondren/Bellfort intersection,” “out Richmond between Beltway 8 and Highway 6, “somewhere south of Southbelt,” Highland Meadows, “Concord Colony/Bridge off W. Little York between Highway 6 and Eldridge,” “the Seabrook/El Lago area,” Cinco Ranch, Kingwood, Fondren Southwest, Northfield, Deer Park, LaPorte, Silverlake, Alief, “Oak Forest Park Park,” “the Kirkwood/Briar Forest hood,” Bacliff, “off Wilcrest, between Briar Forest and Memorial . . . by the Lakeside Country Club,” “off Newcastle, close to Bellaire Blvd.,” and the Galleria.

For a home that — in the words of one player — “could be anywhere where sub-$130,000 houses may be found,” a number of you came very close. Honorable mentions go to Carol for her eagle “shot in the dark” of Green Tee in Pearland; and to bigtoe, for that Sagemont guess.

The winner? elnina, for this:

Two story house on rather smaller lot, in a mid 1980â€™s subdivision somewhere south of Southbelt.
Lots of tiles downstairs make me think that this house is located in or close to a flood zone – master bedroom is downstairs and carpeted rooms upstairs. Is Turkey Creek the reason? I guessâ€¦ Sagemont or Highland Meadows. I would love to see the second bathroomâ€¦ :)

Congratulations, elnina! You’ve just won . . . a (second!) individual one-year membership in the RDA. Of course, you’re welcome to redirect it to any friend or family member or competitor you choose . . .

Ready to get more of the details?

Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game

3 Comments

07/30/09 11:18pm

77089, Highland Meadow, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game

Neighborhood Guessing Game: Master Beds

What’s the prize for winning the Neighborhood Guessing Game this week? A one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance!

How can you win it? By guessing the neighborhood of the pictured home. If more than one person guesses the correct neighborhood, the player who gave the best explanation for the guess wins the prize.

That’s it! Except: If you already know this property, or if you come across it or its listing while the game is being played, don’t post the answer and ruin the game for everyone else. Instead, send us a link to the listing — then post an incorrect guess. But make it sound real plausible. If you do this well — fooling your fellow players — you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, that winner could be you!

How about studying a few more photos of this place?

41 Comments

07/28/09 4:27pm

Comments

Comment of the Day: That’s My House You’re Guessing About

COMMENT OF THE DAY: THAT’S MY HOUSE YOU’RE GUESSING ABOUT “What a hoot! CiCi and I have really enjoyed reading all of the comments. Especially about the â€œfuddy duddyâ€ furniture and balding grandpa. We chose this house because it was so original. Itâ€™s our style and had not been monkeyed with too much over the years. Right now, weâ€™re upgrading to a tankless hot water heater and have pulled the rear cover down. Like most good projects, there is always something to do. Jessica1 did well. CiCi is with Greenwood King and I do marketing/branding for Green Bank. Weâ€™ve got two daughters (5 and 3) and probably outgrew the house . . . three years ago. Even with the size/rr/bath/power lines/garage issues, weâ€™ve hung in there as the house is comfortable, the neighborhood is the best and location is perfect. Stop by and check it out Saturday between 2 to 4 if you like. Iâ€™ll be puttering about and would love to meet some great storytellers.” [Mike Barone, commenting on Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: The Other Side of the Tracks]

Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Lynn Park, Open Houses, Quicklink

4 Comments

07/24/09 4:28pm

77027, Comments, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Lynn Park, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Open Houses

Homes for Sale

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: The Other Side of the Tracks

Ready for the answer?

First: Your guesses in this week’s game: Garden Oaks (2 of you), Afton Oaks (3), Boulevard Oaks, Oak Forest (2), “one of those â€™Oaks neighborhoods,” “the neighborhood north of I-10 and east of Antoine, across from Woodlawn Cemetery,” West University, Southside Place, Meyerland, Briar Forest, Bunker Hill, Briargrove, Tanglewood, Highland Village, “Stella Link around 610,” Montrose south of Westheimer, Bellaire (2), Spring Branch, Lazybrook, Timbergrove Manor, Lynn Park (2), Southampton, Knollwood Village, Westbury, Braes Heights, “Galleria area, behind Bechtel, between Sage and Yorktown,” “that area north of Westheimer between Tanglewilde and Briargrove,” “anywhere in the swath ranging clockwise from I-10 and Wirt up to between 290 and 45,” “off the northern parts of Bingle,” Idylwood, “near the ‘pasture land’ in SW Houston,” and Linkwood Park.

Two of you were right! First up was this week’s runner-up, JT, who called the place a

1950â€™s ranchette in Lynn Park two or three blocks from the epicenter of Drexel and Alabama. Nice blend of the old and new.

First prize, though, goes to this better explained entry from Mike V:

Originally I thought Afton Oaks, but the dining area view with the work shed in the backyard and no obvious view of any other homes in the background makes me think it is down the road on the other side of the train tracks in Lynn Park.

Congratulations! And really, smart and entertaining guesses all around. A little more detail about this week’s showcase: