Project Update: More House Pics and Some Stats

Here are a few more photos and the basic info, although the place is more finished than this at the moment. I haven't had the opportunity to take any recent photos.

Very Basic Stats:
Design: KRDB
1650 square feet
2 bedrooms/2 baths
2 living areas
Stucco, Hardiplank, wood and concrete block
Concrete floors
Silestone countertops
Maple cabinets
Jenn-Air kitchen appliances
Subway and/or glass tile in baths
1 car garage

And now photos:

The living area toward the master bedroom door:

Looking into the courtyard from the living area:

Kitchen. We really like those clerestory windows:

One view of the master bedroom. Fun window placement:

Almost useless view of master bath. At least it gives a sense of the light:

Back of house, showing much-desired courtyard configuration and three nice oaks:

I'll try to post some updated photos by the end of the week. The place (thankfully) is now locked, so we need an appointment to get in.

Shopping: Coffee Mug Odyssey 2006

We're low on coffee mugs and have been in the market for some new ones.

One would think that this is an easy fix. No, no, no.

Absolutely No.

We want something really whimsical and fun to hold our morning Go Juice. After all, coffee mugs host the image/design that we look at first almost every single day of our lives, so shouldn't they be inspiring in some way?

And we're also particular about size and shape. A lot of mugs out there these days are really oversized, and I'd rather refill and keep my coffee hot, thank you very much.

Can you tell this is a serious issue?

Our everyday Russel Wright Iroquois has a matching mug, but they are rare, fairly pricey, and not that nice to hold/use. Yet we would indeed like something with a bit of a modern bent.

We've seriously been to every retail outlet in Austin that we've thought of. I'm now scouring online sources for something reasonable and well-designed.

This line of tableware by Rosanna has some pretty cool designs, and Whole Foods Market in Austin carries some of them. I like the Platinum Chandelier design:

But alas, no mugs. Only cups and saucers.

Someone help! This is getting serious.

Good Books: Compact Houses

Found (and bought) a fun book today at Gardens.


Compact Houses, by Cristina del Valle, is a thick little softbound book that features 52 houses, and many of them are under 800 square feet. Of course many of them are in Europe and Asia as well.

$25 and change at Gardens or $19.99 + shipping through Amazon.

I am digging it.

At Last: Home

We found a house, and have it under contract. It is a new build and fits our original list of "wants" by about 90%. Pretty good odds.

We've had our eye on the house for a good while, and jumped through hoops to track down the developer/builder because it wasn't yet listed on the market.

There are a few other, somewhat similar houses being built with it in this tiny development, and they are not quite ready to be offered for sale. I think I'll be able to let you know about them before they go on the market...or at least as they go on the market.

For now, here's a little visual teaser:

More to come...

Cool Stuff: iannone:sanderson

I'm in crazy love with this sideboard/cabinet.

Via design*sponge and found at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC, this piece was created by iannone:sanderson, a design duo out of Philly.

There's just something about it. Makes me want to max out a credit card and bring it home.

Exciting House News Coming.

We've had our eye on a newly designed/developed property for a while now, and it looks like some activity might be happening soon.

I think we might be able to let you in on them as they go on the market.

Stay tuned.

Pioneer House: Austin

Last Thursday's storm knocked out our power with dinner on the table, dirty cookware in the kitchen, and laundry in the machine.

Flash to Monday, and we still weren't back on the grid.

After four days of Laura Ingells Wilder jokes, it got old. So did those dirty dishes that couldn't be washed because the sink disposal was full of veggie debris. (Fear of major clogs) Yes, I should be composting, and I'll start that, stat.

Finally, yesterday after 5 PM, we had lights. Only to find out that our AC is no longer cooling and the dishwasher is on the fritz. I fear it was hit by lightening, because it is dead-o.

However, this ain't New Orleans after Katrina, so we're counting our blessings.

We should have some good house news by the end of the week. I'll post more when we find out!