The Exterior of The 2009 Southern Accents Showhouse

Although you may have seen the pictures on-line, I wanted to write a post about the 2009 Southern Accents Showhouse we finished in August of last year.  I have to say that I cannot be more proud of it.  From the exterior to every single detail, this house is a true showhouse.  However, in today's market of over the top showhouses, our's quite different.  You will not find a multi-tiered theatre room or a pool with waterfalls.  This house is a statement of how to design and build a new old house.

Larry Boerder, the architect, did an incredible job of designing the house in a Cotswold style that would sit beautifully in the English countryside.  The house is set on 2/3 of an acre and was designed to appear as if it had been added on to over the years with two wings off the main portion of the house.   The  hand-chiseled stone is as close as we could find to a Cotswold stone and is beautiful.

The back of the house is every bit as beautiful as the front.  With a large loggia (we did put a flat screen on above the fireplace), classical pool (we did do some simple fountains), over the top landscaping and an outdoor kitchen built completely out of oak beams, the backyard  and back of the house are magnificent.

If you've read my blog very long you know that I usually design most of the homes we build.  This one was a little different but I made sure I designed some part of it -- the outdoor kitchen area above (and many of the details inside).  Although the design is similar to one I had seen before, I incorporated the beam and bracket details Larry designed for the house.  We planted Merlot Wysteria on the corners of the outdoor kitchen to eventually cover the entire roof. 

The sidewalk and driveway are cobblestone pavers that fit the house perfectly.  Notice the large overhang and brackets over the garage.  This is actually one of my favorite architectural details of the exterior.


My next post will be on the interior.  Joseph Minton and his staff did an incredible job of making sure the exterior and interior blend perfectly.  We actually had one lady tour the house who had come from England and commented that the house would fit perfectly in the Cotswold region.  Here's Joe and his staff.

Homes We've Built in Fort Worth -- Part II The Interiors

As promised in my previous post, below are a few pictures of the interiors of some of our work over the past few years.  I hope you enjoy.

The above picture is the entry hall of an Italian Renaissance house.  We built the custom made doors that lead to the powder bath and coat closet to fit the antique Verre eglomise which, according to Betty Lou Phillips, is a reverse painting on glass.  The limestone slab floor is from Ann Sacks.  A local artisan hand painted the metallic gold banding and then glazed over the gold bands and silver walls.

This bathroom for our client's daughter consists of 1920's era tile floor and a reproduction vanity that is based on an antique commode our clients had found.

This loggia is my favorite we have done.  The brick flooring was salvaged from one of Fort Worth's oldest streets and encompasses the entire front porch and side loggia.

This powder bath is much more than just a powder bath.  The antique fountain, turned into a pedestal sink, was a chore to make work with the water flowing out of the mouth of the sun face, but the outcome is spectacular.  The venetian walls were done by the same local artisan mentioned above (as were many rooms in the house) and the window surround is limestone.

The other daughter's bathroom is my favorite.  With white Thassos tile, a 1920's era pedestal sink (although it is new) and soft green walls make it a true 1920's style bathroom.

All of the above pictures are from an Italian Renaissance style house in Fort Worth we built and the pictures are out of Betty Lou Phillips beautiful book, Inspirations from France & Italy.  If you don't have a copy of this book you need to add it to your library.  Betty Lou has an incredible eye for beautiful homes.


These two pictures come out of a French eclectic house we did last year.  The client, who is a very talented interior designer, was very specific in her selections and searched long and hard for the furnishings and pieces to be built in.  From the 3" limestone floors filling much of the downstairs, the antique columns, the antique mantels, the antique chandeliers and sconces, the antique iron entry doors and the Gracie wallpaper in the dining room, this house is a true showplace.

Design Influence for the 2009 Southern Accents Showhouse

When I first met with Larry Boerder to discuss the design of the 2009 Southern Accents Showhouse, I explained my love of Cotswold architecture and how I would like to incorporate it into the Showhouse.  

After traveling to England years ago and spending time in the countryside of the Cotswolds region I was hooked on the design.  One of my favorite buildings of all was The Lords of the Manor inn in Upper Slaughter (the picture with the car in the motor court) which was originally a manor house.  Village after village was full of the architecture that has stood the test of time.  Buildings and homes are mostly all built of Cotswold stone which is a yellow oolitic limestone and the roofs are made of a slate stone.

For the Southern Accents Showhouse, Larry did an outstanding job of designing the house to appear as if it had been added on to over the years (see the rendering in my original post).  The stone we are using, while not yellow, is a close resemblance to a weathered stone and the closest I have found in the U.S. for the proper look.  Ours will be more of a cream and gray color and will have a gray slate roof similar to some of the pictures.

The pictures here are from the Cotswold area.  I hope you enjoy.