The 2011 Southern Living Idea House Is on View Through October 2 in Texas Hill Country

Oct. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- HORSESHOE BAY, TX (9/20/11) — The private Golf & Lake Club at Escondido in Horseshoe Bay, Texas welcomes visitors to tour the 2011 Southern Living Idea House through October 2. Just a short drive from both Austin and San Antonio the Southern Living Idea House is in the heart of Central Texas. Escondido features direct access to Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and spans several hundred acres of rugged, yet romantic Hill Country terrain that makes up the private, membership community of Escondido.

"The 2011 Southern Living Idea House is a mix of whimsical, practical and elegant design features that make this house a home," said award-winning, San Antonio architect Michael G. Imber. The home has definite European leanings and the design principles used embody the timeless charm, classic architecture and authentic details that befit a historic Mediterranean villa. Native building materials reflect the Texas landscape and harmonize with the rugged, rustic Texas Hill Country locale.

Imber's inspiration came from an unlikely place - the laundry room. Faced with the task of creating a Southern-style home infused with European charm, he first thought of the garden. From there, the concept of the whimsical flower room was conceived. It's an airy space, part utility room, part potting shed, part storage space with practical places for things like boots, rainwear, coats and even pantry space for oversize pots and pans from the adjacent kitchen. An under-the-counter washer and dryer make it easy to wash a load of clothes while planting pansies to showcase in one of the home's many outdoor living spaces.

On the door leading from the flower room to the kitchen, Imber designed an ogee arch, a Gothic design consisting of a pointed apex, formed by the intersection of two S curves. Visitors to the flower room immediately get the feeling that this isn't a conventional house. The soft blue paint chosen for the flower room walls and washed on reclaimed barn timber on the ceiling is an unexpected surprise.

A dining terrace with a fireplace as the focal point extends off the dining room, an idea many homeowners can duplicate. It has built-in outdoor cooking equipment for the beginner or experienced home chef. A bench in the family room is upholstered in tufted linen and does double duty as a coffee table — a practical idea for any home.

Many walls and rooms in the home are curtained in a sheer fabric that invite elegance and romance, while allowing natural light to illuminate each room.

Tours of the Southern Living Idea House are open to the public through October 2. The house is open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Escondido Golf & Lake Club is approximately 50 miles northwest from Austin and 80 miles north of San Antonio. Each year, the Idea House draws thousands of visitors from across the country.

The 2011 Southern Living Idea House is featured in the September issue, on sale now. The article notes 101 inspirational design ideas drawn from the Idea House. The ideas can also be found online.

San Antonio-based Michael G. Imber Architects designed the home and Austin-based Mohon-Imber Interiors furnished the inside of the main house and casita. Garden Design Studio with offices in Austin and Dallas planned the landscape.

Tickets to tour the Southern Living Idea House are $10 and may be purchased on site. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation.

Sponsors of the project include: Sherwin-Williams, Trex Transcend® Decking and Railing, Southern Living Plant Collection, IKEA, Greenleaf Nursery Company, GE Reveal®, Lennox, Shaw Floors and Sunbrella.

For more information call 830-598-6311 or visit http://www.escondidotexas.com or http://www.southernliving.com.

The home's European leanings embody the timeless charm, classic architecture and authentic details befitting a historic Mediterranean villa. Native building materials reflect the Texas landscape and harmonize with the Texas Hill Country locale. The living area of the main house is 4,662 square feet, with a total living area of 5,222 square feet including a detached casita and cabana. The home rambles around a series of terraces and courtyards, making the most of outdoor living.

The 2011 Idea Home was built by David Mitchell of Casa Highland Construction, Horseshoe Bay, TX. Michael G. Imber Architects from San Antonio designed the home and Mohon-Imber Interiors of Austin furnished the inside of the main house and casita. Garden Design Studio with offices in Austin and Dallas planned the landscape.

Tickets to tour the Southern Living Idea House are $10 and may be purchased on site. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation.

Sponsors of the project include: Sherwin-Williams, Trex Transcend® Decking and Railing, Southern Living Plant Collection, IKEA, Greenleaf Nursery Company, GE Reveal®, Lennox, Shaw Floors and Sunbrella.

For more information, call 830-598-6311 or visit www.escondidotexas.com or http://www.southernliving.com


Media Note: Interviews with principals of the 2011 Southern Living Idea House project may be arranged.

Contact: Ann Thacker, The Thacker Group, 830-596-1949 office; 713-702-5528 cell; or ann@thackergroup.com.

Michael G. Imber, FAIA is the principal architect of Michael G, Imber, Architects, PLLC a modern classical design firm based in San Antonio, Texas. He has been recognized for a body of work that is strong in historic sentiment, yet modern in its execution. He has received numerous design awards including being named the winner of the 2011 and 2010 Palladio Award for outstanding achievement in traditional design. Michael's work has been featured in numerous publications such as Coastal Living, New Old House, Texas Architect, Western Interiors, Southern Accents and Period Homes.

Casa Highland Construction built the 2011 Southern Living Idea House making it the fourth home built by Casa Highland Construction in the prestigious private Golf & Lake residential community of Escondido. While he was still a practicing pharmacist, David Mitchell began to pursue his true passion — home building. He specializes in custom construction. Today, Mitchell devotes his expertise exclusively to home building. He has built homes in Texas; Telluride, Colorado; and Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Escondido's private Golf & Lake Club is an exclusive club membership nestled on 484 acres of gentle rolling hills in a private luxury community with space for 509 residences, including custom and lavishly-furnished homes. Escondido is limited to 560 total memberships. The landscape is bisected by Pecan Creek and is peppered with classic Live Oak and Pecan trees. The architecture includes rustic-stone walls, accented with roughhewn wooden beams and hand-wrought iron with a subtle mix of Tuscan and Spanish influences. One of the highlights of Escondido is the esteemed Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

Southern Living, published 12 times a year by the Time Inc. Lifestyle Group, is the nation's seventh-largest monthly consumer magazine, reaching nearly 15 million readers each month. Southern Living offers today's busy Southern woman achievable ideas for cultivating her individual Southern style. Each month in the magazine and online, readers find ideas for cooking, gardening, gracious entertaining, decorating, regional travel and locally made products.

Scott & White Healthcare is a nonprofit collaborative health care system established in 1897 in Temple, TX. Among the leading health care systems encompassing one of the nation's largest multi-specialty group practices, Scott & White provides personalized, comprehensive and the highest quality health care enhanced by medical education and research.

The Thacker Group, Inc.
PO Box 4843
Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657
phone 830-596-1949 | cell 713-702-5528
ann@thackergroup.com

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