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Name: Glenn and Paula Foore
Location: Springdale Farm, Austin, Texas
Size: 1,700 square feet
Years lived in: 1.5 years

In life one thing often leads to another. One day the kids get old enough to move out and you find yourself with extra free time. Maybe, you think, now is the right time to build the house you've always wanted. Perhaps, it's also time to start that small community garden project you've been thinking about. Then before you even know it, you're not only living in a new traditional take on the farmhouse, you're living on an actual farm! That's precisely how suddenly and unexpected it all happened for Glenn and Paula Foore of Springdale Farms. Come take a tour of the house that started it all.

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When Glenn and Paula Foore went to an architect to design their new home they didn't bring a notebook full of magazine cutouts and tear sheets. They simply brought the idea of a pier-and-beam style farmhouse. Something that felt like the home Glenn grew up on in Ohio. After a few sketches from the architect they started to see their vision come to life. After the walls starting going up, everyone (including the builders) started to feel it too...this small house set in a large field in East Austin was going to be something special.

You start to understand that feeling yourself as you see the surrounding foliage shimmer in the glass of the bright red entry door. The emotion settles in when you sit down with Glenn and Paula in their living room. The light diffused through the windows and the shadows of the trees waving back and forth signal to your mind that you're not just relaxed and comfortable...you're home.

Glenn and Paula's home features several vintage elements that lend to its rustic charm. A wooden spindle-back rocking chair, a cast iron wood-burning stove, and a vintage Chamber's oven in the kitchen. You'll also notice several farmhouse decor accessories — vintage glassware, ceramic roosters, and blue Auracana chicken eggs that inspired the color for the kitchen cabinets and master bedroom. All these items remind the Foore's of the new life they started for themselves just outside the home's walls — the farm that now cultivates farm-to-table offerings for several local Austin restaurants, and the farm that now occupies the Foore's time when they're not enjoying such food themselves.

They told me at the end of the day they like to take a walk along the farm. Not just to reflect back on all the work they did for the day but to sit back and appreciate all that has transpired over a short 4 years — and to realize how very fortunate they are that one small decision ultimately lead to this.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Eclectic with a little reclaimed thrown in.

Inspiration: Simple farm living. Auracana chicken eggs - the color I chose for our kitchen cabinets and master bedroom.

Favorite Element: The wrap-around porch.

Biggest Challenge: Following the architects suggestion to paint the interior walls white. I was sure we needed some color. But we went with white, pure white. And I love it.

What Friends Say: They could see themselves living here.

Biggest Embarrassment: How dirty we are! We track in more stuff off the farm! Thank goodness for wood floors! Carpet would not survive!

Proudest DIY: We decided to move the old Chambers stove from our old office into the new kitchen. Perfect fit!

Biggest Indulgence: The cast iron wood-burning stove. In a five-star Green Home, a wood burning stove was not really necessary, but sometimes, coming in out of the cold fields, a hand warmer is super nice. Plus ambiance counts!

Best Advice: Get a great architect and builder that work well together; get references. I also had a designer that was a tremendous help sourcing things for us. Our entire team cared about the project - the quality, the cohesiveness, the timeliness. Every craftsmen on the job was proud of their work. I never thought I wanted to take on building a home, but our Dream Team made it fun.

Resources of Note:

ARCHITECT: Eric Rauser
BUILDER: Risinger Homes
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Chris Browarski, CCB Designs

PAINT & COLORS

    • Benjamin Moore, Eco Spec - zero VOC
    • Walls: Pure White
    • Upstairs east bedroom accent: Grays Harbor
    • Upstairs west bedroom accent: Pale Moon
    • Powder bath: Mink
    • Master bedroom: Crystalline

PORCH

    • Outside three bin sink: Reclaimed from Dirty Dog Bar (6th Street, Austin, TX)
    • Metal Glider: Craigslist
    • Smoker: custom built by Glenn's dad's company (Berger Ironworks, Houston, TX)

LIVING ROOM

    • HearthStone wood stove: Craftsbury model

KITCHEN

    • Antique time clock: Round Top, TX antique show
    • Chandelier: Pottery Barn
    • Vintage hanging light fixtures: Star Antiques, Wimberley, TX
    • Soapstone counter tops
    • Vent hood: local Artisan Carlo Nieri
    • Cabinets: local Austin craftsman

BEDROOM

    • Antique iron bed frame: neighbors junk yard

POWDER ROOM

    • Tiny wall mounted sink: IKEA

BATHROOM


Thanks, Glenn and Paula!

(Images: Chris Perez)

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