LonAnne’s Vintage and Modern Texas Charmer
Name: LonAnne Culver Magnuson, design and organizing consultant, with sons Thomas and William. And Lucy the cat.
Location: Brentwood Neighborhood — Austin, Texas
Size: 1,848 square feet
Years lived in: 10
There’s this intangible, mythical quality that Texas-born men and women ethereally possess. Something about always saying “thank you” and “ma’am.” Pulling off cowboy boots and any article of clothing. Always having a cold beer ready for a guest. If you could take all these perfect, Southern qualities and translate them into a home décor style, well, you’d end up with a home that looks like LonAnne’s.
Make no mistake: LonAnne’s home isn’t filled with cowboy memorabilia and longhorn skulls (though we did spot a few). That’s not what we mean when we say this is the perfect embodiment of a Texas home. No, LonAnne’s house is perfect because it’s welcoming. It’s full of personality culled from years of collecting vintage items and accessories that have great stories to them. It’s not being afraid of color and not worrying too much about whether everything matches perfectly. It’s about allowing the two growing boys also sharing the home the freedom to create really adventurous, authentic spaces. It’s about not taking yourself — or your home — too seriously.
Vintage items and the past certainly play a big part in LonAnne’s home, but it’s also her ability to look forward to the future that really lets her personality shine. Hiring a great architect — Cass Cheesar of Cass Cheesar Architects — LonAnne and Cass worked together to add on to the existing home (converting an old porch and adding new additions) to create a little modern oasis master suite and home office. Blending in excellently with the existing home’s structure yet clearly setting itself apart as a new, contemporary area, the master suite’s bright windows, semi-vaulted ceiling and streamlined touches are a breath of modern air in a home filled with vintage charm. The new additions and the old home strike a perfect balance for the family. LonAnne, a home organizer with a serious passion for interior design, really nails this style on the head, and working with Cass takes this home project from charming to really quite stunning.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Sanford and Son meets Bewitched.
Inspiration: My near-nothing budget. I’ve always been more creative when the budget is tight because I have to be. Over the years I’ve found a lot of garage sale gems and several goodies off the street. Those free dumpster-bound pieces are priceless to me.
Favorite Element: I love the way Cass designed the master addition with the intention to fill light into the space from three directions. The space changes throughout the day. The simple modern space is an elegant foil against my personal items and collectibles. It was enjoyable to work with Cass in design and building my project because he listened to my ideas and was able to integrate them into his design.
Biggest Challenge: Keeping it clean. Two boys can really track it in.
What Friends Say: Fun and whimsical. Clean and orderly. All at the same time. Everyone loves my kitchen, but most of them would never put all that stuff in theirs.
Biggest Embarrassment: The make-do shed in the back. Demolition date:TBD.
Proudest DIY: My entire house, really. I love my clothes rack that I made out of plumbing pipe, the mirror frame I made out of cereal box strips, the ’70s buffet that I painted orange and stuck my spray-painted TV on top, the stenciled walls in the hall bath.
Biggest Indulgence: I buy succulents and spray paint like most gals buy dresses and shoes. So I don’t have any money for dresses and shoes.
Best Advice: Hire an architect. People think they are expensive but they can actually save money. Understand that during the stressful task of construction they are advocates for you. Also, people should have fun with their homes and they should make sure they’re functional.
Dream Source: A fully furnished 1950s high school.
Resources:
Appliances: The 1980s stove came with the house. I mosaic tiled over the ugly display with a broken clock. Sometimes the clock starts ticking again.
Hardware: The glass door knobs are original to the house. The cabinet pulls are original except for the lower cabinet pulls in the kitchen which are a collection of random pulls and handles.
Furniture: My bed is from West Elm, painted. The bunk beds are IKEA. The sofa is from Four Hands, and is only good for sleeping. The Eames armshells in the living room are the most expensive vintage pieces I’ve bought. Everything else in the house is garage sale/thrift store/hand-me-downs or I picked it up on the side of the road.
Accessories: Mostly a collection of finds from the little old ladies who have garage sales in my neighborhood.
Lighting: Original to the house.
Rugs & Carpets: Flor tiles in the living room.
Window Treatments: The blinds are original to the house. The new master addition windows got a frosted film for privacy and let in the most beautiful, soft light
Tiles & Stone: Subway tile and penny rounds in the master bath
Thanks, LonAnne!
Images: Adrienne Breaux
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