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ABOVE: For the couple’s kitchen, new cabinets were too modern, old cabinets were unstable. Craftsman Robert Riebeling suggested a working combination: new cabinets with fronts created from old barn wood. A honed marble countertop and stainless appliances provide contrast to the island—an antique nail bin from an old hardware store. OPPOSITE: An altar from a 125-year-old church was repurposed into a buffet and placed beneath a mirror. A mix of light and dark vintage woods welcomes dinner guests. The chandelier is from Tara Shaw Maison.

MAKING HISTORY Architectural antiques and Hill Country vistas add serenity to a couple’s weekend country home STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARY CHAVOUSTIE

Rob Rosenbaum and Linda O’Neal have busy schedules, spending their daylight hours helping others. Rob, a Houston-area chiropractor and Linda, a Registered Nurse First Assistant, were finding their days allowed little time to relax, particularly with each other. A peaceful weekend country home, set atop 20 rolling acres just outside Burton, was the ideal prescription.

“When we built the house, we knew we’d enjoy it but we had no idea we’d be coming here almost every weekend,” says Linda. “We hate to leave on Sunday nights, lingering as long as we can before we head back to the city.”

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Rob and Linda describe their country home as “French Country Shabby Chic” but once inside, you find there’s nothing too shabby about their choices. Their inviting home is infused with the colors of nature.

Unobstructed blue skies and rolling grasslands, viewed through floor-toceiling windows, become a gallery all their own. Doors, purposely different at every threshold—indoors and out—add even more color, with their hand-painted flowers, leaded glass and years of weathered paint.

“The white house on the hill,” as the building contractors called it, is certainly not plain.

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ABOVE: Rob and Linda handpicked 10 tons of river rock for the stone fireplace and outdoor kitchen. Brenham contractor LeRoy Schroeder supplied the stonework. The paint color for the interior untextured walls is Pittsburgh Paint’s “Pure White” with no tint whatsoever.

Initially, the couple fell in love with a 1900s home in Somerville, but Rob and Linda desired more space and significant upgrades.

Rob and Linda found Round Top Home Builder Barney Reynolds, who encouraged them to let him draw a new home — one that would satisfy their wish list as well as retain the original vintage appeal. The larger, energy efficient and built-to-code result was exactly what the couple had wanted, complete with barn wood floors in every room.

HARNESSING HISTORY

“We bought the wood from a dealer at the Warrenton show, Bill and Jean Livezey from Two Rivers Trading in Iowa,” explained Rob. “They set up each year at Bar W. Field. They bring in samples of 50

lumber for you to pick from, you tell them how much square footage you’re looking for and Bill personally hauls it back to you on a big flatbed truck.”

Throughout the house, chandeliers of all shapes and sizes, new and reproduced, spill down from the ceilings. Each is handpicked from dealers and storekeepers across the state; the dining room lighting a choice from Houston’s Tara Shaw Maison.

Equally important to the design was the choice to not use window coverings. Insulated windows with standard low-e coating provide thermal efficiency and yield Rob and Linda a sunrise view from their antique iron bed.

On the bed, luxury down pillows from Pandora de Balthazar rest atop Simply Shabby Chic sheets. The delicate lace-topped linens

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ABOVE: A tablescape in the living room exhibits Linda’s gift for design. BELOW LEFT: Early morning well water drawn for the couple’s galvanized tubs is usually a perfect temp by late afternoon.

BELOW RIGHT: Antique wooden beams top the entries to the dining room and den. “We knew we wanted a beam for the texture and the color that it brings, so when we came across a 28-foot beam with hand-hewn notches, it was perfect. We hated to cut it but, ultimately, each piece compliments the other and is a prized addition to our home,” explains Rob.

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ABOVE: Worry Free Landscape’s Christopher Fredricks added exterior touches with a flagstone patio framed with the popular “Belinda’s Dreams”—a hardy rose variety selected to receive Texas A&M’s “Earthkind” designation. OPPOSITE: The colorful stained glass door to the couple's master bedroom is hung on an antique barn rail. Whether closed or open, it is always a conversation piece.

contrast nicely with the weathered wood that tops two night tables. A 4x7-foot stained glass church window serves as the door to the master bedroom, gliding along an antique barn rail to open and close.

“Visiting guests always remark about the door, particularly if they visit in the evening. It’s beautiful with the glow of the bedroom chandelier or the bedside lamp shining through the colored glass. The door is like a piece of art in itself,” says Rob. The master bath, with two Turkish marble bowls set inside an antiqued furniture base, are works of art, as well. “The base was originally a dining room buffet, much like your grandma would have had, with dark, dark wood. I showed a friend, Jennifer Williams, a picture of one of the antique doors and she was able to replicate the same great style,” explained Linda.

The guest bedroom door traces back to the late 1700s and French occupied Egypt; another purchase from the Warrenton show. Its worn and crackled teal blue paint stands as a testament to time; the hardwood beneath it of equal character. The door’s wavy glass is indistinguishable as new, a compliment to the craftsmen at Bobbitt Glass.

SPIRITUAL INFLUENCES

A mix of Rob and Linda’s faith and worldly travels are also evident throughout their design. Linda’s recent trip to Israel led her to many sacred places, yet none can compare with the reverent simplicity of the pieces acquired by chance back in the states.

“A friend of mine in St. Louis called and asked if I would be interested in some items from an 1886 church (St. Joseph Lithuanian Catholic Church) that was being renovated,” said Rob. “The property had been sold by the diocese to a non-denominational church that planned to make changes, with no use for the century-old wooden altars.”

Rob and Linda repurposed the handmade elements as signature pieces in their home, creating an antique buffet from the distressed main altar and a soon-to-be bookcase from a second altarpiece they acquired. The items converted easily for the couple’s home use, thanks to Linda’s talents as a decorator.

Rob and Linda agree life is good at “the white house on the hill.”

What better place to regenerate the body and the soul. Too bad it’s just for weekends.

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RESOURCES Bobbitt Glass Company, 713.523.7369 Guest bedroom door glass Champion Window, 281.440.7000 Windows Essence of Beauty, Linda O'Neal 713.294.1199 Interior design LeRoy Schroeder, 979.836.6521 Rocks for fireplace Robert Riebeling, 281.460.9702 Kitchen cabinetry Round Top Home Builders, Barney Reynolds 512.940.1299 Builder Tara Shaw Maison, 713.533.9744 Dining room chandelier Two Rivers Trading, 641.660.5868 Antique barn wood flooring Warrenton Antique Show, Sept. 22-Oct. 2, 2011 Three interior doors, master bathroom, sinks, altars, armoire in master bedroom, and various antique furnishings Worry Free Landscape & Tree Trimming, 832.885.7164 Flagstone patio and landscaping Pandora de Balthazar www.pandoradebalthazar.com Pillows in master bedroom Target www.target.com Simply Shabby Chic bed linens LEFT: The doors to the guest bedroom, laden with age and years of paint, hint of far away lands. A soft, ruffled white bed covering adds to the romance. During the building process, each door required custom framing to accommodate their distinctive widths and heights.

OPPOSITE: Low-e glass windows and energyefficient design incorporated by builder Barney Reynolds gave the couple their much-wanted, unencumbered views of the country. An antique cart and resilient lavender petunias add to the peaceful setting.

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