Opulent Ornamental Iron
From Mediterranean to Minimalist style homes, one of the hottest trends in home design right now is the tasteful addition of beautiful, ornamental ironwork.
If you’ve been pursuing the TLK Luxury Custom Homes articles, you’ll already by aware that luxury upgrades and tasteful renovations can vastly increase the value of your existing property. Upgrading your counter tops and light fixtures in baths and kitchens is a game changer, obviously, but have you considered what a game changer replacing those tired wooden staircase balusters with classically designed iron or polished steel or gleaming brass would be?
One designer was recently overheard to tell his clients that “Decorative and ornamental ironwork conveys diverse stylistic aesthetics, from ornate Classical and Baroque styles of balconies evoking European chateaus and cathedrals to the fabulous early 20th Century Art Nouveau ironwork and its flowing, organic design inspirations.”
Stunning contemporary wrought iron art adds not only aesthetic value, but it rightly has perceived strength and stability. Doesn’t an ornate wrought iron gate or fence make a property look more luxurious and more valuable as you drive through a neighborhood?
You may be thinking… Iron!?! That heavy black metal stuff?
Relax, iron accents can be light and lacy or it can be grand and imposing, depending on the unique design elements your decorator suggests to embody your personal style preferences.
Metals are all the rage and TLK Luxury Custom Homes will guide you through the seemingly endless options that would be perfect for your home.
American Dream Home
Home ownership is not only the crown atop The American Dream, private property ownership is the very cornerstone of American liberty, upon which our free enterprise system and indeed our republican form of government have stood for almost 250 years.
Protection of private property is essential for the preservation of individual freedom. When individuals do not possess secure property rights, dependency on government for the essentials of life become inevitable.
America’s Founding Fathers believed that private property ownership existed long before government in ancient common law.
“Home ownership has long been accepted as a core component of the American dream, as it confers several economic benefits on homeowners, including the ability to accumulate wealth by accessing credit and building equity,” according to Forbes magazine.
“Home ownership is proving to be a cornerstone of financial security,” says the Mullin Group of Berkshire Hathaway. “Two major personal wealth goals, home ownership and net worth, work hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for financial security, home ownership should be a top priority."
Mark Fleming, Chief Economist for First American says, “Buying a home is not just a financial decision. It’s also a lifestyle decision.”
In fact, Gregory Schmidt with the New York Times reports that “Nearly three-quarters of Americans say owning a home is a higher measure of achievement than having a successful career, raising a family or earning a college degree,” according to a new Bankrate survey.
TLK Luxury Custom Homes believe in America greatness and they believe in the American Dream. Let the Kneedlers help you take a step into the American Dream by building your Dream Home on a little piece of America.
Introducing The Butler’s Pantry
Open concept living has become all the rage over the past few years, but as wonderful as these modern innovations are, did we really think this through?
When the whole family is over and the den is filled with cousins, kids, toys and football, it’s wonderful to remain a part of the fun from inside your busy kitchen. Bravo! Excellent idea.
What happens when more formal entertaining is required? Do you really want your pots and pans shoved in the face of your company’s CEO all during dinner? Will the committee chairman be impressed with your exotic display of dirty dishes?.
What if we created a custom Butler’s Pantry between your fabulous, open-plan kitchen and your elegantly laid, formal dining room. We can’t claim to have invented the Butler’s Pantry, but we do believe it could support your informal daily lifestyle, while preserving the elegance of special occasions.
Butler’s Pantries were popular in the magnificent houses at the turn of the19th century when the likes of “Lord and Lady Grantham” entertained with lavish dinners and soirées. Kitchens back then were steamy, noisy places filled with cooks, cleaners and servers that no guest was ever allowed to see. The Butler was the ring master of this circus and kept things flowing beautifully from oven to table. Everything he needed to make this magic happen was kept in the Butler’s Pantry. The crystal, the silver cutlery, fine china and exquisite table linens were kept there, under the watchful eye of the family’s butler. Some very expensive, opened bottles of wine were also kept in the Butler’s Pantry.
Today’s Butler’s Pantries re-imagine these transitional spaces. Modern homeowners demand designs that have it all. Think functionality meets trendy style, with timeless beauty.
This clutter-free and organized Butler’s Pantry will save you time and alleviate “pre-event” stress because everything you need is in one place and is instantly available at your fingertips. If you’re handing over the cooking to a caterer, the chef may actually kiss you for providing him with a Butler’s Pantry!
Your custom, luxury Butler’s Pantry can serve as a staging area for meal preparation that gobbles up copious amounts of counter space and cabinetry. It can serve as your drinks station with room for wine bottles and tea pitchers.
Did we mention all of the additional storage that a well-designed Butler’s Pantry has to offer? There are some kitchen appliances that are never used except for formal-ish dinners, so just stick them in the Butler’s Pantry cabinets.
Why not add an additional micro-wave oven, or small refrigerator to your Butler’s Pantry? You could even add warming drawers and ice makers to your Butler's Pantry, and the addition of a second sink is practically a “must have” in your luxury custom Butler’s Pantry.
TLK Custom Luxury Homes can help you design a dream Butler’s Pantry. We will help you coordinate cabinetry and counter tops to compliment the style of the rest of your house. We can add elements that echo the character of your home and help you choose lighting and fixtures that make your Butler’s Pantry look stylishly modern or lavishly extravagant, and all points in between.
When your neighbor brags about their recent trip to Europe, just say, “that’s nice dear, but have you seen my Butler’s Pantry!”
Custom Made in the Shade
Taking their rightful place in the top luxury home trends of 2022 are extravagant covered exterior living spaces.
Since "enjoying the great outdoors" here in Texas demands shading your spaces from the relentless sunshine, luxury home designers have outdone themselves with new shade options for 2022.
After two years of staying inside due to COVID-19, people are craving connection with nature more than ever. Gazing out your window in the morning with that first cup of coffee in the morning, you imagine an outdoor oasis. Julius Caesar felt the same way, so he copied his "front porch" from the Greek portico. Precursor of all porches, the portico originated in ancient Greece as a formal framing device that defined an entryway and created an appearance of authority.
We, much like powerful Middle Kingdom Egyptians, have a longing to domesticate the natural world. Although, gardens were expensive to build and required a high level of maintenance, gardens were very popular in the Pharaonic period and were built within wealthy households and royal palaces.
Typical gardens in ancient Egypt shared these essential components: an enclosure wall, a water pond, ornate water well or canal, trees, flowers, vegetables and large shaded areas.
Aside from the mere beauty of modern porches and covered patio / deck areas, they are designed specifically to provide the shade we need to survive the solar onslaught.
Not only do shaded areas protect you from the sun, they also help insulate you from exorbitant summertime electric bills. Porches and covered patios block the sun from shining directly through your windows and heating up your home’s interior.
Let's face it, while shading your home and your guests is definitely the smart move, what we're really after is THE WOW FACTOR.
The luxury, covered outdoor living space designs that TLK has on offer are not your grandmother's back porch or your dad's plastic sheet over a few metal poles, but gorgeous, modern miracles that will fulfill your wildest dreams.
TK and Lisa Kneedler know how to surround your new custom luxury home with all the "wow" you can handle!
Lockdown Living Unlocked
The consequences of self-quarantine and social isolation are causing many people to reexamine their housing choices. The Quarantine forced millions of people to work from home, but was their home really conducive for doing business? Did it work for home schooling their kids?
TLK Luxury Custom Homes can build you a house that sets you free from the shackles of quarantined living with custom offices, home schooling space, kitchens designed to cook ahead and store lots of meals, larger areas to entertain your friends and space out back for your visitors to park their cars.
Apartment living and town homes may once have been great for busy young professionals who run out to work everyday, then meet their friends at clubs and restaurants. However, when your world suddenly locks down around you, your social life disappears and you find yourself alone in front of your computer all day. Social distancing turns into nightmare.
Even middle-aged Americans who were planning on downsizing or eventually moving to active retirement communities have decided to hold on to their comfortable, roomy houses. The social benefits of these communities fly out the window when your Governor or Mayor suddenly forbids gatherings and management simply cancels everything and locks you down.
The recent epidemic has made many people want to build a big house closer to their grown children. TLK Custom Homes can build you that home: the house you never dared dream of for less money than buying a tract home; the home customized to give you everything you'll need to enjoy Lockdown Living together with your loved ones!
If you're interested in looking at the Luxury Multi-Generational Home option, click here.