Oui!
In 2009 Mattern & FitzGerald entered their first San Antonio Parade of Homes in TerraMont with an offering that was so counter-intuitive I was nervous. At the time, there was so much popularity with Tuscan, Hill Country and Mediterranean trends that we risked what people thought of us by putting together a product that blended both modern and traditional elements together. We wanted to package it so that it appealed to much more of an audience than just harsh contemporary. It won 3 awards and The People’s Choice which told me we were on to something. The following year I had a couple approach me and ask if we would build their home in the next Parade of Homes which was 2010. They showed me a photo of my personal home (not knowing it was mine) from the year before’s Parade and asked if I could replicate something like that. I said “hang on a minute” and excused myself to call my wife. “Honey, put the kids diapers away and get the towels off the chairs I’m bringing a couple by in 30 minutes!”. The building of their home in Cresta Bella led to 9 of 14 possible awards and an article by Jennifer Hiller in the Express News entitled Is the Sun Setting on Tuscan Trend? We have been blessed beyond measure since that time but have also been working very hard on not being painted as strictly Transitional-style builders. The truth is we love architecture. I study it as a means of relaxing many times a week because for me it doesn’t feel like work and I can’t get enough of different architectural styles. That’s why when we meet with people I really want to embrace their style and honor it’s history to the best of my ability and their budget. We are prepping for the Summit Awards coming this summer and it gives us a chance to reflect on the past year, the projects you haven’t seen yet and produce them as evidence of our team’s diversification which I am really proud of. I wanted to give you a sneak peak of just a few shots of a French Provencal home we just received. These aren’t edited yet but there are some fun details that we sweated over with Debbie Baxter from Baxter Design Group. Enjoy…
