When two home industry insiders collaborated on their personal home, they created a family-friendly environment that included accessories and finishes they see firsthand on a daily basis; some new and some tried and true.
The beauty of Bulverde drew Kelly Parrish and husband Beau Walker to build their second custom home in the area. Built in 2014, this 4-bedroom, 4,500-squarefoot home is only slightly larger than their previous home, but Parrish says they made better and smarter use of space.
“We added a playroom and a detached room that serves as a workout room, his and her storage and a potential in-law suite if ever needed.” They also wanted plenty of room for their three kids, so the home sits on 6.5 acres and sports a 50-yard turf football field.
The home represents a collaboration of two experts in the home industry; Parrish’s family has been a leading distributor of fine home products in Texas for over 40 years with locations in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and Austin providing appliances, cabinetry, countertops, garage doors, windows and fireplaces. Walker, an award-winning homebuilder, worked for years in both the San Antonio and Austin markets before founding West Ridge Construction. Combining that expertise and personal preferences took some time to refine.
“We worked for over a year on the floor plan. Beau had hand-drawn sketches of plans on notebook paper all over the place! I would pass along ideas and he would add those to his and draw them up until we had what we thought was the perfect layout that made sense for our family. Beau focused on the meat and potatoes of the home: budget, structure, efficiencies, electrical and layout, while I worked on design, color palettes, product selections and interior and exterior finishes to enhance his ideas. Beau and I made a great team sharing a common vision, although sometimes he had to bring me back to reality on budget!”
The couple knew they wanted an open floor plan that merged their individual aesthetics.
“Beau grew up on 200 acres in the country, while I was raised in San Antonio. It was important to us to create a setting that reflected both of our styles and personalities so that our children can hopefully obtain the best of both worlds.”
That merging of Texas Hill Country/industrial contemporary is most evident in the dramatic stainless steel sheet-covered fireplace in the living room. The Heat & Glo® linear, gas direct vent with LED color-changing lights that allow you to illuminate it without a fire, is a nice option for Texas climates. Parrish, whose family business started with fireplaces in 1972, honors that heritage with the contemporary show-stopping feature. “Having a focus on it was definitely important to me.”
The room, along with the dining room, features expansive interior sliding glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows providing scenic views. In the cooler months it allows the space to be opened creating a vast seamless entertainment area for groups of all sizes. “We wanted our home to look modern, but feel warm and inviting as we love to entertain.” To realize that goal, they also incorporated a glass Avante™ Cloplay® retractable roll-up door in the bar area. “This allows us to open up the entire home to the outdoors and enjoy the natural beauty that Bulverde is surrounded by. Recently, we added an outdoor fire pit which is perfect for roasting marshmallows with friends.”
Playing off of the natural beauty outdoors is a fresh color palette of teal, medium grey and white with dashes of citrus throughout most of the home; choices Parrish considered carefully. “Grey is the new neutral and I selected the teal and white fabrics because I find them to be versatile enough to change out accent colors with the seasons. Yellow in the spring, orange in the fall, and winter was full of pinks, lime green, purple and many other fun colors on our Christmas tree.”
Parrish lamented carefully about the hard finishes in the home as well. “After many sleepless nights on sites such as Houzz
and just being exposed to so many products in this business, I knew what I wanted everywhere, but the true trick is finding it affordable, especially when building a transitional home in this more traditional San Antonio market.” She collaborated with designers at Parrish to get the perfect layout and bells and whistles she desired for each room. The kitchen cabinetry was provided by Parrish through Woodmont Cabinetry in the color, Oyster. “I immediately fell in love with the richness and slight sheen. I knew with the neutral wall colors I wanted something that popped and it does just that.” The Oyster color is carried throughout the home by using it on interior doors, and the master bath and kid’s work stations also use this shade. Quartz non-porous countertops from HanStone® in Tranquility look like marble but require no sealing and are stain, bacteria and scratch resistant — qualities Parrish believes are a boon for an active family. The kitchen features an Electrolux® All fridge/All freezer and an Electrolux induction cooktop with an electric fireplace overhead. A wine bar area is in perfect reach while preparing a family meal at the end of a long day.
The thoughtful design choices continue overhead and underfoot. Sealed concrete floors provide easy cleanup from their children’s use of high traffic areas. Other rooms like the living room feature high-end DuChateau wood floors.
The home is full of unique light features like the hand-blown glass branched fixture above the tub with clear and color-changing LED lights adding a “touch of spark” to the clean and fresh master bathroom design. Parrish was diligent in her selections. “The lighting was a big hot button for me that I spent many hours researching. To me, it is such a focal point and canreally dictate your style. I wanted beautiful, modern pieces that didn’t break the bank and also could withstand a football being thrown around the house.”
The beautiful Texas Hill Country contemporary home continues to evolve, with a floating outdoor kitchen slated to be the next addition to the family’s large patio space. “With Beau and I both being in the industry, the projects and ideas seem to never end!” Now and in the future it suits them well. “We knew going contemporary would be a stretch, but through our joint vision I think we were able to create a special space that our family will love and make great memories in for many years to come.”
DESIGN-BUILD West Ridge Construction
830.438.4520 | Westridgeconstruction.com
SUPPLIER Parrish and Company, Inc.
Austin-Round Rock: 512.835.0937
San Antonio: 830.980.9595
Downtown San Antonio: 210.255.1125
Valley-Corpus Christi: 361.356.6374
Parrishandcompany.com