On the Market: A Wallpapered Wonder in the Heart of Quail Creek

by Lynne Rostochil.  Vintage photos courtesy Pam Keller, present-day photos by Lynne Rostochil

Some of you might have dropped by this gem of a house on the 14th fairway of the Quail Creek Golf and Country Club course during an estate sale a few weeks ago — there was certainly a buzz about it on the Mod Squad Facebook page about the house that weekend.  For those of you who didn’t make it to the estate sale, you’re in luck.  Thanks to Debbie Ellis and the owner’s cousin, Tim Ridley, I got a chance to tour and photograph the home, which officially hits the market on Monday.

From the front, the 4,169 sf house is quiet and understated…

…and protectively conceals the myriad of great surprises that await, beginning with the oh-so-sexy brass front doors that greet all who enter:

I want those doors — I WANT THOSE DOORS!!  Yes, I could stop right here on the tour and be completely satisfied, but we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet.  Through the doors (which I’m trying to figure out how to steal in the middle of the night), an interior, zen-like courtyard creates a quiet buffer from the chaos and noise of the outside world and prepares visitors for the modern paradise within.  Bye, bye world:

Hello, peaceful haven!

I did say paradise, right?  That’s what you get the second you enter the house and encounter the chunky, chocolate brown terrazzo floor surrounding a built-in planter/fountain that leads to the living areas on the left and the sleeping areas to the right (not pictured).  Here are a couple of photos of this area shortly after the home was built in 1977:

The second view is from the dining room looking toward the bedroom wing of the house, which we’ll get to in a bit.  In the meantime, did I happen to mention that this home has the best collection of vintage wallpaper I’ve seen in a long time … or maybe ever?  Check out the crazy good covering in the breakfast room off of the formal dining room:

Yes, metallic copper wallpaper embellished with buildings of all shapes and sizes — don’t you love, love, love it?  Here’s another shot of this wonder of a room:

What fun!  By comparison, the adjacent and all original kitchen is relatively tame:

Did I mention that the entire house is wired with the 1970s equivalent of cell phones, the always-fun intercom system?  “All Transistor Music & Sound” — gotta love that!

There are two storage rooms and the laundry area down the hall from the kitchen to the oversized, two-car garage.  Laundry room with more great wallpaper:

One of the storage rooms also contains a set of the home’s original blueprints:

Bad weather was heading our way, so I didn’t get a chance to look at them in great detail but did get a couple of shots of the drawings on top of the pile:

Now let’s get to the really good stuff, the living areas!  One giant living space off of the entry contains a plethora of rooms, including a formal dining area that leads to an intimate conversation pit:

Here’s that great disco sputnik light fixture in more detail:

And a more detailed shot of the conversation pit anchored by a Texas limestone wall and fireplace:

Check out this ’70s photo of the conversation pit:

How many intimate camp outs could you have in this space?!

Beyond the conversation pit is a truly great room, with a two-story, a-frame wall of windows looking onto the golf course beyond:

At one time, a round disco sofa occupied space in the great room:

Another perk of the room is the parquet dance floor underneath the carpet — yes, you can have your very own disco right at home!  You just need to climb up a tall ladder and hang a disco ball and you’re all set.  Oh, and you don’t need to bring in a portable bar for the party because there’s a sunken drink center on the other side of the conversation pit:

The bar also overlooks a large den:

Here’s a view of the multi-purpose living space from the great room.

Yep, you could have a giant party in this house and it would seem like an intimate gathering with all of the entertainment space in this combination of rooms.  Here’s another vintage view of this fantastic space (minus the disco sofa):

Before we leave this space, have a look at the fossil-laden Texas limestone that the home’s only owner, a geologist, imported to comprise two of the walls in the common areas:

This butter-colored stone is quite common in the Texas Hill Country, where it’s quarried, but you don’t see it very often in our neck of the woods.  Having gone to college in that part of the Lone Star State, seeing this stone always reminds me of lazy afternoons of river rafting after school (yeah, we had it tough) and drinking ice cold beer chilled by the river itself.  I’ve always thought that the Hill Country area has a magical, very peaceful vibe that I’ve never been able to accurately describe to others, but I always feel it very strongly when I’m there.  It’s funny but I really think that this rock carried that same magical quality all the way to Quail Creek because this home has that exact same carefree, happy feeling.

Okay, enough of me getting all mystical on you and time to get back to the tour. On to the bedrooms!

The master is a giant one, although it’s difficult to tell with no furniture in the room:

Here’s a vintage view of this room during the wicker loving ’70s:

The door goes out to the backyard, with this lovely view of the golf course:

Oh, and since we’re outside, here’s the back of the house:

Nice!  Back off the master is the best master bathroom ever with more killer foil wallpaper:

Is that wallpaper the best or what?  And yes, that’s an unintentional selfie … and that’s also a sunken tub that overlooks another intimate interior courtyard.  There’s a giant “hers” closet to the right and another vanity area behind me in this photo.  You also get a fancy bidet in the bargain:

And a chocolate brown tiled shower that is to die for:

I still want the front doors, but I might want this tile even more.  Love it.  Beyond the shower is another giant “his” closet:

Beyond the master suite is a guest bath with what may be my very favorite wallpaper in the entire house:

Okay, forget the doors and the shower, I want — really want — this wallpaper!!  How perfect and cute and bold and fun and dramatic is that?!

Follow a hallway beyond this bathroom to two more bedrooms and baths:

Yes, more great wallpaper and a “then” shot of this room with even more wicker from the ’70s — love it:

Another bedroom has more interesting wallpaper:

As you can see, a lot of vintage goodness is packed into this generous-sized home, which is going for just over $675,000.  It certainly needs someone who appreciates all of its funkiness to become its second caretaker.  If you think you might be that person, please contact owner Pam at 303-408-7002 to make an appointment to see this ’70s wallpapered wonder before it hits the market on Monday.