Rancho Del Ingles - Alhaurín de la Torre

La Case Grande - Built in 1985
Rancho Del Ingles is a place that will forever be etched in my memory.  This is the venue we stayed at during our retreat a couple weeks ago.  This ranch is nestled peacefully in the foothills between the mountains and the sea, just outside Alhaurín de la Torre.  
It is an estate filled with character, charm, grandeur, history and most of all has a story to tell.
David and Miyuki are the owners of this incredible Ranch and really know how to entertain their guests.  They became our friends and filled our hearts with their kind gifts of hospitality.
  David is a collector of "treasures" and has slowly incorporated architectural items, windows, beams, doors, shutters, vintage light fixtures, antiques, statues, etc. into this Ranch, their dream home. 
(windows in the living room)
 He sat and chatted to me about where and how he found all these incredible items that he built the Ranch around. He is a reclaimed treasure enthusiast that's for sure.   Some treasures were found in garbage bins, others were thrown out treasures that he found of the side of the road, others were pieces from demolished and abandoned buildings.  Of course, lots of the items were purchased but they even have great tales to tell. 
 He told us that he purchased a large storage container many years ago and just started putting things he found in it.
He knew that one day he would have the opportunity to build his dream home and that "one day" is now here.  When they bought the ranch, there was an original farm house on the property that was built in 1859.  David is slowing adding buildings using what he has collected over the years.
Everywhere you look on the Ranch, they have incorporated treasures that David has found.  This  makes the architecture incredibly interesting and full of character. They now rent out the Ranch for weddings, receptions, parties, celebrations, yoga retreats, etc. for others to enjoy.
Entry to courtyard.
You see loads of character and beauty as soon as you pull up to the entry of the Ranch.  These large wooden doors welcome you as you enter the courtyard to the main house.
They were purchased in Malaga, Spain.
Beautiful wrought iron work is everywhere.

The courtyard is where we ate all our meals.  It's a bright, sunny, inviting place to be. 
Miyuki has made every inch of this property feel like home.  She has the gift of hospitality and she and David make a great team.
The back of the main house.

The view from the main house to the Studio. 

Doesn't it look like a painting? I thought my camera captured it well. 
The pool area is a wonderful place to relax and read.
Lots of patio seating and creative landscaping throughout the property.
Love this.

This gazebo reminded me of the one my husband just built for us.
.
Each little house/villa on the property is tucked away somewhere incredible and has loads of interest. 
These shower doors are actually train cabin doors.  Brilliant way to use them.
The bathroom vanity above was one of my favorites.  David found this carpenters bench and added two sinks to it so it could be used as a vanity.  It is perfect because it has all kinds of nooks and crannies for guests personal items.
Old vintage light fixtures are all over the property.
A newly painted spiral staircase leads up to incredible views. 

I can't imagine all the hard work that has gone into this garden.
Terra cotta pots are placed randomly everywhere.
The property is so inviting at night.  The candelabra was my favorite in the main house and I loved adding fresh flowers each day.
This outside sitting area was used a lot during our stay at the Ranch.  This Indian window is spectacular and is absolutely perfect grouped with these Moroccan lamps.  The concrete table took my breath away too.
Can you believe how beautiful this outside room is at night?

This is another outside patio area.

The main dining/living area had a large farm table for everyone to enjoy. 
The front door is from Arabia.
Arab door up close and personal.
 All the interior doors of the house were found by David and were either being thrown out or not wanted.  He saved their lives!  Who wouldn't want these doors and where was I?

Notice these wonderful arched windows.  There were about 8 of them that were going to be thrown out.  David rescued them paying about 4 pounds each (I couldn't believe that) and he didn't do a thing to them.  

 The rustic patina on them hasn't been touched, it's just real age!

This Moroccan bed is in one of the main bedrooms and is so cool.
Stain glass windows are incorporated throughout the house.
Loved this ledge that was built in one of the rooms.  So rustic and charming.
All the rooms are cozy, clean and so eclectic.
The property goes on and on.
Statues are tucked in the garden her, there and everywhere.  According to the season you can pick your own avocados, oranges, lemons, walnuts, almonds, figs, asparagus, pomegranates and olives.
Old rustic tools and vintage garden equipment is placed in fun places throughout the property.
There are reading places everywhere for peaceful contemplation.
El Estudio

This is a large meeting room where the big events take place.  The row of columns on the outside of this building are from a church that was being demolished in London. 

David rescued them before they got destroyed.  How could anyone destroy these beauties?

They make an incredible statement on the outside of the building and he didn't have to do a thing to them. 
The greatest patina ever!  David placed some of the columns on the inside of the building too.
This little sitting area is on the porch and was used the entire week by woman taking naps!
This massive farm table was put to good use too.
What a view to wake up to.  To top it off, the weather was PERFECT!
Just look at the detail of this patio floor around the columns.
On the last night, I got to stay in the room above with the balcony.  The balcony on the left is the "outside" bathroom. 
There is great freedom showering on a rooftop, I must say!
It was spectacular! 
This is what I looked at while brushing my teeth!
If you would like to go visit David and Miyuki's website.  Here's the link.
Thanks David and Miyuki for all you have put into this Ranch for others to enjoy!  Blessings to you from Texas!  If you ever come to Texas, come stay in our home at Casa de la Roca.
I have a feeling I'm going to be reading about you someday in Architectural Digest Magazine.
Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my design portfollio.

Kitchen Makeover Before & After

Everybody wants their home to reflect how they live and who they are.
This is especially true when you purchase a new home and it doesn't have your personality anywhere to be found.  My client who purchased this new home was smart when they decided to buy this incredible gem because it had great bones and character.  It just lacked those special touches that made it feel like home.  It needed an extreme makeover and lots of TLC.
BEFORE

Dark and dreary but not for long.  The center island and the back counter top was black tile with a stainless steel back splash.  Way too modern for my client who wanted a open, fresh and inviting kitchen.
It's been about a 5 week process but this week we finished their kitchen remodel. I stopped by today to take a few AFTER pictures while the cleaners were there. They were busy getting everything ready for the homeowners to move in this weekend.  My client is incredibly pleased with all the finished detail and loves the way every room now flows together with a purpose. 
AFTER
New crown molding added to the top of the cabinets, new paint and glaze, wrought iron hardware (the jewelry of the kitchen), new counter tops (with a different color for the center island), new back splash, and new wood floors throughout most of the house. 
 The entire house had different tile in each room which looked crazy but not anymore.  We also stained the bar area the same color as the wood floors and that really made a HUGE difference to the feel of the kitchen. 
It's hard to see in the photos  but the cabinets do have a subtle glaze like the above gently rubbed on them. 
The adjoining dining room..  It is so beautiful with the complimentary crown molding!  Sherwin Williams "Breezy"

The homeowner keeps telling me how refreshing and rewarding it has been to work with a decorator.  Having a professional by their side to assist them with ALL the overwhelming choices that come with remodeling or updating a new home has been a life saver to them.  In the long run it has saved them thousands of dollars because they have avoided bad decisions that could have cost them a significant amount of money if they had made wrong decisions during this process on their own.

The distressed floors turned out beautiful
From paint colors, floor selections, grout color, lighting placement, granite color choices, carpet color, vanity selections, etc. it is so overwhelming to make these decisions alone.   The homeowner can honestly say now that it's all done...."WOW, we love it and it feels like US" 
BEFORE
It was a construction zone for about a week with all the tile demolition in the house.
AFTER
(before grout)
BEFORE
AFTER
From a different angel but you get the idea.  The back splash really looks beautiful with the center island granite.  The client was really hesitant to do something different like this but now that it's done, it's their favorite part of the kitchen.  The granite is like a piece of art.
AFTER

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  The Slate fireplace is being installed as we speak so I'll post pictures of that later on. 
Have a great weekend!
Visit my website (DecRenew Interiors) to see more before and after photos.

Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Spray Paint

Pottery Barn
You've probably noticed how this mercury glass look is very in right now.
Well, I'm always looking for a DIY solution to these really expensive options and I've found my new favorite product of the week.   Krylon Looking Glass spray paint is the trick!  It's a distressed mirrored finish that can be used on anything glass.
 While the surface is wet, spray it thoroughly with Looking Glass spray paint. The water will prevent the paint from completely adhering to the surface – exactly what’s required to achieve the characteristically blotchy look of genuine mercury glass. Let the paint dry overnight, and repeat the process to the darkness of your liking.

So just imagine what beauties you could make with these glass ornaments!
Hope you are inspired!  I'm getting busy!

A time to serve...in Malaga, Spain

You probably noticed my lack of posts over the past week. I just returned from a trip to Malaga, Spain.  My heart is full as I was privileged to be there for 10 days serving on an amazing hospitality team for  35 missionary woman at a "Woman of Influence Retreat."  
There were woman from all over the world. Most of them work in pretty primitive areas and were in great need of an escape for solitude, encouragement and restoration after serving graciously overseas.
  Some of them serve with the homeless, some dedicate their lives to inner city kids and others are counselors, teachers and leaders.   It was a joy to serve them and make them feel special all week long.
(The meeting place)
 I thought I'd post some pictures of some of the fun things we cooked as well as some of the decor and atmosphere we got to create for these ladies.

Our rockin' hospitality team in our Flamenco aprons. 
 Yes, we were a fun group!

Our job was to do a bit of everything.  We cooked all the meals (the amazing head cook was the Blondie in the middle), we drove the woman back and forth to their villas and around town and created an inviting environment for them to enjoy.w  It was so much fun to see how God used our individual gifts.  The gifts of hospitality, organization, cooking, counseling, decorating, encouragement, etc.  When you put all these gifts together, exciting things happen.
Squishing in the car on the way to the villas! 
I loved driving a stick shift again!

Many of these woman don't get the simple luxuries in the countries where they serve so we tried to pamper them as much as possible.  It was such an honor!

Cafe con leche and a "Spanish donut"

The first day, the serving team stopped for coffee, churros and chocolate before we headed out for all the shopping that had to be done for the week.  They dip these donut like pastries into this rich chocolate - yum!

Guzman's Nursery
Our next stop was the local nursery to purchase flowers for the meeting rooms and for the buffet tables.  Kind of tricky to purchase things for a place I'd never seen before but we did it. 
It was a colorful shopping trip and our cart was filled with beautiful flowers and fresh herbs.

The statues were so stately and added so much character to the flowers.
Check out this massive wrought iron chandelier!  So great up against the thatch roof!
We had Tapas for lunch at a local restaurant downtown.
  I had experienced Tapas on my last visit to Spain but it was a fun experience to try some different ones this time around.  I wasn't too crazy about the fried eggs with the fish but everything else was extremely tasty.
We then went to the Ranchero (I'll do a separate post about it - it was so beautiful) where the retreat took place and unloaded everything.
This was my first glimpse!  My heart skipped a beat!
I was immediately in heaven!  The property was so Spanish and the gardens were filled with fruit trees, flowers and incredible character.  The owners were absolutely delightful too! 
The items we bought at the nursery incorporated with fresh fruit.
We immediately got to work on making the beautiful ranch setting welcoming, warm and a place the ladies could call home for 5 days.  Part of the team went into town and bought all the groceries.  Several of us stayed at the ranch to add all the personal touches before the Ranch was filled with the laughter of greeting one another.
I made floral arrangements using the flowers on their property and picked fruit from the trees!  The lemons looked so colorful in the water.
The bougainvillea were amazing and I picked them all week. 
We also brought some in from a friends garden.
As I picked the flowers and walked around the property, I felt so blessed that I could use my gifts in this setting and for the purpose of making these woman enjoy the color and beauty that nature provides!
My girls and I stamped all the bags before I left home so they would be done when it came time to put them together.
We put them all together and placed them on their beds. 
We hung name tags on their doors which I thought was a really nice personal touch.
Especially on these glorious old doors!
Always nice to know someone knew you were coming, especially when you have traveled for miles and miles and are tired and delirious.
I added flowers to the candelabra in the dining room.  This candelabra was so beautiful all lit up at night too.

I brought over loads of colorful tablecloths to add to the outdoor tables in the courtyard.

Of course we had to have matching napkins.  Believe me, my suitcase over to Spain was FULL!
BEFORE
This planter looked like it needed some TLC so I shopped around the garden and enhanced it a little.
AFTER
Much more interesting with more elements, textures and a candelabra for us to enjoy at night for evening ambiance.
I added some Moroccan lanterns to the mix too.
We filled these clear cups with a cupcake liner and added Reeses and Candy Corn that we brought from the states.  Thanks to my friends here in Dallas, they sent these treats over for the woman.  It was a huge hit as they don't get Reeses and Candy corn in Europe!  You should have heard the ooooohhhhssss and aaaaaahhhhssssss!
Burlap wrapped around the pots, tied with some raffia added a warm touch.
Once we got the special touches done, all the ladies started arriving.
I put this arrangement together using fruit from the gardens and a Russian dish towel that one of the ladies brought from Russia.  The color combinations with the fruit were so inviting.
As you can see, I had fun with all the fruit that was available to me!  Isn't the Russian bowl and the Spanish pottery combination so beautiful?  This eclectic mix made me smile. 
The Pomegranates were from the trees too.
We made sure we had plenty of candles and oil for the tiki torches because we planned on eating all the meals outdoors in the courtyard.  We had NO RAIN so that was absolutely fabulous!
So cozy for chatting.  Lots of gathering took place in this room!
It was a glorious adventure searching through all the cabinets to find cool baskets, wooden bowls, etc. to serve the prepared dishes in.
The candy corn even made it to the appetizer table, ha!
Creating the backdrop for the Flamenco dancers involved a lot of digging around in closets for treasures!  Lori and I enjoyed finding a huge old frame and paired it with some rustic old shutters.  It created a wonderful atmosphere for these incredibly talented artists.
Check out all of these colorful meals that Traci headed up!
  I brought home some fantastic recipes to try for my family.
Tomato, Feta and Cucumber Salad
Typical Spanish Salad
Tapas
Chicken Tiki Marsala
Tawny's homemade croutons from the leftover baguettes
Sims Chicken
Serving others is a fantastic journey.  The conversation we girls had while cutting up onions, chopping carrots and stirring the hot curry on the stove was priceless.   Driving the woman back and forth in the car was a chance for me to hear what they do and listen to their struggles.  Picking flowers with a friend and laughing our heads off as we balanced on a wobbly chair was food for our souls. 
 We ladies all have the same hurts, the same worries and all need to be appreciated and encouraged. The sense of community and acceptance is a gift we get when we are with other woman. 
View from window as I landed in Spain.
They said that I encouraged them with the beauty I created but I say they encouraged me by the beauty these woman poured into my life.  Sometimes we all need to step out of our every day and into someone else's everyday to help us take the next step forward in trusting God.   It gave me a new and fresh perspective for what He has planned for me. 
Don't be afraid to serve, it will be a gift you give others and yourself!

Real Simple Fall Touches

This year I'm going really light on my fall decor.  My month of October is really crazy this year since I'm going on a missions trip to Spain in a few weeks.  I'm taking on the philosophy of decorating "Real Simple" for fall.  It's hard for me, but I did it!
I placed my door wreath in a large bowl on my dining room table and then placed a wicker pumpkin on top of it!  It worked so I'm leaving it there!
It looks great against the green marbelized bowl!  Pops of orange and yellow makes me feel like fall is in the air even though we are still experiencing 90 degree weather here in Texas.  Come on fall, we are all decorated and ready for you!
I added a few gourds here and there.
Placed a wicker pumpkin on my Spanish chair!  Don't you love the purple fabric?
My really big pumpkin got placed on top of my column in my entry!  It's a "simple" statement and Ava my puppy loves it too!
I'm loving this!
An acorn or two here and there!  Everyone love these burnt orange moss balls!
A few touches outside to welcome guests and I'm done!  Even Aslan my Concrete Lion Statue is happy now that he has fall decor right underneath his nose.
I like "real simple" fall decor, it makes life easier but still looks great!
Visit DecRenew Interiors to see my picture gallery of before and after pictures.
·