Sometimes you have to leave the place you were born to discover where you belong. Kathy Young is
originally from Uvalde, Texas, but never felt completely at home there. "I lived
on a ranch and worked as an occupational therapist in a hospital," she recalls.
"Whenever I had time off, I’d drive two hours so I could spend time in
Fredericksburg. I used to daydream about it." Four years ago, she moved to the town of her dreams and bought a
cozy little farmhouse. "I’d lost my husband awhile back and
the ranch
just
wasn’t working out. I didn’t know a soul, but I
was definitely
ready for a
change."
"At first it was hard to pin down
exactly what drew me to this place,"
Kathy says. "It’s a small town and easy to get around in, yet it had everything
I wanted: natural beauty, unique shops and galleries, good restaurants. And the
people are so warm and friendly! Everyone made me feel at home."
But the strongest attraction, although she didn’t realize it at
the time, was that Fredericksburg is a wellspring of creativity, full of artists
and designers. "I’d always had a knack for design—in fact, I ran a small
decorating business in San Antonio years ago," she says. "I had to give it up
when the economy hit a bump."
Inspired by the stimulating new environment, it didn’t take Kathy
long to reconnect with her inner artist. Today, she has an antiques booth at a
nearby mall, and her designer’s eye is once again at work. "Ideas come to me in
a flash—I can look at a room and envision what should be there."
top left: Kathy displays several of her favorite pieces in the guestroom. "The
lamp is made of vintage materials, and the print on the wall is from the 1800s.
Something about its faded, time-worn look appeals to me."
bottom left: The living room’s horizontal pine paneling captured Kathy’s heart. "It was so unusual! I knew this was the place
for me." She built the earthy color scheme around the orange linen slipcovers. A
vintage trunk with metal trim holds her grandmother’s prayer book. Elaine
Lockhart, a visual display artist at Homestead, helped her pull the room
together.
Stumble It!
