I want THIS:
A metal building. On a lot. On the street where I office.
My office has been located on the same street almost 5 years.
It will be 5 years at the end of Feb. I have about 1000 s.f. of office space that I rent in a nice little contemporary building right off a major highway, I-45. It’s a great location.
The Woodlands is a little cookie cutter to say the least. Although lush and treed, it definitely has a builders-gone-wild stamp on it. It’s a planned community.
However, this street I love so much is different.
We’re not in Woodlands proper, we’re really zoned within Spring, TX. And, because of that, there are different zoning and building requirements. Many of these houses / buildings were here before The Woodlands was ever conceived, around 35 years ago.
But this is a neighborhood in flux. There are the older, ranch style houses, and there is the new commercial construction. I was the first tenant in my building. But there are more new buildings being built and more remodels of the existing houses for businesses going on all the time.
I love the eclectic mix here:
I love that there’s a karate studio that renovated an old house for it’s purposes.
I love that there’s a birthing center in a house down on the corner.
And then on down the road: a hair salon; a masseuse; a ceramic art gallery; a plastic surgery clinic; some fabulous live edge wood furniture; and the Buffalo Nickel Emporium (coin collector’s shop); and more. All of this is lined up and down this weird little street. I love the mix of it all.
I’ve always craved a piece of property here. I’ve always wanted a chunk of this street to call my own. I wouldn’t keep the old house (trust me many have termites and mold and all kinds of issues that have to be fixed), but I wouldn’t put up an office tower either.
I’d do this:
A metal building. With high ceilings and skylights. And I’d paint it black.
It would be open and large and filled with soft, luxurious, white upholstered goods, ready to be sat on and tested for comfort and style. Everything would be ready for custom design.
We'd have wine tastings and art showings to bring invited guests in. We'd be a refuge of style, and all things “designer”. It would be a place where customers can dabble in design, explore choices and options, and create their own unique piece...with help, of course.
This metal building belongs to my carpenter that I often use.
I went down to his shop in Houston last week to view a piece of furniture he’s working on for me. A custom entertainment center.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been there, and I'd forgotten how grand it was...how open and light...how empty and yet full it seems...how bare bones, yet open to luxurious possibilities.
I'd forgotten, that is until now.