A child of Wimberley, Alice Gumbert arrived in this valley, parents in tow, at the tender age of seven. She lived here, played here, went to school here. Then, like most young people, she left. Several years ago Alice came back - this time with husband Phil and two teen-aged boys in tow. They are all now in the process of creating a piece of their own little bit of heaven in the Oak Orchard Enclave on an arm of land off of RR 12 that was once part of Alice's parent's ranch.
The three year old home, built by Grady Burnett and designed by Ron Balderach (who also designed Old Glory Ranch) is a livable, loved, open concept family home. The lines are clean and crisp and the ceilings soar. Shades of restful neutrals dominate the space, while splashes of brilliant colored artwork-ranging from contemporary abstract to Balinese primitive - enliven and enhance.
The three year old home, built by Grady Burnett and designed by Ron Balderach (who also designed Old Glory Ranch) is a livable, loved, open concept family home. The lines are clean and crisp and the ceilings soar. Shades of restful neutrals dominate the space, while splashes of brilliant colored artwork-ranging from contemporary abstract to Balinese primitive - enliven and enhance.
Alice's philosophy in life seems to be...repurpose...reuse...renew...rediscover...reupholster... conserve...and cherish; everything in the home having a special meaning or story attached to its origin. Two antique occasional chairs have been recovered in fabric reminiscent of European feed sacks; the backs imprinted with the farmer's name for easy identification and reuse. The iron bed in the master bedroom, discovered in Fredericksburg, grew from full to king size with imagination, determination and the skill of local artisans. The set of delicate bird's egg prints on the wall of the master once belonged to Phil's parents; the silver teapot - now part of a unique lamp - was Alice's mothers.
Alice believes in shopping local. Many of the light fixtures in the home came from, or were designed by Star Antiques on River Road; other items were found in Terra Distante (now closed), and The Tree House in downtown Wimberley. A small accent table in front of a wall behind the couch has echoes of antique American primitive, but was built by her cousin, a native of Wimberley. The grandfather clock in the far corner of the living room came from her grandmother's shop, Gumbert's Antiques, formerly housed in a building on the Wimberley Square.
Evidence of both their son's love for hunting and the outdoors is displayed by an ever increasing collection of antlers found in their Texas themed bedroom. The third bedroom of the home serves as an office for both Alice and Phil where they run their business, laboring to find a little bit of heaven for future Wimberleyites.
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