Dos Sueños
Two dreams become
one
fabulous
Hill
Country residence
By ROBYN BARNES
Photography AL RENDON
This is a story about a house that
was a dream. A dream born of
travels to sunny Spain, lingering
hours spent in the
Alhambra and countless hours studying
Moorish architecture.
It is a story about Al Aguilar and Gisela
Girard, a couple with the creative drive to
build a home that reflects not only the
Spanish architecture they admire but the
desire to craft a retreat that could be
shared with family and friends.
Welcome to Dos Sueños.
“Dos Sueños means two dreams in
Spanish,” says Gisela. “My mother
thought of the name. She said our
house is a reflection of the dreams of
two people, and it seems to fit. This
house is a culmination of our dreams.”
“We were inspired to build Dos
Sueños by our travels in Spain and particularly
the region of Andalusia,” says
Al. “We saw the fountains, the arches
and beautiful gardens. We wanted to
build that here in San Antonio.”
Before they could build the dream,
they needed a site. Because their advertising
agency, Creative Civilization, is located in downtown San Antonio, they
didn’t want a location that would be a
long drive. Yet they wanted acreage,
too, and a bit of tranquillity.
During a drive in the hills north of the
La Cantera resort, Gisela saw a sign,
Acreage for sale.“Gisela told me she’d found a place
with a view of the sunset,” says Al. “She
told me to go see it right away.” It turned
out that the owner had bought land as a
surprise for his fiancee from New York
City. He thought she’d enjoy the views,
but she didn’t care for the eight-acre site
because she was a city girl. Dejected, he
sold the land to Al and Gisela. One
dream ended, and another began.
“We studied the land and researched
the kind of architecture we wanted before
we chose an architect,” Al says. “We
knew the right architect could help us
position the residence for the best effect.”
After much consideration, they chose
Michael G. Imber, Architect, PLLC. “We
had seen a hacienda-style house he had
designed,” Gisela recalls. “Now he’s wellknown,
but back then he was just beginning
to make a name for himself. He captured
the essence of the designs and buildings
we saw in Spain, even though he’d
never been there. It was amazing!”
Dos Sueños is hidden among the
trees, much as a dream is often hidden in
the heart. Entrance is gained through an
electronic gate, along a narrow, winding
road. At first, it seems there is no house,
only Hill Country vegetation. Then suddenly
the house appears, white and pristine
on the brow of the hill.
The house is revealed through a progression
of entrances beginning in the
garden court. The classic Moorishshaped
star is featured in the auto court,
along with a colorful Spanish-tiled fountain.
A set of three large double doors
with iron scrolls leads to the Zaguan, a
groin-vaulted loggia entrance flanked by
classic cut-stone octagonal columns and
leaded glass transoms. The stained and
scored concrete floor is inlaid at intervals
with the Moorish star.
The main gallery is filled with light on
sunny days. It connects the master suite
with the public living areas and the stairway
that leads to the guest room and
Gisela’s office. Music flows through the
gallery and spills outdoors because the
home is wired for the music the couple
loves so much.
The principal sala features a coffered
beam ceiling of longleaf pine. “The
wood, which is very rare today, was rescued
from a cotton mill that was being
demolished in Galveston,” says Al. The
fireplace in the corner has a molded plaster
surround, handcrafted the way artisans
used to make them — one layer of
plaster at a time. The hand-hammered
decorative copper smoke hood is patterned
with the Moorish star found
throughout the home.
The small bar built into another corner
has its own story. “The tile on the
bar is from a castle in Spain,” Al says. He
explains that it is azulejos, an ancient
form of Spanish painted, tin-glazed,
ceramic tile work. “We found it on our
travels in Sevilla, Spain, and bought it as
an antique. We knew we’d find a place
for it in our home.”
A thick, intricately designed wood
piece inlaid over the bar is another
antique, this time from Morocco. The
furnishings in the room have been collected
over the years. The velvety textures
on the chairs from Fredericksburg
are a stark contrast to the primitive wood
of the huge table in the center of the
room. “The coffee table is actually an
old antique door,” Gisela says. “It is so
heavy that it takes several people to
move it.”
The iron chandeliers in the principal
room have their own story. “We purchased
one of the chandeliers in Austin,” Al says. “It was imported
from France as an antique and was the
only one of its kind. We took it to an
artisan, who created a twin so we’d
have a matching set. The craftsmanship
is beautiful in both pieces.”
End tables from Mexico came from
another store in Fredericksburg, and the
iron and glass occasional table in the corner
of the room is Italian. The grand
piano, which Al plays, is another reminder
of the importance of music in the home.
The library, to the right of the fireplace,
is the essence of order and peace.“This is a real library, not just a decoration.
We use it to meditate and to
read,” Gisela says.
The round wooden
table in the center of the small room is
very old and from Mexico. The four
antique leather chairs around it once
belonged to a colonel. The books in the
ceiling-height shelves are organized by
subject, and there isn’t an empty place
on the shelves. Any space that isn’t
devoted to books displays angels made
by Gisela’s grandmother.
To the left, an arabesque arch leads
into the dining room, where the focus is
the mesquite table and chairs seating 12
that the couple purchased in San Miguel
de Allende. The wooden sideboard from
Peru holds the family’s china and crystal.
Pride of place is reserved for the beautiful
chandelier. “It came to us from New
York,” says Al, “but it was originally
housed in an old Spanish church. I love
how angels are worked into the metal
around the light source.”
Beyond the dining room is the spacious
kitchen, a gourmet ’s delight. The
white and light green color scheme is
repeated throughout the kitchen in the
Moroccan tile and the cabinetry. A
Moorish light fixture hangs near the sink.
The European pots hanging from a rack
over the island and the smell of the scones Gisela has recently
removed from the oven are a reminder of her skill as a baker.
Perpendicular to the island is a long ironwood table from
Argentina used for informal dining. The wall of windows just
beyond the table floods the kitchen in natural light.
The kitchen spills into an open-air dining loggia. “This is my
favorite place in the house,” Gisela says. “We eat out here and
watch the sun set.” The view to the east is equally dramatic,
overlooking the pool and natural landscape.
The stair tower and its timber balcony overlooking a gallery
below house the guest floor with two rooms that enjoy spectacular
views of the western horizon. One room serves as
Gisela’s office and darkroom, and the other is a guest room.
A series of arabesque arches leads from the kitchen down
the main gallery to the master bedroom suite. A private
patio is wedged into place here, holding seating and Gisela’s
potted garden of peppers, herbs and tomatoes. French
doors lead from the patio into the bedroom, whose high ceiling
is complemented by the large sleigh bed in the center of
the room. The headboard and footboard are covered in rich
dark leather, and their coloring is repeated in the intricate
Moroccan screens that serve as window treatments at the
end of the room.
“This is a Hereke rug we purchased in Turkey,” Al says,
pointing to a silk-on-silk carpet that hangs on the wall. “It is
old and very special.” He explained that Hereke rugs are the
finest hand-knotted carpets in the world. An Ottoman emperor
established the Hereke factory to make rugs exclusively for
the Ottoman Empire. These carpets are now prized by collectors
throughout the world.
A little vanity belonging to Gisela’s great-grandfather contains
collectors’ items of a different sort. Statuary collected during
travels over the years and as gifts from friends and family creates
a small shrine to a variety of saints, most notably Santa Barbara.“Santa Barbara is the patron saint of lightning,” Gisela says wryly.“We have a lot of lightning up here in the hills!”
Across from the master bedroom is the master bath, a fabulous
example of how dramatic tile work can spice up an otherwise
utilitarian space. A tall, colorful tile wall mimics a
Spanish fountain and serves as a backdrop for the large tub,
made for a long soak at the end of the day. Behind the wall is
a double shower.
The room is divided into his and hers. The left side is
Gisela’s, with her sink, vanity and built-in drawers leading into
a walk-in closet with a window at the end. A three-way mirror
is installed on the left side of the closet, a thoughtful addition
for a woman who needs to dress in a hurry. Gisela’s water closet
has a door that opens into a room designed to store luggage
and bulky bedding.
“My wife is one smart woman,” Al says. “I don’t know
anyone else who would think of this.”
Al’s side of the bathroom has its own set of built-ins and its
own closet. “Mine, however, is not so full,” he comments with
a smile.
Down the hall and behind two pocket doors is Al’s lair, the
media room. Comfortable leather couches are strategically
arranged to provide the best view of the wide-screen television. “I love watching the University of Texas games,” he says.
Paintings and sculpture by important local and international
artists are carefully placed throughout the home. Art is very
important to Al and Gisela, and they are quite knowledgeable
on the subject.
As with traditional Spanish homes, Dos Sueños’ interior
spaces are all tied back to the landscape by loggias, balconies,
porches and courtyards accented by natural light and the
sound of falling water from fountains. Every window offers a
beautiful view of the Hill Country or the gardens, which are
Gisela and Al’s pride. They spend weekends outdoors, potting,
planting and trimming, tending their acreage.
When Gisela isn’t working or gardening, she paints at the
small studio she calls Villa Gisela. It’s a freestanding studio
accented by a long room with a covered porch. “We come
here to paint and read the newspaper,” Gisela says. “Sometimes family members come here to paint with me. It’s a
great way to relax and express my creativity.”
Al loves to play with their dogs. They have two Great
Pyrenees, used to protect the property from coyotes. The two
gentle giants share what Al jokingly calls the Dog Condo with
three other canines.
“After they see our home, people always ask me how I can
leave it every day to go to work,” Gisela says. “It is difficult
some days because I love it here. I love coming home to the
peace and serenity we’ve created, though, so that makes leaving
a little easier.”
“We enjoy sharing our home,” Al
adds. “Entertaining is fun for us, and
the house is built for it. We have parties
and entertain clients. Our families are
frequently here, too, because several of
Gisela’s family members live nearby.”
“Every time I show someone our
home, it reminds me of how we put it
together,” Gisela says. “It really did start
out as our dream. We pulled it together
a little bit at a time. It’s such a pleasure
to relive the memories.”
“As advertising people, our job is to
be creative and to provide vision for our
clients,” Al says. “But we can also
express our creativity and our vision in
our home. And every day, we get to live
our dream.”
