By Megan Wehring
WIMBERLEY – Two local entrepreneurs have created an immersive experience at their new studio in Wimberley focused on one thing: reclaimed wood.
Co-owners and creative designers of Texas Iowa Reclaimed, Juli Middleton and Emilie Crockett opened their first studio on Friday, Oct. 14, located at 9315 Ranch Road 12 in Wimberley. Guests were invited to walk through the studio to learn more about different types of reclaimed wood that were harvested from historic barns, stables and other structures – some that even date back to the 19th century – that is repurposed for modern projects.
“We are about seven miles west of I-35 in between Austin and San Antonio toward the hill country,” Middleton said. “Yes, we work all over the state of Texas, but we enjoy being out, in a destination and hosting events. … We felt like it was an area that needed exposure. We are a very niche business. There are some shops around yet they are run by males that are not designers that really don’t know how to connect with the client and educate them on reclaimed materials.”
Middleton added that clients need to see the studio and work with reclaimed wood to fully comprehend the magic.
“This industry has no standards,” Middleton said. “It’s very difficult for the client to understand reclaimed building materials without seeing it.”
Crockett touched on the beauty of reclaimed wood being that it’s a green resource.
“You’re able to reuse again what literally built our country and that is very special,” Crockett said. “The beauty of our showroom is that we touch on minimalistic, Scandinavian, modern and some midcentury designs. When people think of reclaimed as rustic, it’s only rustic in that it’s had so many previous lives lived. It’s seen many people walk on it and through it. We get to see that and use it in a beautifully modern and current way.”
When it comes to the design process at Texas Iowa Reclaimed, it’s all about what the client wants.
“We want to hear their vision, and most of them have a very clear vision,” Middleton said. “If they come with an interest in reclaimed, they’ve seen it on Pinterest or online, so they kind of have a vision and we let them explain it to us. Our job is to lead and educate them in the process.”
Middleton and Crockett work on both commercial and residential projects. These range from a ski home in Aspen (Colorado) to the Amazon headquarters in downtown Austin.
“I’ve also sold the reclaimed wood out of the executive offices in the White House and put that into a carriage house above a garage,” Middleton explained. “There’s just all kinds of things that we do that are kind of memorable.”
For more information about Texas Iowa Reclaimed, visit http://www.texasiowareclaimed.com/.
