We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stella of Charming Austin Texas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stella below.

Stella, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

When I originally started Charming Austin Texas as an Instagram account in June of 2020, my mission was simple, to share cute homes in Austin, Texas. I had long followed architecture accounts from around the world and noticed there were no similar accounts in Austin. I thought, “hey, we have TONS of adorable homes that I’d love to share with the world.” It was such a simple idea, and from that has grown a lot of change and adventure.

As I watched the account grow and become something that a lot of folks found value in, it made me love it even more. People were reaching out to tell me about the history of the homes I posted; that their parents had been raised there, that there first dog is buried in the backyard, that their grandpa returned home from war and soon purchased the house. These stories were beautiful and they fueled me.

Soon, real estate agents and airbnb hosts began reaching out to have me feature some of their charming and architecturally unique listings. I loved this idea because as much as I find it fun to see the exterior of homes, I find it even more thrilling to tour the interiors. So many times I heard from followers “I wish we could see the inside” so this new venture really fit the bill and offered us all a glimpse at the interior of these beauties. Another fun aspect has been traveling to some of the airbnbs in order to take our own photos, experience these amazing locations, and share in detail about these experiences. I love this aspect of the account!

Another area of passion has been historic preservation. In a growing city the size of Austin, we find that some of the older homes don’t always fit the bill of the newest homeowners and with that comes the growing problem of demolition. This is a topic far bigger than this paragraph will address, but what I will say, is I try to keep an open mind. If a house has deteriorated beyond reasonable repair, I get it. What I find difficult is that truly, so many charming, well-kept homes have been demolished for the sake of building incredulously large, modern homes that don’t “fit” the neighborhood, to say the very least. My work with preservation and sharing the work of Preservation Austin has really been one of the most rewarding aspects of this venture.

I believe there is so much more in store for Charming Austin Texas. While keeping all of the missions that I’ve discussed, I aim to branch into the world of interior design in Austin. So many of these homes have been restored, designed, and decorated by some of Austin’s finest. I’m ready to showcase these interiors and learn about these homes from the homeowners themselves.

I love how an idea, started out of admiration and with pure intention, can blossom into so much more. Sometimes I feel like I’m just along for the ride and I know that we are most definitely just getting started with Charming Austin Texas!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Sure! I have to say that my love for old homes and great architecture stems from my childhood in East Texas. Growing up, my mom and I loved to grab DQ cherry cokes and drive around the Tyler, Texas historic districts, admiring old homes. While I didn’t realize it then, she was unknowingly instilling in me an immense love of architecture and design.

As I grew older and eventually moved to Dallas for school, I found myself doing the same thing when I needed a break from college or the stresses of life as a newfound adult. I’d cruise the oldest parts of town, daydreaming and losing myself in what felt like a different time and place. Once I landed in Austin in 2009, I discovered the likes of Hyde Park, Clarksville, and Travis Heights. I immediately fell in love with Austin architecture and its many charming neighborhoods. To this day, my girlfriends and I have an annual Christmas neighborhood tour – meeting for hot cocoa and driving around Old West Austin, admiring the lights and soaking in the season of our beautiful city.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think growing up as a cautious kiddo who always liked to follow the rules and do things by the book, I’ve had to really teach myself to “jump before I’m ready.” This can be difficult for someone who likes to do things well. But here’s the deal, if you have a passion and a desire to move forward with something, it’s almost as if the idea has a little life of it’s own. If an opportunity knocks, just go down the path and see what it’s all about. I didn’t think when I started sharing cute homes that I’d be featuring listings, traveling to airbnbs, and looking toward collaborating with interior designers. I just thought I was sharing cute homes. But what happened is I started to say “yes.” Yes to figuring it out. Now, in the same thread, I’ve also said “no” to things that didn’t feel aligned with my ideas for Charming Austin Texas. I truly believe, if you’re passionate about something, you’re capable of figuring it out. Just go with it! Let the belief in your ideas be your guide.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Consistency is key! When I started sharing local architecture, I shared three homes a day. I know, it’s a bit much. I’m the type of person who can get super pumped when I’m excited about an idea or project. I tend to go full throttle or not at all. I also started to comment, like, and share posts from similar accounts. This put my account out there for others who were following similar accounts to see – with the hopes that they would eventually follow my account too. Another strategy was that I would like the posts of people who were following say, @preservationaustin or @cottagesandbungalows. I thought, “hey, these people might like to follow my account too.” I put myself out there and started liking strangers’ posts. Weird? Possibly. Effective? Yep.

I sometimes think people don’t like to talk about the nitty gritty, “the uncool”, but that’s what it takes sometimes. I did this until I got to about 10K followers and have since let the account grow organically.

After a few months, I began to post only once a day, but I made sure I stayed consistent with it and still try to for the most part. I know that I have many instagram accounts that I look forward to “hearing from” each day and I believe there are followers out there who feel the same about Charming Austin Texas. They want to see the “feature of the day” and I’m thrilled to share it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charmingaustintexas.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/charmingaustintexas
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSigAAh_OQe_PknT5fHpb9g/featured
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/charmingaustintexas/

Image Credits
Photo of Stella: Image Credit @alicialeighphoto Photos of Houses: Image Credit @charmingaustintexas