Stephanie Moore and Jason Russel Waller might be the ultimate vintage shoppers. Four years ago, the fiftysomething couple moved away from Austin after falling in love with a house on eight acres of property in the small community of New Sweden, about five miles north of Manor. Built by Swedish carpenters around 1900 on what was considered the German side of Farm-to-Market Road 973, the home—whose original owners, Herman and Ida Prinz, are buried nearby—has been moved three times. Thirty-nine years ago, it landed in its current location, not far from the historic and picturesque New Sweden Lutheran Church, whose 104-foot copper spire towers over the countryside.

Moore and Waller spent about about four months renovating and updating the 1,600-square-foot house before moving in. But the decor is an ongoing project—the couple love to spend whatever free time they have hitting thrift and vintage stores in small towns such as Elgin and Taylor. “It’s how I relax,” Moore says. “I go antiquing at least once a month.” They also fill the house with personal mementos and objects from their Texas upbringings—Moore, originally from Bryan, moved to Austin as a girl, while Waller, who was born in Mansfield, near Fort Worth, grew up all over the state. Look over the door in the kitchen, and you’ll see a collection of ceramic owls begun by Moore’s grandmother, who hailed from Hondo (“Go Hondo Owls!” Moore says with a laugh). In their shared office, a framed front page of the Austin Citizen from 1975 hangs on the wall: it features a close-up photo of a young Moore, who was one of the first two girls allowed to play in Little League, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling the previous year. There’s also a painting of Moore’s late brother and one of her (which was used for the cover of a novel) by Texas artist Stephen Durke, whose work graced the pages of Texas Monthly in the seventies and eighties.

The property includes a spacious workshop, which was a huge draw for the couple. They turned it into a studio for Moore, an artist who also designs custom window treatments through her longtime company, Cush Cush Design, and Waller, an actor, musician, and screenwriter who was recently featured in the NPR show Snap Judgment . Their most recent project was converting an old barn, once used to house cattle and shear sheep, into an entertaining area with Western vibes complete with a bar, stools, a small stage, and a washroom. Picnic tables and a stock tank pool beckon just outside the structure, which they’ve dubbed the Barn Swallow Bar after the birds that nest around their property (the couple are avid birders). They love spending time out here, especially at night, when they can relax and enjoy the benefits of their hard work. “The best of the barn is that we did everything together,” Waller says.

Swedish carpenters built this house around 1900, but in a different location. It was moved around New Sweden three times, finally landing in its current spot 39 years ago. Stephanie Moore and Jason Russel Waller bought the home, which is on eight acres, in May 2018 and moved in that September. They recently bought a 1975-era black and yellow Cushman golf cart to help them navigate the property. “It’s real vintage and adorable,” Moore says.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
As a longtime designer of custom window treatments, Moore has a very comfortable relationship with bold patterns and color. For the foyer, she says, “I chose the Cole & Son wallpaper because it tied it and the living room together and worked with my pink and blue theme.” For a focal point above the credenza, she hung a hot pink Cameroonian juju hat she found at Round Top. The overall effect is a seamless blend of vintage and modern.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
Moore fell in love with the fabric for the draperies and decided to build the rest of the room around them. She also pays homage to her grandmothers in this space: the rose painting is by her grandmother Verna Mae Moore, and the doll collection, displayed in a china cabinet that’s original to the home, was amassed by her other grandmother, Marge Bali. She and Waller also inserted colored lights inside a clear orb by artist Jeff Michael Hayes that they picked up at a vintage store in Smithville. The home is often filled with flowers designed by Petals, Ink., an Austin floral company.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
Every nook in the house, including this stereo corner in the living room, is a chance to play with contrasts. The painting was a gift to Moore from a client, who had named the woman Esmerelda (“That’s all we know—she is a mystery!” Moore says). The console belonged to Waller’s step-grandmother; he added a Marantz stereo to the cabinet. The glass piece is also by Hayes.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
One of the big selling points for Moore and Waller was the massive separate workshop on the property, which they share for their many creative projects. Moore has been focusing on resin art pieces using flowers she grows in her nearby garden.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
Although Moore, founder of Cush Cush Designs, is known for her window treatments for private residences as well as restaurants and businesses such as Uchi and the Hotel Saint Cecilia, she spends much of her time casting trays with resin and turning them into works of art with dried flowers, rhinestones, and other mixed media.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
The couple completely updated the kitchen and gave it a clean look, with pops of color in the form of vintage glassware and whimsical artwork.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
The couple ignored the old stable on their property until last year. “When we first bought it I paid no mind to it,” Moore says. But Waller thought it had potential, so after they finished the updates on the house and the workshop, the pair removed all of the junk and old equipment from its days as a cattle and sheep pen. “After we cleared it out, it was a lot bigger and I saw the vision,” Moore says. It’s now a bar with a small stage and a washroom where the sheep were once sheared (“I hated going in that room—I got the willies!” Moore laughs). Outside of the barn is a stock tank pool and picnic tables. “This is our favorite place to be at sunset,” Waller says.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
A good friend of the couple’s found the unpainted cow sculpture, which they’ve moved around their property several times before settling it into its current home next to the Barn Swallow Bar. “I thought I would paint it in bright colors, but we ended up putting solar colored lights on it, so at night it’s perfect!” Moore says.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson
Waller keeps his instruments and recording equipment in the workshop. “I love that my office commute is just a few steps outside,” he says.
Photograph by Jeff Wilson

This article originally appeared in the April 2022 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “From a Barn to a Bar.” Subscribe today.