The Mike and Jo Harmison home
Published 6:08 pm Sunday, March 25, 2018
The home of Mike and Jo Harmison
This house story begins with a love story. Mike and Jo Harmison grew up in El Paso, Texas. They never dated, but each knew the other.
“Of course I knew who she was,” said Mike Harmison. “She was the most beautiful girl at Ysleta High School,” he said.
The two married, but not each other. Over 50 years later, they reconnected. A whirlwind courtship ended in marriage. Jo was living in Dallas at the time.
“He planned everything,” Jo said, “and told me when to show up. In fact, I had to show up a day earlier because the person we asked to marry us could only do it that day.”
Not long before they tied the knot, the two were having dinner in Pear- land, Texas. Waiting for the the meal, Jo found a house on Zillow.
“I called Greg Wise to see if it was still available,” Mike said, “and told him I was interested if it shows like it looks in the pictures.”
Jo toured the house with Mike from Dallas via FaceTime.
The living room features mixed and muted metal tones, leathers, marble, velvet and wool.
She – a jewelry artisan and registered silversmith — walked into the house for the first time with her daughters – one in the building and one in the decorating industry — on December 23, 2015. The three declared the house would be perfect — with some work. Mike called Greg and made an offer. At 7:30 p.m. that evening, Jo and Mike were exchanging wedding vows and rings.
The remodel took six months. Jay and Brian Briggs Contractor was the builder. The green tile and carpet were replaced. Walls were painted soft, natural colors from Benjamin Moore, including Quiet Moments. The same soft, natural colors are used in the fine wool rugs throughout the house. Mike and Jo selected almost every furnishing in advance. Much was purchased from a local fine furniture company. However, Jo also opted for antiques that she purchased just for the house and others she has collected through the years. (She lived in Scotland for a time and one of the most interesting pieces is a single armoire with a copper inlay at the top of the door.) Chandeliers were updated. She didn’t jot down any sketches on graph paper. She didn’t hire a decorator. Nothing had to be returned. She just knew what she wanted and exactly how it would look.
“In the evening we would sit in lawn chairs on the patio,” she said. They talked about the progress of the remodel and looked forward to moving in as they listened to classics from the Big Band Era and favorites from the 50s, 60s and early 70s.
Examples of Jo’s skill with chalk paint, subtle, spot-on patinas and furniture distressing can be found throughout the house. Nothing was safe, Mike joked, adding that he kept moving lest she be tempted to try it out on him. She did not just chalk -paint furniture. She chalk-painted exterior lights, the den’s mantle, upholstery and a silver service.
Rather than a new dining room set, she updated one with chalk paint and new chair upholstery, saving thousands of dollars. Her daughter embossed the dining room wall. The overall look is traditional, elegant and because it’s hand-crafted, it won’t be found in anyone else’s home.
Move-in was in May, in time to celebrate Mike’s father’s 100th birthday. One framed photo of Mike’s father shows him blowing out one cake candle, which was used on his 101st and last birthday.
“He said he was starting over,” Jo said.
The Wm. Knabe & Co. Baby Grand piano belonged to Mike Harmison’s mother. He plays the piano by ear. Jo reads music. Placement in the home is perfect. It is near the windows and French doors that join the indoors with an outdoor living space.
It’s one of many family photos in the Harmison home. Many framed vintage and recent photographs, as well as keepsakes remind Mike and Jo of strong family ties. Mike’s father’s scrapbook, started when his father was 12, is in the den.
“He has a couple of autographs from presidents,” Mike said. “He requested those when he was a boy, but the most unique thing is a handwritten note from Stonewall Jackson to Robert E. Lee asking him to send reinforcements.”
Jo has a perfume bottle that’s at least 200 years old that belonged to her grandmother, a silver service that was her mother’s and décor created by her daughters.
When asked what makes their house a home, Jo quickly answered, “Love…Mike.”
Mike didn’t answer. He just pointed at Jo. And they both smiled and looked at each other – in a manner most cynics would agree was pretty sappy – a couple who found each other and love at just the right time.