Creating beautiful, comfortable living spaces in the heart of Austin
Blair & Carlisle Homes was co-founded by Donna Blair and Tamara Carlisle in early 2013. Originally, the company was created to give a name to the numerous building and remodeling “side” projects the pair were involved in while they ran Blairfield Realty, a successful Austin real estate company. Now, while Donna and Tamara continue to help Austinites buy and sell their homes, Blair & Carlisle Homes provides the dynamic duo with a creative outlet while simultaneously keeping them involved in the wider design community.
Whether Blair & Carlisle Homes is building or remodeling homes or helping investor clients stage and sell their properties, the company is focused on creating beauty. With a style they describe as “soft contemporary,” Donna and Tamara design and build comfortable, livable spaces with clean lines, lots of light and an open feel.
Blair & Carlisle Homes’ primary focus is in 78704, particularly the adjacent Zilker and Barton Hills neighborhoods, which are close to Donna and Tamara’s hearts. Both are Barton Hills residents and they hope to leave a beautiful and lasting mark on their favorite local stomping grounds.
Donna Blair
Donna has been immersed in real estate since she was 19. She began her real estate career at a homebuilding company in Dallas, where she rapidly worked her way up the ranks to top-selling sales associate before moving to Austin in 2005. Donna became a licensed broker in 2009 and founded Blairfield Realty, a boutique real estate company in Austin, that same year. As the company grew, so did the demand for more extensive remodeling and design services among a segment of her clients. In response, she and Tamara Carlisle founded Blair & Carlisle Homes.
Tamara Carlisle
Tamara is an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience building and running companies such as Big Kids Productions, Inc., the leading distribution company for independently produced children’s entertainment; Lights Out Candles, LLC.; and other business ventures. In addition, she has been heavily involved in real estate and has bought, remodeled and sold numerous residential and commercial properties over the past 15 years. In addition to running Blair & Carlisle Homes with partner Donna Blair, Tamara facilitates the majority of staging projects at Blairfield Realty, which she joined in 2012 as the VP of Operations.
The Partnership
Tamara and Donna first began working together when Tamara hired Donna in May 2010 to be her realtor. Donna sold two houses for her that summer, and later sold her another house that Tamara planned to renovate. They ended up working on that project together and discovered what a great team they made.
Often described as “the producer” and “the director,” Donna gravitates toward the creative aspects of Blair & Carlisle Homes (though her construction background certainly doesn’t hurt), while Tamara has the business acumen and the organizational skills necessary to coordinate subcontractors and the other myriad details necessary to complete projects on time and under budget. Together, they complete two to three major renovations each year and assist other investor clients with numerous staging and selling projects.
